MAPOFVENUES

1. VIFF CENTRE

1181 Seymour St (@ Davie St)

2. THE CINEMATHEQUE

1131 Howe St (@ Helmcken St)

3. SFU’S GOLDCORP CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

149 W Hastings St (@ Abbott St)

4. DOXA OFFICE • THE POST AT 750 #110-750 Hamilton St (@ Robson St)

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Beba

Rebeca Huntt, USA, 2021, 79 mins

First-time feature filmmaker Rebeca “Beba” Huntt undertakes an unflinching exploration of her own identity in the remarkable coming-of-age documentary/ cinematic memoir Beba. Reflecting on her childhood and adolescence in New York City as the daughter of a Dominican father and Venezuelan mother, Huntt investigates the historical, societal and generational trauma she inherited and ponders how those ancient wounds have shaped her, while simultaneously considering the universal truths that connect us all as humans. Throughout Beba, Huntt searches for a way to forge her own creative path amid a landscape of intense racial and political unrest. Poetic, powerful and profound, Beba is a courageous, deeply human self-portrait of an Afro-Latina artist hungry for knowledge and yearning for connection.

Cheenee

Andreas Antonopoulos, Trinidad and Tobago, 2022, 60 mins

In Hindi, “cheenee” means sugar—the resource behind the forced relocation of thousands of Indians to Trinidad and Tobago as indentured servants in the nineteenth century. Cheenee is the story of how Indian immigrants struggled, and later flourished, building communities and developing distinct architectural styles in the Caribbean. Antonopoulos’s film combines troves of gorgeous archival photographs, shots of industrial ruins and landscape footage with visual portraits of third- and fourth-generation descendents of labourers.

Anchoring the film is a diverse company of dancers, whose contemporary interpretations of classical dance feature eye-catching costumes and mixed cultural influences, just as the island culture combines Indian, African and European histories and traditions. The dancers move through fields, forest groves and courtyards with vibrant, inventive and energetic choreography. A must-see for lovers of dance and music, and for those interested in Indo-Caribbean culture. -KR

Coming Around

Sandra Itäinen, USA, 2023, 75 mins

Meet Eman: a young, queer Muslim woman living in Brooklyn. She is also a Palestinian-Egyptian scholar and performance artist, with a devoutly religious psychiatrist mother to whom she struggles to come out. Despite leaving hints in her stage plays and poems, Eman eventually opts to come around to her mother instead. She tiptoes across the worn, woven proverbial carpet of her and her mother’s relationship, the floorboards creaking all the same.

To prolong the moment of truth, Eman marries her current boyfriend in a traditional Islamic ceremony, in the hope of placating her mother’s unspoken hunches. This decision is one that plunges Eman into her most conflicted performance yet, as she paces between the tensions of appeasement and autonomy with growing unease. Beautifully shot verité-style, Coming Around depicts Eman’s process with gentle intimacy and nonjudgement, documenting a journey that embraces, and meaningfully complicates, the living act of authenticity. -DB

Preceded by the short film, Muanapoto.

Confessions of a Good Samaritan

Penny Lane, USA, 2023, 105 mins

DOXA favourite Penny Lane (The Pain of Others, Nuts!, Our Nixon) returns with her most personal film to date. Confessions of a Good Samaritan follows Lane herself as she embarks on a journey to donate one of her kidneys. She is a so-called “altruistic donor”—an individual donating their organ to a stranger for no financial remuneration. Lane reasons that she can live without one of her kidneys, and that by giving it away she can save someone’s life. Who wouldn’t donate when faced with such a simple calculation? Most people, it turns out. Lane talks to doctors, psychologists, philosophers and fellow donors to understand why such a natural and logical decision for her is so unusual to so many others. Along the way, she learns about the history and future of organ transplants, spurring reflections on her own life and choices. Through her journey, Lane maintains a sense of humour and a carefully balanced tone that never feels like moralizing. The film captures Lane’s signature irreverence, while raising deeply serious ethical questions. -JC

Crows are White

Ahsen Nadeem, USA, 2022, 98 mins

Filmed over the course of several years, Crows are White begins as a quest by filmmaker Ahsen Nadeem to receive an audience with a famous Tendai Buddhist monk, whose guidance he seeks at an isolated Japanese monastery. What unfolds is something more intimate, as Nadeem wrestles with a secret he has been hiding from his Muslim parents for decades.

