Market Hall

A lone white plastic chair sits on a small, narrow balcony with green railings. The balcony is part of a building with a facade of large, beige stone tiles. The viewpoint is from an adjacent building, capturing the scene at a slight angle, which gives a voyeuristic glimpse into this quiet urban space.

A Short Film About a Chair

A lonely chair on an abandoned balcony, a photographer watching it days and nights, a strange thing happens that will change the life of the chair for ever.

A person stands on a balcony with their arms crossed, surrounded by graffiti-covered walls. Behind them, a cityscape with various buildings in different states of construction and maintenance is visible. The contrast between the neglected foreground and the bustling city background highlights a narrative of urban resilience and perhaps social issues. The sunlight casts shadows, adding to the gritty ambiance of the setting.

Newly settled in Belfast, a filmmaker tells his infant twins about his life journey. They see him leaving one violent place for another, longing for places that he will never see again, and hoping they will not carry his curse.

A group of individuals is seated at a long table set with a white tablecloth, in what appears to be a social gathering. On the table, there are candles, glasses, and dishes suggesting the meal is either in progress or has just concluded. The attendees are dressed in a variety of attire, ranging from formal to semi-formal. The atmosphere is convivial, with some individuals engaged in conversation. The background is a plain wall, giving the scene a simple and focused ambiance on the gathering.

The Best of Both Worlds

“During my employment, I was able to learn my culture on a daily basis while coordinating programs with community workers and provincial agencies.”
Taylor offers a glimpse into her extensive work with the Anishinabek Nation (formerly Union of Ontario Indians) in implementing the Ontario Indigenous Healing and Wellness Strategy. During her involvement, Taylor witnessed the government’s acknowledgement of Traditional Healers and First Nations communities’ reclaiming of their Anishinaabe Knowledge.

PANEL: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake Storytelling

A hand with the palm facing forward and fingers slightly apart, set against a backdrop of a rock surface with natural lines and crevices. The lighting is soft and dim, suggesting either early morning or late afternoon, with warm tones that give the skin a reddish hue, contrasting with the cooler tones of the rock. The focus is on the hand, which is centered in the frame, while the rock surface in the background is slightly blurred. The composition is simple and evocative.

There’s Not Much We Can Do

In this personal essay documentary, the director reflects on getting diagnosed with endometriosis through observing the invasive Japanese Knotweed. While the plant is treated with urgency, the disease is met with inaction, prompting us to question the very things we consider “natural” in the first place.

Two individuals are sitting close together on a high ledge, looking out over a desert-like landscape with sand dunes stretching towards the horizon. The sky is a warm, hazy orange, possibly indicating either sunrise or sunset. The companionship between the two figures is emphasized by one person's arm around the other, suggesting a moment of shared experience or reflection in a vast and tranquil environment.

Madeleine

Each week, two friends born 67 years apart share their life stories in the living room of a seniors’ residence. When Raquel finds a way to bring Madeleine with her on a road trip to the sea, the result is a journey that plays with reality and fiction and brings a reflection on life, death and the certainty that there is always something to learn along the way.

Four individuals are seated around a dining table in a dimly lit room that suggests a vintage or historical setting. The warm glow from the windows, adorned with patterned stained glass, provides natural light. The room is decorated with patterned wallpaper, and there are traditional furnishings and decorations, including a cabinet and a clock on the wall, which contribute to the room's old-fashioned ambiance. The scene has a calm and intimate feel, with the focus on the people at the table, possibly engaged in conversation over a meal.

Demon Box

After festival rejections, a director revises his intensely personal short film about trauma, suicide, and the Holocaust. He transforms the film into a painful, blunt and funny dissection of itself, and of his own life. Ten years in the making.

Guests in attendance, Q&A with Sean Wainsteim

A woman stands outside a brick building, holding a box of Playtex tampons and a long printed receipt. They are smiling at the camera, dressed in a cozy, textured beige jacket with a navy blue top visible underneath. Their curly hair is pulled back from their face, and they wear round earrings.

Periodical

Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from first period to last. Lina Lyte Plioplyte’s innovative documentary uncovers shocking truths, challenges taboos, and celebrates the end of centuries of societal stigma.

Related VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: Period Poverty & Advocacy | Tuesday, Jan 30 at 7:00PM EST – Pre-register now!

A person stands outdoors holding a large feather and a decorated wooden box with a painted floral design. They are wearing a white button-up shirt, glasses, and have a pendant necklace of a tree. The environment includes a green tree, a house with a porch in the background, and foliage near the building's foundation. The person's expression is serious and they look directly at the camera.

