SHORT FILM PROGRAMME If you’d like to see some of the incredible short films produced in , please check out our description of the Short Film Programme on page 43, and contact us for advice and assistance. IM Indigenous-made films (written, directed or produced by Indigenous artists) Films produced by the National Film Board of Canada NFB CLASSIC ANIMATIONS BEGONE DULL CARE LA FAIM / HUNGER THE STREET Norman McLaren, Evelyn Lambart Peter Foldès 1973 11 min. Caroline Leaf 1976 10 min. 1949 8 min. Rapidly dissolving images form a An award-winning adaptation of a An innovative experimental film satire of self-indulgence in a world story by Canadian author Mordecai consisting of abstract shapes and plagued by hunger and poverty. This Richler about how families deal with colours shifting in sync with jazz Oscar-nominated film was among older relatives, and the emotions COSMIC ZOOM music performed by the Oscar the first to incorporate computer- surrounding a grandmother’s death. Peterson Trio. animation technology. THE SWEATER THE LOG DRIVER’S WALTZ Sheldon Cohen 1980 10 min. 1985 10 min. John Weldon 1979 3 min. Iconic author Roch Carrier narrates A wonderfully wacky look at two Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing a mortifying boyhood experience conflicts — global nuclear war and a along to the tale of a young girl who in this animated adaptation of his domestic quarrel — and how each is loves to dance and chooses to marry beloved book The Hockey Sweater. resolved. Nominated for an Oscar. a dancing log driver over her more well-to-do suitors. THE LOG DRIVER’S WALTZ THE CAT CAME BACK Eugene Fedorenko, Rose Newlove 1988 7 min. NEIGHBOURS 1999 13 min. In this Oscar-nominated short, a Norman McLaren 1952 8 min. Based on a Jewish folk tale, this humorous song tells the silly tale of This satirical anti-war parable uses hilarious film provides a fresh and a man who just can’t get rid of an live actors as stop-motion subjects irreverent take on our tendency to unwanted cat. to tell the tale of a destructive feud romanticize what we don’t have. over a flower. A groundbreaking – COSMIC ZOOM and Oscar-winning – short. WALKING Eva Szasz 1968 8 min. 1968 5 min. A visually stunning journey from the THE SAND CASTLE An artist’s interpretation of the way farthest point of the universe to the Co Hoedeman 1977 13 min. people walk, using a variety THE SWEATER tiniest particle of matter. A man made out of sand makes of animation techniques. other sand creatures in this inventive, Oscar-winning stop- motion animation. CONTEMPORARYIM ANIMATION ᑐᒃᑐᒥᑦ / TUKTUMIT IM ÂME NOIRE / BLACK SOUL AWASKINAWASON / IM Ippiksaut Friesen (Inuk) 2014 4 min. Martine Chartrand 2000 10 min. CHILDREN OF EARTH ᑐᒃᑐᒥᑦ / TUKTUMIT This gorgeously rendered animation A young boy traces his roots through Antony Dubé (Atikamekw) 2015 explores the way traditional hunting the stories his grandmother shares 3 min. in Nunavut has evolved to maintain its with him in this exhilarating voyage An animated short calling on us vital role in contemporary Inuit culture. through the defining moments of to respect the great circle of life. IM black history. Awaskinawason is made up of the ABORIGINALITY Atikamekw words awacic (child), Dominique Keller, Tom Jackson (Cree) AND THAT’S REMARKABLE aski (earth) and takonawason 2007 5 min. Linnea Ritland 2013 1 min. (having the responsibility for). A young boy is transported “It’s remarkable how easily a human through his television set to the spirit can be broken,” this punchy THE BASKETBALL GAME scene of a traditional hoop dance, short about bullying laments. But, Hart Snider 2011 5 min. ABORIGINALITY encountering his family’s cultural as the animation assures, it’s just as When nine-year-old Hart attends heritage in a new way. remarkable how a human spirit can Jewish summer camp for the first IM be fixed. time, his group must compete in AMAQQUT NUNAAT / an epic basketball game against THE COUNTRY OF WOLVES AT THE QUINTE HOTEL the students of a notorious local Neil Christopher, Louise Flaherty Bruce Alcock 2005 4 min. Holocaust denier. What awaits Hart (Inuk) 2011 12 min. An animated version of Al Purdy’s on the basketball court? Two brothers are set adrift on ice floes poem about a man drinking in a while hunting for seal. They soon find basement pub. Narrated by The themselves in the country of wolves, Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie. THE BASKETBALL GAME where all is not as it appears.

REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS 55 CONTEMPORARY ANIMATION continued BAM FLUX I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE Howie Shia 2015 6 min. Christopher Hinton 2002 7 min. Cam Christiansen 2007 6 min. In this modern adaptation of the story A whimsical piece that plays with An animated music video about a of Hercules, a young boxer struggles both the significant and mundane father-son tennis game set on a hot to negotiate between his shy, bookish events in the lives of a large family. summer day in the suburbs. nature and his divinely violent temper. FOUR FACES OF THE MOON IM I’M SCARED TOO BIRCHBARK IM Amanda Strong (Michif) Nadia Lakhdari, Caroline Lavergne John Hupfield (Anishinaabe) 2016 13 min. 2017 2 min 2008 4 min. In this intricate and stunning In the days following the attack on a Symbols of traditional knowledge stop-motion animation, a young City mosque, Lakhdari and come alive and find themselves filmmaker travels back through time, Lavergne sought out and animated inside the pages of a book. encountering pivotal moments in her stories from Quebecers of all walks family’s history and strengthening of life, revealing the same basic BLIND VAYSHA her connections to her Métis, Cree emotions that unite rather than FOUR FACES OF THE MOON 2016 8 min. and Anishinaabe ancestors. divide us. A young girl’s left eye sees only the past while her right sees only the THE GIFT IM I MET THE WALRUS future. Haunted by what was and Terril Calder (Métis) 2011 2 min. Josh Raskin 2007 5 min. threatened by what will be, Blind This stop-motion tale captures the In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatles fan Vaysha is cursed to be incapable of betrayal and deception of when sneaks into John Lennon’s Toronto living in the present. smallpox-infected blankets were given hotel room and convinces him to do by European settlers to Indigenous an interview for his school paper. DANCERS OF THE GRASS IM populations as a deadly “gift.” Melanie Jackson (Métis/ MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI THE GRANDFATHER DRUM Saulteaux) 2009 2 min. LE GOUFFRE / THE GULF Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski Spectacular stop-motion animation Carl Beauchemin, Thomas Chrétien, 2007 17 min. breathes life into a traditional dance. David Forest 2015 10 min. Madame Tutli-Putli boards a When two travellers undertake night train for a mysterious and to build a gigantic bridge that will suspenseful journey. Nominated for 2006 14 min. cross a gulf blocking their way, their an Oscar. In this Oscar-winning short, a young courage and determination inspire a woman tells the story of how the nearby rural community. McLAREN’S NEGATIVES Danish poet Kasper Jørgensen found Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre 2006 inspiration and ultimately caused THE GRANDFATHER DRUM IM 10 min. her parents to find one another. Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe) An shares IF I WAS GOD 2016 12 min. the secrets of legendary Canadian DIMANCHE / SUNDAY In this stunning storybook animator Norman McLaren. Patrick Doyon 2011 10 min. animation, the forceful removal of A young boy is bored during a visit to Naamowin’s healing drum from an his grandparents’ house in small-town Anishinabek community disrupts the Torill Kove 2014 14 min. Quebec after church one Sunday, delicate balance between the sky- In this Oscar-nominated short, a so he goes outside in search of world and the underworld. seven-year-old girl asks for a bicycle, adventure. Nominated for an Oscar. knowing full well that her loving yet THE GUEST IM unconventional parents likely have EMPTY IM Nick Rodgers (Anishinaabe) something else in mind. MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI Jackie Traverse (Anishinaabe) 2015 5 min. 2009 5 min. A trapper collects a mysterious MELTDOWN Set to a song by Little Hawk, this animal in the forest, but as he tries Carrie Mombourquette 2012 1 min. animated story is a daughter’s starkly to care for it, the beast quickly Because his icy arctic environment