Despite Nadeem’s repeated attempts to meet with the revered monk, he is rebuffed. Instead, it is his developing friendship with Ryushin—a monk of much lower ranking who loves ice cream and heavy metal—that brings Nadeem closer to his spiritual goals. Crows are White is an enthralling, humourous and occasionally awkward look at how to be true to yourself, even if it means sometimes risking those you love in the process. -lh

Days (Les jours)

Geneviève Dulude-DeCelles, Canada, 2023, 83 mins

What if your 29th birthday present was a cancer diagnosis? Québécoise PhD student Marie-Philip was about to embark on her final year as a twenty-something when her life was upended by a breast cancer diagnosis. In Days, we follow Marie-Philip on the year-long journey from diagnosis to final chemotherapy treatment, during which she remains unabashedly herself, holding nothing back from family, friends or filmmakers. Director Geneviève Dulude-DeCelles builds a layered and empathetic portrait that allows Marie-Philip’s personality and character to bring lightness to the film’s heavy subject matter, finding delight and empowerment amidst the bouts of depression, negativity and occasional terror. Marie-Philip has generously ushered us into her life, so that we may accompany her on this process of transformation. -TA

Delikado

Karl Malakunas, Philippines, 2022, 94 mins

“Who else will fight for El Nido if all of us are afraid? That is why we are sacrificing our lives for this place.” The island of Palawan contains one of the oldest and most biodiverse rainforests in the world. However, like so many other naturally rich areas, the region is imperiled by the stripping of resources and a growing tourism industry, funded by overseas investors and corrupt politicians.

Delikado follows three land defenders—Bobby, Tata and Nieves—as they fight to save their homeland from the violence of industrial capitalism. In his directorial debut, Karl Malakunas showcases a timely story set in one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a land defender, but one of the areas most in need of defending. Ang Lupa ay Buhay! Land is Life! -jc

Destiny

Yaser Talebi, Iran, 2022, 53 mins

Sahar is an 18-year-old Iranian woman with much to bear, supporting her mentally disabled father after the recent death of her mother. Yet, Sahar longs to go to university to study medicine, against the wishes of her father and aunt who insist she remain home until her father remarries. Receiving kind yet conflicting guidance from her community of elders, teachers and peers, Sahar’s love of volleyball and Instagram provide welcome distractions. Her late mother, too, is a constant presence, asking her daughter for forgiveness in a tearful taped message recorded shortly before her death.

Talebi’s film reveals a loving, though strained, father-daughter dynamic, as Sahar cheerily attends to her father’s personal care, even as she openly questions her parents’ marriage. An intimate and tender portrayal of a young woman seeking self-fulfillment in the face of familial, cultural and economic barriers. -BS

Excess Will Save Us

Morgane Dziurla-Petit, Sweden, 2022, 100 mins

Blurring the line between fiction and documentary, director Morgane Dziurla-Petit introduces us to the eccentric people of her hometown in rural France, and the complex relationships of her family members. The film opens with a woman fearfully interpreting gunshots as a terrorist attack, and the prompt arrival of no less than 30 emergency vehicles to the small town in response to her report. This vignette sets the scene for a larger investigation into the xenophobia and mistrust held by many members of the small farming community, and an exploration of how these forces shape the townspeoples’ larger worldview. Dziurla-Petit keeps us on our toes as we try to discern what (and who) is real and what is more likely to be a fictionalized interpretation of reality shaped by preconceived notions. -lh

Preceded by the short film, Le Film que vous allez voir (The Film You Are About To See)