My Beginnings

“You have the love and respect of your grandparents, and eventually that’s what you become.”
Knott explores her beginnings with family and love through their connection to one another, Land, water, plants, and animals. There is loss and reconnection, while also building courage “to take back my life.” The spiritual cycle continues.

PANEL: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake Storytelling

Two puppet-like figures with painted faces and exaggerated makeup are positioned close together against a bokeh background with purple and blue hues. The figure on the left has black hair and pink makeup, while the one on the right has bright green hair and darker makeup around the eyes. The facial expressions are fixed and stylized, with a handmade quality to the crafting of their features.

Blush – An Extraordinary Voyage

For 18-year-old Finnish–Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition. For the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.

Viewed through multiple circular vignettes, the image captures an individual engaged in the process of hide tanning. The person is wearing a red plaid jacket and a warm cap, indicating a cold environment with snow on the ground. They are using tools to scrape and work on the hide, which is stretched out on a frame. Each circular frame overlaps to create a collage effect, showcasing different stages or angles of the hide tanning process.

My Storytelling

“Using my hands are very important to me.”
Knott recounts her history, intertwined with her family and community through a motif of hands that work and create. Highlighting her mother’s highly skilled, detail-oriented, and artful moccasin-making, Knott continues that work of care. To love is to touch, forming a connection with the earth, and those you care for.

PANEL: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake Storytelling

A dog stands atop a vast landscape of debris under a hazy sky, with the sun low on the horizon casting a warm glow over the scene. The landfill is littered with varied waste, and the dog's silhouette is outlined against the bright backdrop of the sun. The atmosphere appears calm yet somber, with the desolation of the waste and the solitary figure of the dog creating a poignant contrast.

Plastic Fantastic

Our planet is permeated with plastic particles. This film follows several people who deal with the disposal of plastic, as well as its production. In the process, the system that causes the mountains of plastic to grow becomes apparent.

A person with long dark hair wearing a white sleeveless top and a patterned skirt is standing in a wooded area with lush greenery. They have their eyes closed and hands clasped over their chest in a gesture that suggests contemplation or serenity. Sunlight filters through the trees, highlighting the natural setting and the individual's peaceful pose.

“The Rez”

“Never forget me, remember me, this is your home.”
“The Rez” is so much more than the pain inflicted by settler-colonialism. Lewis speaks to her greater community, her love for their strength, and the fight they give to keep the community whole. Identity and community are vital; Lewis embraces both without compromise.

PANEL: Wshkiigmong Dibaajmownan/Curve Lake Storytelling

Hands wearing blue protective gloves are carefully handling a traditional "horn hat" with a red top and a decorative, patterned band. The person handling the hat is wearing a dark blue shirt and a red vest, suggesting they may be a professional conservator or curator in a museum setting. The focus on the gloves and the hat emphasizes the care being taken to preserve a culturally significant artifact.

Homecoming

As museums begin to deal with their colonial history, filmmaker Suvi West takes the audience behind the scenes of the museum world, revealing a visual, philosophical, and spiritual realm. She seeks a connection with ancestors through old museum objects, eventually arriving at the collective pain points of the Sámi people.

An individual is standing at an open doorway, facing a balcony and looking out at an urban landscape. The sign above the balcony reads "CHIN WING CHUN SOCIETY" in English and has Chinese characters beneath it. The view includes modern buildings, and the doorway is framed with colourful glass panes, suggesting a traditional or historical setting within a contemporary city environment.

Big Fight in Little Chinatown

All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing – and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Big Fight in Little Chinatown documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America.

A figure with an avant-garde appearance is positioned in the foreground, dressed in what appears to be a white costume with structural, organic shapes enveloping the body and an elaborate headpiece resembling a stylized, textured wig or headdress. The figure's face is painted white, with darkened eyes and lips, and exhibits a neutral expression. The background shows an interior space with curved architecture and multiple people in motion, possibly a subway station or a public concourse, with a softly blurred focus that suggests movement and life happening around the still, striking figure in the foreground.

Queendom

Gena, a Queer artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes made from junk and tape, and protests the government on the streets of Moscow. She stages radical performances in public that become a new form of art and activism. The performances—often dark, strange, evocative, and Queer at their core — are a manifestation of Gena’s subconscious. But they come at a price.

Ajjigiingiluktaaqtugut (We Are All Different)

What does it mean to be Inuk? Historically depicted as welcoming and friendly people in remote snowy landscapes, in reality, Inuit live across the globe. Using antique wind-up bears, layered animation, and analogue techniques, McIntyre constructs an animated documentary in an exploration of identity and belonging by Inuit, both in and outside of community.

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