Genres: documentary

  • Butte

    Poetic and sensual, “Butte” unfolds over the course of a day, marking the progression of time at four key points – sunrise, mid-day, late afternoon, and sundown. Filmed on the Blood Reserve in the plains and ancestral grounds of Southern Alberta, the camera instinctively accentuates dancer-choreographer Byron Chief-Moon’s deep connection to the land. The film captures images of nature and the connectiveness with the land – undulating waves of wild grass, the slow passage of clouds, pastoral, woodland thicket, and streams. The body as landscape is the central image; where the flesh, bone and muscle become synonymous with the land.

  • Visions of a City

    The protagonist, poet Michael McClure, emerges from the all-reflection imagery of glass shop and car windows, bottles, mirrors etc in scenes which are also accurate portraits of both McClure and the City of San Francisco in 1957. At the same time it is a lyrical and mystical film, building to a crescendo of rhythmically intercut shots of McClure’s face, seemingly trapped on the glazed surface of the city. Music by William Moraldo. I don’t think of this as an ‘early film’ anymore, since it never came together until ’78. Now it’s tight. (LJ)

  • I Just Wanted To Be Somebody

    What do the religious right and the gay liberation movement have in common? Both were fortified by the efforts of one woman – Anita Bryant. Part document and part poem, “I Just Wanted To Be Somebody” brings us back to the late 1970s and reflects on Bryant’s life and the impact she had. The film is comprised of news footage, commercials and Bryant’s own home movies.

  • Vegetable or Fruit, Weed, Stalk or Root?

    “Vegetable or Fruit, Weed, Stalk or Root?” is a 16-minute documentary about the 28th Rhubarb! Theatre Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

  • King of the Jews

    “King of the Jews” is a film about fear and transcendence. Utilizing Hollywood movies, 1950s educational films, personal home movies and religious films spanning the history of cinema, the filmmaker depicts his childhood fear of Jesus Christ. These childhood recollections are a point of departure for larger issues, including the roots of Christian anti-Semitism and the need for forgiveness and healing.

  • Folk Songs

    “This lyrical and impressionistic rumination on the filmmaker’s Bulgarian heritage explores the impact of family and tradition, the links between the old world and the new, and the simple, lovely gestures that unite generations.” – Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, Toronto In 1913, Sophia and Dimitry Makedonsky were teenagers when they left the Ukraine for the United States. Growing up in the Midwest, filmmaker LeAnn Erickson often heard stories of the “old country” her grandparents had left behind. As Erickson travels to Russia, the search for her sense of “place” sparks a re-examination of her family’s immigrant past. Her…

  • Kolam (Pool)

    “‘Pool’ is a touching portrait of a community attempting to rebuild and heal itself following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that shocked the world. The titular swimming pool is a temporary makeshift basin created to help the children of Aceh, Indonesia, face their fear of water and learn to swim again, despite the losses their community suffered when the sea came crashing in. Chong Chan Fui observes their progress with affection and a poet’s eye.” – Andrea Picard, Toronto International Film Festival In Indonesian, Acehnese and English with English subtitles. Awards: Winner of the Award for Best Canadian Short,…

  • Lunch with Fela

    “Lunch with Fela” is the filmmaker’s response to the passing of his last parent, Fela Ravett. Utilizing a combination of DV footage shot during her stay at a nearby nursing facility, excerpts from previously made 16mm films, animation sequences, plus remaining family memorabilia, the film renders the presence and absence of a much loved parent. “Lunch with Fela” is the eighth film in a series that addresses the complexities of family history and Jewish cultural identity.

  • Hello, My Name Is Herman

    “Hello, My Name Is Herman” poignantly and humorously describes the relationship between a 91-year-old Jewish man, his lesbian granddaughter and her girlfriend. This ten-minute documentary explores intergenerational and interracial relationships, coming out, aging, and the process of accepting difference and love. Awards: Audience Award for Best Short Film (Tie), Fairy Tales Festival, Calgary, AB, 2009; Mikey/Schmkey Award for Best Short Film or Video at the 2007 Toronto Inside Out Film Festival. Honourable Mention for Best Up-and-Coming Toronto Film or Video Maker Award at the 2007 Inside Out Film Festival. Special Mention at the Iris Prize Festival 2007 in Wales.

  • Kat-I’s Sex Toy Stories

    What is your sex toy story? Women about town Kat-I and Nano elicit an eyebrow raising assortment of true tales about sex with objects.