Feet in Water, Head on Fire

Terra Long, Canada/USA, 2023, 90 mins

Terra Long’s feature debut is a breathtaking portrait of California’s Coachella Valley that is both anchored in the specifics of place and community, while freely exploring the limits of cinematic time and space. Shaped by seismic forces of the San Andreas Fault, the Coachella Valley is home to an agricultural community built around the date palm trees introduced to the region in the early 1900s. Today, the land and its people face combined threats from economic upheaval, US immigration policy and climate change. With an elliptical grace, Long’s film spans vast expanses of geological time and sweeping desert landscapes into extreme close-ups of the region’s plant and insect life, where microscopic views of cellular biology trace intimate stories of human connection. Beautifully shot on 16mm film and featuring hand-processing techniques that incorporate plants native to the Coachella Valley into the film, Long’s documentary is grounded in place even on a material level. -JC

Fragments from Heaven

Adnane Baraka, Morocco/France, 2022, 84 mins

“We’re sons of stars. We and everything around us are made of stars and pieces of sky.” Alternating between the lyrical and the scientific, between wide rocky deserts and tiny petri dishes, Fragments from Heaven explores vast existential questions through dual lenses. We follow a nomad named Mohamed as he scours the desert, eyes searching the terrain’s sandy surface for special rocks he believes will change his fortune; meanwhile, scientist Abderrahmane uses some of these same extraterrestrial formations to understand the cosmos and the origins of life. Each man relates uniquely to their work, following a distinct path through landscapes that are hauntingly beautiful, if at times unforgiving. -TA

The Golden Thread

Nishtha Jain, India/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Netherlands/Norway/UK, 2022, 91 mins

This gorgeous, meditative film follows the production of jute fibre—a material commonly used for twine and basket weaving—from farms in West Bengal to the jute mills that have long employed many thousands of low-wage workers. Working conditions and pay continue to decline as profits are prioritized over labour; meanwhile, mills downsize and shutter amidst mechanization and campaigns for higher wages. What will remain for workers who have toiled for decades—in many cases recruiting their relatives and friends to the factories—and whose livelihoods rely on this industry?

Filmmaker Nishtha Jain focuses on the tactile quality of this labour without rendering the industrial process nostalgic. Her camera lingers on the workers, affording them dignity and selfhood in an industry that imposes harsh working conditions. The film inserts long observational shots into the frenzied spectacle of production, using ambient sound to heighten the engrossing rhythm. -KR

How to Save a Dead Friend

Marusya Syroechkovskaya, Sweden/Norway/France/Germany, 2022, 103 mins

Marusya is a teenager in post-Soviet Russia, lacking a way forward. She sleeps all day, struggles to eat and lives in a state of hopelessness as friends around her die from suicide. She considers her own fate—until she meets her soulmate, Kimi. Kimi understands Marusya’s pain. He helps her to laugh, and shares with her an honest look at the joys and miseries of their oppressive and violent world.

Filmed over 12 years, How to Save a Dead Friend depicts a lost generation growing up in poverty. Marusya, Kimi and their friends are creative and rebellious, ecstatic and depressed. As they mature, Marusya and Kimi’s paths diverge—Kimi struggles with drug addiction, moving in and out of rehab centres, while Marusya immerses herself in the underground art scene. As the totalitarian state closes in around them, the couple separates, and the film becomes an elegy to the love, irreverence and joy they shared for over a decade. -KR

Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode

Trevor Solway, Siksika, Alberta, 2022, 65 mins

“I always felt like I let my grandpa down and that he was disappointed in me.” Trevor Solway reflects on the life and legacy of his late grandfather Sonny, a lifelong rancher of the Siksika Nation in Treaty 7 territory, now known as southern Alberta. Beginning with his formative memories of early morning chores on the farm, Trevor narrates Sonny’s story, their enduring relationship, and his grandfather’s influence on his life.

