Genres: short
-
Dark Adaptation
Dark Adaptation extends the experiments with alternative optical systems I began in Refraction Series (2008). These films are rooted in the experiments and writings of Ibn Al-Haytham and Isaac Newton, pioneering investigators of the nature of sight and light. In them I use fundamental phenomena such as refraction and thin-film interference to create images of pure prismatic colour in motion. Dark Adaptation is both a true representation of a series of tiny performances with light that were recorded by the camera, and an analogue for an interior journey. The music is by Graham Stewart of Violence and the Sacred. “Dark…
-
Assembly
Assembly is a short film that illustrates the struggle of the working class in Peru, in relation to the global workers movement. The grainy images, canted shots, still images and Russian montages offer a captivating five minutes of social reality in the fight against Neoliberalism. This film was commissioned by the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) with the goal to capture the spirit of Super 8 and celebrate LIFT’s 30th anniversary.
-
Tear Jerker
Elliot can’t cry and he needs to. He’s recently been dumped by his ex- girlfriend, who has decided she wants to exclusively date “real” men. His mother is descending deeper and deeper into the progression of her Alzheimer’s disease. And the testosterone he takes regularly seems to have made his body forget how to grieve. “Tear Jerker” is a portrait of a transgender guy faced with difficult life circumstances trying to find new ways to express old and familiar feelings.
-
Raw Footage
Inside his New York bedroom, Dustin plans to celebrate his third anniversary with Colby by making a sex tape, but the scene that unfolds isn’t quite what they’ve scripted in the sharply observed “Raw Footage” – Frameline.org
-
A Doll’s Eyes
In his personal essay film, filmmaker Jonathan Wysocki searches for the meaning behind his lifelong obsession with the movie ‘Jaws.’ Wysocki recounts the terror that kept him out of the ocean during his childhood and the dark desire that drew him back as an adult. He returns to the ocean to discover a fear deeper than the shark stalking his imagination.
-
Athyrium filix-femina
The second in a series of “quilt films” that pay homage to the work of pioneering female artists, “Athyrium filix-femina” reimagines Anna Atkins’ founding work in photography as a moving image. In 1843, Anna Atkins published the first book of photography, “Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions”, an exploration of regional botany that classified different kinds of algae using direct prints of the plants. The cyanotype process was a relatively short-lived as a dominant form of photography, however, it found refuge in the domestic sphere where it was used to decorate fabric for pillows, drapes and clothing. By combining filmmaking…
-
Soup For My Brother
“In this strikingly poetic documentary about memory, loss and brotherly love, we find Jimmy, guided by the memory and words of his grandfather, preparing a soup for his beloved brother Danny, who passed away one year ago.” — imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (2016) Image description: Two hands holding old photos as someone looks at them. On top is a black-and-white headshot of an Indigenous boy, smiling and looking sharp in a checked shirt. Below is a colour photo of three older Indigenous women posing in a yard or field.
-
Mezzo
When Breanna was 12 years old, she discovered opera and began exploring and acknowledging her gender identity. At age 25, she is the first transgender woman to complete a Masters in Opera at a major conservatory. The film traces the days leading up to her graduation recital while harkening back to the defining moments of her girlhood.
-
Persistence of Memory
A skilled programmer commences work for Galatea, a robotics company launching the next generation of personal companions. Unlike generic robot companions, the C-1000 is made to a client’s precise specifications, which either give the companion a unique personality and complex individuality, or replicate those of someone else… Against the backdrop of activist protests over outsourcing emotional connection, the programmer brings a C-1000 “to life” through trial and error. Using photographs as her guide, she trains the artificial companion to adopt the mannerisms of its original, from the basics, like holding a pen and writing, to advance concepts, like flirtation and…
-
When The Bullying Ends (Being Enza Anderson)
Enza Anderson continues to make international news for her work as an anti-bullying and queer rights activist yet behind the headlines is a trans woman who is being bullied out of living a normal life. Honourable mentions at the 2016 Kolkata film festival, India.
