Directed by Katerina Suvorova, Streets Loud with Echoes begins with the death of Denis Ten, the first ever Kazakhstani figure skater to win a medal. When he is murdered in his home country, the sudden loss of their hero begins the seeds of revolution. After unrest begins to shake the doors of the government, Suvorova follows two…
Directed by Hamoody Jaafar, Rouge steps behind the walls of River Rouge high school and into the world of competitive high school basketball. With a legacy of 14 state championships, River Rouge is hungry for another and Rouge follows its current coach and players who yearn to bring home another trophy. Meanwhile, the film also taps into the school’s…
Directed by Tova Krentzman, Fire Tower brings the viewer 100 feet above the boreal forest into American lookout towers. Tasked with detecting wildfires before they cause too much damage, these reclusive servants maintain a solitary vigil as they stand quietly against the forces of nature. Ultimately, the heat of Fire Tower is the honour that it bestows upon its…
Directed by Aeyliya Husain and Amie Williams, An Unfinished Journey follows four Afghan women of position and influence – Nilofar Moradi, Homiara Ayubi, Zefnoon Safi and Nargis Nehan – who are forced to flee their home country when the Taliban take power in 2021. As the Taliban dismantle education systems and women’s rights, they watch from afar as…
Directed by Alfredo Pourailly de la Plaza, The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine follows Toto, an aging father who spends his days immersed in the water and muck of the Chilian caves as he attempts to harvest gold. Having done so for over 40 years, the conditions have taken their toll on Toto, leaving his health declining. In response,…
Directed by Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge, Red Fever is a stunning look at the world’s historical fascination with Indigenous Peoples. Traveling across the Atlantic, Diamond follows the lines between modern day fashion, sports, agricultural practices and democracy and the unrecognized influences of Indigenous ways of thinking that helped create them. In doing so, Red Fever hopes to chart…
National Geographic is behind a film that many will call a spiritual successor to Free Solo as it features people taking on an extreme sport that can result in their death. Personally, I found the documentary to be more akin to Goodfellas, where the thrills and excitement of their lifestyle is the main character of…
Filmed over the course of seven years, Daughters of Genghis is a study of a woman named Gerel, a formidable neo-nationalist who guides a women-led movement to protect her homeland of Mongolia and the ideals that she believes are tied to the country. One of her main concerns is the position of women in Mongolia,…
Black Box Diaries takes us back to 2015 when Shiori Ito, a young woman with great ambitions and hopes for a career in journalism, runs into a story in the worst way possible as she attempts to empower herself by exposing the sexual assault that was committed against her. Facing the scrutiny of the public,…
Just google the term ‘sextortion’ and you will quickly see the tragedies that are associated with it. You will also see the young people who are exploited by it. Here’s a story of a woman who decided to document the process of bringing herself back to power. My Sextortion Diary works as mise-en-abyme (or ‘story…
