Genres: documentary

  • Talking Portraits

    TALKING PORTRAITS is a 2-disk compilation of the following films: YOU 16mm, 1990, 15 min., sound YOU is an imaginary fictionalized you in a whimsical space. It is the still live residue of the broken relationship Lisa is here confronting. A parallel actor, the film is in the business of reinterpreting. Director’s Choice, Black Maria Film and Video Festival, 1990 OUT IN THE GARDEN 16mm, 1991, 15 min., sound Set in and around the house and garden of a middle-aged upstate New York academic, Grenier’s intimate experimental documentary portrait explores, in an innovative form, the thoughts and feelings of one…

  • Not That Kind of Christian!!

    “Not That Kind of Christian!!” is a feature documentary that explores gay and lesbian Christians’ struggle for acceptance in the Episcopal Church, the “schism” their activism threatens to bring to worldwide Anglicanism, and the ways in which activists such as these can shape our personal liberties at the highest institutional levels. While the film celebrates the achievements made by queer Anglicans as they fight to transform an oppressive Christian tradition into a modern force of liberation, it never excuses the prejudices and abuses of organized religion, particularly in an era when the word “faith” is merely code for the nationalistic…

  • Mr. Edison’s Ear

    “An inventive exploration of the visceral nature of sound and how we learned to capture and reproduce it over time. Anchored by the discovery of the phonograph by the brilliant-and deaf-inventor Thomas Edison, this visual and conceptual collage of rich archival footage and animation playfully traces the birth of technological reproduction and the beginnings of our modern, audio-drenched world.” – Gisèle Gordon (Hot Docs Canadian Spectrum programmer) Selected Screenings: Canadian Spectrum, HotDocs, 2008; DOK Leipzig Festival, 2008

  • Greg

    Greg Sells has been described as the “Rain Man” of women’s music. Some assume he is autistic. Some think he is a deviant. The female musicians accept him, so why does everyone else want to label him? Featuring: Patrice Pike, Terri Lord, Gretchen Phillips, Ginger Leigh, Sara Hickman, Shelley King and Dayna Kurtz

  • Afghanimation

    Women in Afghan refugee camps make woven rugs that tell a story of war. The intent of these rugs is unclear. Are they anti-war or an affirmation of military power? Are they made as tourist trinkets for soldiers and “peacekeepers,” or are they somber prayer rugs? The weavers of these rugs are anonymous to Western collectors because the rugs are attained through intricate channels of trade. This kind of silencing of the artists’ voices and the political ambivalence of their intent can be read as a metaphor for the Canadian military presence in Afghanistan. “Canadians don’t know what the Canadian…

  • Ghosts and Gravel Roads

    An inventory of lost memories and places, the sun bleached landscape of Saskatchewan serves as a metaphor for displacement, a framing of emptiness and absence. Traveling to forgotten towns and channeled through old family photographs the camera catalogues the haunting remnants of the past, frail monuments and communities laid bare, broken under economic collapse. Under the weight of the prairie skies a visceral, personal encounter is revealed in the solace of open space. Awards: Silver Medal for Best Documentary, Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films, 2008; one of the Top Ten Canadian Short Films of 2008 by the…

  • Here We Are

    Constructed of footage and sound found on You Tube, “Here We Are” explores online watchers and their subjects. Low-resolution personal documents and family photos create this abstracted and voyeuristic video.

  • I’ve Never Had Sex

    Inspired by the party game “I’ve Never Had Sex”, Kennedy captures true confessions on a cell phone.

  • Dish

    “Dish” is a unique documentary series created by David Quantic. Fast-paced editing and eye-popping graphics fuse together interviews with fans of popular culture to create a “chorus” of enthusiastic opinions. In this debut episode, 6 gay men talk about their obsession with Oprah.

  • Films of Su Friedrich, The: Volumes 1-5

    Digitally re-mastered from the original 16mm negatives, this collection of 13 films is essential for every library or media centre, as well as women’s and cinema studies programs. Since the 1970s, Friedrich’s skillful mix of experimental narrative and documentary forms, filled with provocative feminist and lesbian themes, has made her a groundbreaking member of the avant-garde film community and a pivotal force in the establishment of Queer Cinema. This collection of DVDs includes the filmmaker’s classic works such as SINK OR SWIM, HIDE AND SEEK, THE TIES THAT BIND, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T, and THE ODDS OF RECOVERY, as well…