honest tribute to her estranged mother. becomes insatiable. is disappearing, a polar bear heads to the city to find a job. Fitting in THE END OF PINKY HOW TO BE ALONE with humans is not easy, so the bear Claire Blanchet 2013 8 min. Andrea Dorfman 2010 6 min. comes up with a fun solution to his Johnny is out to kill his best friend, Narrated by Tanya Davis to beautiful housing situation. Pinky, in this film noir adaptation of hand-drawn illustrations by a short story by acclaimed Canadian Dorfman, Davis’s eloquent poem is MIA’ IM ME AND MY MOULTON author Heather O’Neill. full of powerful truths. With over Amanda Strong (Michif), Bracken Hanuse Corlett (Wuikinuxv-Klahoose) IM eight million views on YouTube, the FIGHTING CHANCE film is an online sensation. 2015 8 min. Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree) In this incredible stop-motion short, 2011 9 min. IF I WAS GOD… Mia is a young Indigenous street With a family history of residential Cordell Barker 2014 8 min. artist who paints scenes rooted in the schooling, 13-year-old Joey is In this darkly whimsical animation supernatural history of her people. arrested and put into a group home, from two-time Oscar-nominee When her art starts coming to life, where he gets a chance to turn his Cordell Barker, a student dissecting Mia is transformed into a salmon and life around. a frog in his biology class daydreams must struggle to return home. MIA’ about omnipotent powers.

56 REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS CONTEMPORARY ANIMATION continued NO FISH WHERE TO GO RYAN THE TRAGIC STORY OF NLING Nicola Lemay, Janice Nadeau 2004 14 min. Jeffrey St. Jules 2006 14 min. 2014 12 min. A touching, Oscar-winning tribute to A drunkard and his best friend This compassionate animation Canadian animation pioneer Ryan attempt to flee Nling, a walled looks at the consequences of war Larkin. community made of garbage from through the lens of two little girls the ancient city of Capillia. O CANADA SECOND HAND who become friends despite their IM upbringing in opposing clans. Isaac King 2010 8 min. THE VISIT Two neighbours have very different Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe) 2009 O CANADA ideas about wasting time and saving 3 min. Jerry Popowich 2017 2 min. stuff in this humourous meditation The charming “true” story of an Mercury Filmworks created this on what’s precious or disposable”. encounter between extraterrestrials charming animated rendition of and a Cree family. our national anthem especially for SKETCHI National Canadian Film Day 150. It Lily Sun 2010 3 min. VIVE LA ROSE Bruce Alcock 2009 6 min. was screened at more than 1,800 A young girl struggles to revive her PARADISE events across Canada and around beloved dead dog, Sketchi. (French with English subtitles) the world and became an instant An animated depiction of a tragic classic. THE STONE OF FOLLY Newfoundland love song. Jesse Rosensweet 2002 8 min. THE ORPHAN AND THE IM In this twisted short involving WALK-IN-THE-FOREST IM POLAR BEAR strange doctors who cure bizarre Diane Obomsawin (Abenaki) Neil Christopher, Louise Flaherty ailments, laughter proves to be the 2009 3 min. (Inuk) 2014 9 min. best medicine. A medicine man walks in the woods and discovers an intriguing secret In this adaptation of an Inuit legend, STRANGE INVADERS a neglected orphan is adopted by world. Cordell Barker 2001 9 min. RUNAWAY a polar bear elder and, under the Roger and Doris are a childless bear’s guidance, learns the skills he couple who get more than they Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby will need to survive. bargained for when a peculiar 1999 10 min. PARADISE child appears at their doorstep. The charming, bittersweet story Jesse Rosensweet 2007 7 min. Nominated for an Oscar. of Ruby, a pig whose life takes an unexpected turn after she witnesses A brilliant stop-motion animation that follows a man made of metal who’s the accidental death of a stranger. Chris Landreth 2013 11 min. caught in the machine of daily routine. Nominated for an Oscar. The inability