Grape Soda in the Parking Lot gives voice to Taqralik Patridge as she taps into the memories of her childhood. By animating paintings, Patridge leans into the pain of her past, especially through the lens of her grandmother’s Scottish Gaelic and her father’s Inuktitut language that were lost due to the influence of the English. Directed…
In order to heal from the past, one must first face it with honesty. S-yewyaw/Awaken tells the story of Ecko Aleck of the Nlaka’pamux Nation (Lytton, BC,), Alfonso Salinas of the shíshálh Nation (Sunshine Coast, BC) and impact producer Charlene SanJenko of Splatsin of the Secwépemc Nation (Shuswap, BC), as they delve into the horrifying…
High school bites. Directed by Ariane Louise-Seize, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person tells the story of Sasha (Sara Monpetit), a teenage (appearing) vampire who’s struggling to make a kill. Even though she needs human blood to live, Sasha’s empathy for others makes taking a life almost impossible. Unlike the other members of her family, her fangs…
Before it even started, the TIFF representative almost began to cry while introducing this film. That was certainly foreshadowing of what we were about to see! Although Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe was a heart-warming and nostalgic hour and a half, there was also plenty of reality and heartache. The Magic of Make-Believe chronicles the…
When your career is coming to a close, how does one know if they’ve left a mark on the world? Directed by Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor and Maeve O’Boyle, Joan Baez: I Am A Noise is an intimate portrait of the legendary folk singer. As Baez prepares for her farewell tour, Baez reflects upon her remarkable career…
Who knew that financial movies about the world finance would become so hot? After the success of Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry earlier this year, Dumb Money is another film that speaks to the role of technology and its impact on the world of finance. However, unlike BlackBerry, Dumb Money embraces the ridiculous nature of truth with a style and flair that makes the…
Working Class Goes to Hell follows a small-town union’s struggle for justice after an industrial fire decimates a Balkan village, creating opposition as the owners evade responsibility. Ceca, the leader of the labor movement, is steadfast in her efforts, but the addition of Mija to the group ignites a fascination with paganism that causes strange…
Chuck Chuck Baby follows Helen, a very quiet and reserved woman, and her struggles to make ends meet while sharing her home with an indifferent husband, his younger girlfriend, and a wailing infant. She looks after her elderly mother-in-law and finds solace in music while working night hours at a chicken processing business. Joanne, Helen’s…
Based on the Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical book from 2015, Gonzo Girl depicts her experiences working for Hunter S. Thompson. Walker Reade, a resident of the Rocky Mountains, is attempting to resurrect his writing career in the early 1990s. The public, publishers, and different hangers-on put pressure on Reade to finish his work until he…
As absurd as its title Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person tells the story of Sasha who, as a young vampire, was cursed with the capacity to have empathy for her food. Seeking alternatives to her need for blood, Sasha witnesses another teen deprived of life in Paul, a young outcast who appears on the…
