Film Categories: Work about Women

  • Miracle

    The risks and complications of postponing pregnancy are the starting point for this 36-year-old’s anxious journey down the long road to reproduction. In seven jam-packed minutes, our intrepid filmmaker falls in love, struggles with infertility, gets pregnant, worries about miscarriage, takes a holiday, tries to be a good pregnant person and inevitably goes into labour. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride in the lo-fi, heartfelt, high stakes tale of the miracle of life.

  • Coconut/Cane & Cutlass

    The title of “Coconut/Cane & Cutlass” represents the psyche behind the collective memory, history and imagination of Indo-Caribbean people. The film is a mythic/poetic rumination on exile, displacement, and nationhood from the perspective of an Indo-Caribbean lesbian who migrated to Canada twenty years ago. Intersections of the autobiographical voice (in the realm of mythic/memory and the personal) co-mingle with the historical, to produce a film that is neither an “official historical document” nor a “personal history.” Instead, “Coconut/Cane & Cutlass” is a hybrid fusion of the autobiographical, historical and experiential, in an episodic structure that is richly textured and layered…

  • Working Portraits

    A document in the form of a portrait. Shot in June 2000 at Philip Hoffman’s Independent Imaging Retreat in Mount Forest, Ontario, this films stays close to the participants and the film medium itself as they work on their projects. With Becka Barker, Helen Hill, Deirdre Logue, Kelly Krotine, Alexis Rubenstein (1975-2002) and Karyn Sandlos. Thanks to Phil Hoffman, Sabastjan Henrickson of Niagara Custom Lab in Toronto, and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto. “Process must not be viewed as a goal or an end in itself, nor must it be confused with an infinite perpetuation of itself.” –…

  • Solo

    A single gal venturing into a bar finds a groove all on her own.

  • Still to Go

    “Still to Go” depicts an existential roadblock. An animated character finds himself in an immobile walk cycle while attempting to cross the street. The ‘don’t walk’ signal is relentless and takes on a life of its own. The character seems fated to an unmoving walk cycle when his environment revolves to reveal the layers of his movements. Jack is exposed as a series of images at different stages in time. Still to go deals with cycles, layers transformation and rebirth. Selected screenings: Montreal World Film Festival 2005; Vancouver International Film Festival 2005; Los Angeles International Short Film Festival 2005.

  • Swing

    “Swing” was rotoscoped from a 16mm print of the filmmaker’s son on a swing. The drawings were then scanned and assembled digitally.

  • Boy

    The visual poetics of Vancouver are brought to light as the filmmaker reflects on the cities she has lived in, motherhood and the birth of her first son. Image description: A blurry and rain-soaked streetscape as viewed through a car windshield.

  • Birdlings Two

    In this experimental documentary, an animation the filmmaker’s father made with Norman McLaren decades ago becomes a meditation on art, invention, fathers and daughters. “A delightfully personal short documentary.” – Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun “Sweet and observant, with a lovely conclusion.” – Eye Weekly, Toronto Selected screenings & awards: CBC Zed (broadcast); Toronto International Film Festival; Honorable Mention, Best Short Doc, Slamdance; Silverdocs Documentary Festival; Moving Pictures: MadCat Women’s International Film Festival. For more information: www.birdlings.com

  • Girl Cleans Sink

    A lonely couple meet in a Laundromat, where their clumsy attempt at a sexual liaison leads to revelations, embarrassments, and a little bit of compassion. “Boundary-pusher, CBC radio host and still the coolest VJ MuchMusic has ever had, Sook-Yin Lee directs the surprising and wry ‘Girl Cleans Sink.’ This 10-minute gem stars Pretty, Porky and Pissed Off member Lisa Ayuso as a dyke with a gun who decides to give a guy a try before offing herself. The delightfully deadpan performances of Ayuso and her co-star (Jeremy Finkelstein) lend the film an off-kilter charm that feels refreshingly natural.” – Extra…

  • Restless Spirits

    In this lively portrait, rowdy ropin’ granny Toni Savoie-German finds Zen in the art of Rodeo. Toni, of Micmac and French heritage, has always had a passion for horses and ridiing. Now in her late 50s, she is on the rodeo circuit as a calf-roper. Although the rodeo world is a competitive one, it is not all about the medals. Rather, Toni is searching for something more meaningful – enlightenment and community. Rural landscapes and horses form the backdrop to this quest. In Rodeo, Toni discovers what we all want in life – peace and a sense of belonging.