to remember PINCH someone’s name sends Charles on WILD LIFE RYAN Jody Kramer 2006 5 min. a journey into his brain to crack the Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby The story of a young woman — and code in this cerebral rendition of 2011 14 min. the pet monster that lives on her arm! the popular game show Password. This Oscar-nominated short follows an English frontiersman in early REQUIEM POUR UNE ROMANCE / TO THIS DAY Canada whose letters home are REQUIEM FOR ROMANCE Shane Koyczan 2013 8 min. much sunnier than his reality. Jonathan Ng 2012 6 min. In this collaborative online project, A couple’s breakup phone call 12 animators and 80 “motion YELLOW STICKY NOTES Jeff Chiba Stearns 2007 6 min. takes on epic proportions — in the artists” bring their unique styles to An animator finds a unique way to director’s imagination — as the lovers short segments of a poem about TRADITIONAL HEALING deal with the fact that yellow sticky become warriors in feudal China. bullying by Shane Koyczan. notes are taking over his life. RUNAWAY TRADITIONAL HEALING IM Cordell Barker 2009 9 min. Raymond Caplin (Mi’kmaq) They made me love Gleeful train passengers cavort to 2013 3 min. Canadian films. a jaunty jazz score, but when their In this beautiful animation, a — Grade 10 student, driver disappears, the careless ride woman’s sacred healing dance causes Humberside CI, Toronto, ON turns darkly funny. a miracle to occur in an otherwise bleak and devastated environment. THE VISIT COMEDY THE BIG CHARADE BIG CITY HEAT BIRTHDAYS AND OTHER TRAUMAS Jesse McKeown 2004 5 min. Adam Brodie, Dave Derewlany Katie Yu 2006 13 min. A mock trailer about a boy and 2013 3 min. On his 12th birthday, Oscar imagines his father, who teaches him all he A jazz band’s rehearsal goes that his mom’s homemade piñata is knows about the game of charades. comically awry when pianist Donny her evil twin — and he must defend “Sniffs” Mitchum begins to act up. his family’s honour against it. WILD LIFE

REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS 57 COMEDY continued CHEF DE MEUTE / HERD LEADER GREEN DOOR MAN V. MINIVAN Chloé Robichaud 2012 13 min. Semi Chellas 2008 13 min. Spencer Maybee 2009 17 min. (French with English subtitles) A case of mistaken identity drives Days before getting married, Shane After the death of her aunt, Clara this humourous tale of apartment receives a minivan from his future becomes the reluctant new owner living and unrequited love. in-laws, which leads to a comedic CHEF DE MEUTE of a disobedient pug. case of cold feet. THE GREEN FILM CHILI & CHEESE Andrew Williamson 2008 5 min. MATTRESS Joe Pingue 2008 13 min. It’s not easy being green — Michelle Kee 2014 10 min. Convenience store clerk Desmond especially when you’re trying to The Lee family dumps an old mattress and his laid-back sidekick Jack make the most environmentally in an alley, sparking an all-out are confounded by a night-owl friendly movie of all time. suburban war. It’s up to their youngest customer’s bizarre eating habits. member to do the right thing. GROCERY STORE ACTION MOVIE THE CLOSER YOU GET TO CANADA Matthew Campbell 2016 14 min. A MILE IN THESE HOOVES EVELYN: THE CUTEST EVIL John Bolton 2010 11 min. In this hilarious send-up of action James Brylowski 2014 15 min. Based on the short story by acclaimed movie clichés, a man gets into the Tom and Mark set out on a mission DEAD GIRL Canadian author Thomas King, express line in a grocery store and to break the world record for this darkly comic short follows the then realizes he’s forgotten one Longest Distance Travelled in a Two- adventures of two old friends trapped in thing. With dinner guests waiting, he Person Costume. As the heat from a futuristic American seniors’ residence risks life and limb to locate crackers their donkey costume rises, so do as they try to escape to Canada. without losing his place in line. the tensions between them. CROSS-COUNTRY SNOWBOARDING HIP HOP MOM MOVING ON Adam Brodie, Dave Derewlany Mina Shum 2011 4 min. Mike Fardy 2016 7 min. 2007 3 min. A comedic take on