Animation and family photo archives guide us through Sonny’s early years in the residential school system and deeper into his storied rodeo career, illustrating the joys and challenges of raising children and grandchildren while running the farm. The Solway family reflect on Sonny’s staunch work ethic, which may have masked a deeper pain. Kaatohkitopii is a candid and sincere tribute, and a thoughtful look at how his grandfather’s influence helped shape Trevor’s identity as a Blackfoot man. -BS

La Singla

Paloma Zapata, Spain/Germany, 2023, 95 mins

Uno. Dos. Tres. Cuatro. Silence.

When Antonia Singla graced the stage, she did so without hearing the music. Born deaf to a Romani family in the suburbs of Barcelona, La Singla—as she would affectionately come to be called—rose to international acclaim by the age of 17. Quite literally moving to the beat of her own drum, La Singla’s pistol-like percussions were nothing short of revolutionary, gripping the world of flamenco with a dynamism never before experienced. But at the height of her fame, La Singla disappeared from the dance stage, leaving in her wake a scattered archival legacy of the world’s best bailaora.

Fifty years later, a young woman begins her search for Antonia, only to discover the seething roots of La Singla’s passion. Paloma Zapata’s hybrid film stunningly weaves the past and present together, expertly layering archival footage with passionate music and sound. A rapturous portrait of Antonia’s life, crystallized by the gaze of her admirers, La Singla is a riveting exploration of dance as expression, movement as experiment, and performance as rage. -DB

Lettre d’amour à Léopold L. Foulem

(A love letter to Léopold L. Foulem)

Renée Blanchar, Canada, 2022, 53 mins

Our introduction to the inner universe of ceramic artist Léopold L. Foulem begins on a drive between Montréal and his hometown of Caraquet, New Brunswick. Stopping at every garage sale and eclectic roadside diner along the way, Léopold’s wonder and preoccupation with kitschy, everyday ceramics is both endearing and insightful, giving us a glimpse into his personality as well as his artistry. Léopold is an internationally renowned conceptual ceramicist, known for a pop style of sculpture that combines ready- and handmade objects into a bricolage of ceramic and metal. Despite a prolific career of more than 50 years—and status as a queer icon within the broader international ceramics community—Léopold’s work is noticeably absent from major Canadian art galleries and museums. Through observations of Léopold in his creative environment, and filmed conversations with family and friends, filmmaker Renée Blanchar constructs an intimate portrait of a mature artist who finds endless pleasures in the world around him, and inspires others to do the same. As Léopold just recently passed away on February 18, 2023, this loveletter-turned-eulogy is a colourful tribute to the artist’s legacy. -BB

Má Sài Gòn (Mother Saigon)

Khoa Lê, Canada, 2023, 100 mins

Through an intimate series of character portraits, Má Sài Gòn constructs a dynamic ode to Saigon’s Queer and Trans communities. Director Khoa Lê follows the lives of different residents as they navigate their vibrant yet melancholic city, full of beautiful and complex relationships. Through an exploration of love, belonging and the need to connect, a hopeful vision of the future begins to surface. This colourful film offers glimpses of a Saigon where the Queer community can thrive and live lives surrounded by love. -jc

Manufacturing The Threat

Amy Miller, Canada, 2023, 85 mins

In 2013, a young couple from Surrey were arrested as the alleged masterminds behind a plot to bomb the BC Legislature. Ana Korody and Omar Nuttall had recently converted to Islam when they were targeted by federal agents posing as radical jihadists—agent provocateurs who pressured the couple to avenge crimes against Muslims through acts of violence. Though they spent time in prison and were found guilty, courts eventually declared Ana and Omar to have been entrapped. Indeed, a lengthy and elaborate plan was revealed to have manipulated the couple, feeding them false information about Islam and deliberately encouraging them to commit acts of terrorism. Without this coercion and egregious conduct by authorities, the couple’s plot would never have taken shape.

Manufacturing The Threat documents the way enforcement agencies can actively create their own “threats,” and presents a compelling case that Ana and Omar were vulnerable individuals taken advantage of by an organization eager to justify its own existence and maintain its substantial funding. A fascinating, high-energy documentary thriller. -KR