ALL OF OUR FILMS ARE CREATED BY CANADIAN FILMMAKERS AND STORYTELLERS WHO ARE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, ASIAN, SOUTH ASIAN, AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR.
With Love and a Major Organ
92 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
In a world where everyone's heart is an object and there's a strong societal pressure to dampen emotion, lonely Virtual Insurance broker Anabel (Anna Maguire) always follows her heart. At odds with this overly pragmatic society, and after a series of devastating emotional blows, she rips her heart from her chest and gives it to a man she's fallen for, the strangely unfeeling George (Hamza Haq). Unburdened by her unique yet cumbersome heart, Anabel finds life easier. George, on the other hand, begins to feel everything, to the shock of his overbearing mother, Mona (Veena Sood). Anabel soon realizes she needs to get her heart back if she's going to survive.
November 1st, 7PM at The Royal Theatre
Dir: Kim Albright
Union Street
80 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
Spanning across three generations, Union Street chronicles the ongoing effects of racism, displacement and the cultural erasure of African Canadians, while examining the systemic mechanisms that destroyed Vancouver’s historic Black community in the 60s. Train porters, speakeasies, juke joints and a thriving community all existed in the Black neighborhood; and so did musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. The reverberations of this thriving community are still felt, and in the face of adversity a new generation of Black Vancouverites work to rebuild, facilitate Black joy and redefine what it means to be African-Canadian.
November 4th, 11AM at The Paradise Theatre
Dir: Jamila Pomeroy
From a Quebecer mother and a Libyan and Tunisian father, Sara was raised among the Quebecois culture while her father was learning to integrate. She’s missing pieces to fully appropriate and understand her identity. From the cold of Quebec to the Tunisian desert, with the support of her grand father's memoirs, Sara will experience an immersion in language as well as on a personal level within her family. À toi Jeddi is the story of Sara discovering her roots, friendships, growth, family and love...
Dir: Sara Ben-Saud
November 4th, 1PM at The Paradise Theatre
61 MINUTES | ENGLISH, FRENCH, ARABIC | CANADA
À toi Jeddi
Dir: Pranay Noel
A young woman's reality is put into question after the sudden disappearance of her boyfriend. She finds herself on a mysterious journey, seeking the answers she so yearns for.
Dir: Gavin Baird
A Storm Blows Over
74 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
November 4th, 3PM at The Paradise Theatre
Height Markers follows Neva and her son Aaron, on Aaron’s last two days before leaving home, as Aaron seeks closure after a bad break up, and Neva contemplates a life without her son at home. They are both haunted by memories of Aaron’s late father, Ted. The film is an examination of the ever-present role of mem ory in shaping our perceptions of love and loss and tries to capture a sense of being unable to fully understand those you love the most.
Dir: Pranay Noel
November 4th, 5:30PM at The Paradise Theatre
74 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
Height Markers
Jae Kim, a second-generation Korean actor, encounters a demonic vision on the day of a big commercial audition. After a microaggression during the audition, Jae is plunged into a state of shock and depression.
Dir: Andre Rehal
Strangers in a Room
84 MINUTES | ENGLISH, KOREAN | CANADA
November 4th, 8PM at The Paradise Theatre
An intimate look into the mind of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his unique chosen family. In Lay Down Your Heart, Niall introduces us to his many “family members,” his multiple “children,” his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and other bonds forged through open-hearted creativity.
Dir: Marie Clements
70 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
November 5th, 11AM at The Paradise Theatre
Lay Down Your Heart
DOUBLE BILL SCREENING
"Coaching While Black" follows the remarkable journey of Donald Tex Phillips, a former collegiate hooper turned coach, as he takes over the struggling NAIT Ooks men's basketball program. Facing racial prejudice, media scrutiny, and challenges from within, Tex leads his team to multiple ACAC championships. However, despite his success, he battles discrimination and battles that threaten his legacy, becoming an inspiring tale of resilience, real change, and basketball brilliance in Canada.
Dir: Alex Eskandarkhah
November 5th, 1:30PM at The Paradise Theatre
43 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
Coaching While Black
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MY BODY IS A POEM/THE WORLD MAKES WITH ME is an experimental memoir that uses poetry, personal essay, digital collage, and motion capture animation to make peace with the complexities of the body as a Black, disabled, Caribbean-Canadian poet. The film uses the intimacy of personal memory and lyric poetry to make connections between my humanity and the broader legacies of racism, ableism, and colonialism that affect all bodies in the Canadian prairies. Through its imaginative use of animation, music and cinematography, MY BODY IS A POEM/THE WORLD MAKES WITH ME makes space for me to express the ways that Blackness, disability, and modes of Caribbean community care have taught me how to love, and clarified my pathways for healing.
My Body Is a Poem/The World Makes With Me
27 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
November 5th, 1:30PM at The Paradise Theatre
Dir: Brandon Wint
Who placed the toilet paper the "wrong way" in the washroom? For the young married couple, Sue and Michael, this is a problem they face. Their suspicion quickly turns to their close friends, Beck and Robby, who they decide to invite over to confront.
Dir: Paul Aihoshi
November 5th, 4PM at The Paradise Theatre
73 MINUTES | ENGLISH | CANADA
One Act About Toilet Paper
Orah Madukaku (Star Trek: Discovery’s Oyin Oladejo), a Nigerian immigrant taxi driver in Toronto, agrees to launder dirty money for her boss in exchange for bringing her son over from Nigeria. When the plan goes horribly wrong, Orah takes matters into her own hands to settle the score.
Dir: Lonzo Nzekwe