how moms can In this hilarious tale about facing GROCERY STORE ACTION Joel and Tate are the world’s most stay true to themselves while raising adult responsibility, a young couple MOVIE dedicated cross-country snowboarders, a family. with relationship troubles must striving for excellence and trying to choose between talking things avoid the dangers of “scooch leg.” HOP THE TWIG through or using their newly Kyle Rideout 2011 10 min. acquired magic wands to resolve DEADSPIEL In this quirky fairytale, little Audrey’s their issues. Jay Molloy 2008 8 min. houseplant withers away, plunging Ghoulishly funny, this short follows a her into her deepest fear: that one OLIVER BUMP’S BIRTHDAY curling match between humans and day she’ll similarly lose her mother. Jordan Canning 2011 16 min. zombies who must choose between A 12-year-old boy who believes he IM th MATTRESS sportsmanship and bloodsport. INDIAN is fated to die on his 13 birthday Darryl Nepinak (Saulteaux) must find a way to cheat death DYSTOPIANEST DYSTOPIA EVER 2008 2 min. before the clock runs out. Jon Murray 2013 2 min. In this amusing and powerful short, This hilarious take on a “not too the etymology of the word “Indian” OÙ EST MAURICE? distant future” dystopia gives us a is deconstructed at the Canadian Alek Rzeszowski, Matthew Rankin glimpse into a world in which we no National Spelling Bee. 2006 5 min. longer need old fashioned forms of A woman searches for her lost dog communication like (ugh!) talking. INSTANT FRENCH and instead finds a Parisian man ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ André Leduc 1979 1 min. eager to take its place. This hilarious commercial for a A MILE IN THESE HOOVES THE ENVIRONMENTALIST make-believe electronic translation PARACHUTE Jacob Bond 2011 7 min. device is a wry commentary on the Martin Thibaudeau 2012 5 min. A satirical look at a man in a coffee anxiety of our nation’s Anglophones. (French with English subtitles) shop desperately trying to save the A vacationing couple discovers an world from eco-devastation. KING CHICKEN unconventional skydiving club. Nicolas Bolduc 2010 7 min. Should they take the plunge? EVELYN: THE CUTEST King Chicken walks into a language lab EVIL DEAD GIRL to learn English and is suddenly love- THE PARIS QUINTET Brad Peyton 2002 8 min. struck by a quirky and cute student. Benjamin Schuetze 2010 11 min. A twisted comedy about a lonely Will he be able to approach her? In this beautifully choreographed MOVING ON corpse who tries to bring herself back film, five sharply dressed men to life in order to make new friends. LÉGER PROBLÈME go about their daily routines in a Hélène Florent 2009 9 min. cramped Paris apartment. THE GOLDEN TICKET (French with English subtitles) Patrick Hagarty 2013 9 min. While it’s usually good to be light PEDESTRIAN JAR Bradley is having a bad day. But when on one’s feet, it’s best not to get too Evan Morgan 2011 4 min. a stranger offers him a Golden Ticket, light! In this inventive short, a man A group of coworkers come up allowing him to act without consequence struggles to obey the laws of gravity. with their own unique solution to for the rest of the day, things take an pedestrian-related driving accidents interesting turn. in this hilarious mock-doc. OLIVER BUMP’S BIRTHDAY

58 REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS COMEDY continued LA PEPPERETTE / ROLAND LE TECHNICIEN / THE TECHNICIAN THE PEPPERETTE Trevor Cornish 2013 11 min. Simon Olivier Fecteau 2009 7 min. Jérôme Hof 2014 4 min. Roland, a keen art supply store (French with English subtitles) (French with English subtitles) clerk, is rattled after a crazed man After a customer complains that his Two bumbling teens try to rob a insists on being allowed to use the television is broken because it only convenience store, but end up with store’s washroom, which is against shows bad news, a cable repairman SORRY, RABBI a salty treat instead. store policy. sets out to solve the problem. POOL POOL THE RUNNER THE TRUTH ABOUT HEAD Adam Brodie, Dave Derewlany Robert DeLeskie 2006 4 min. Dale Heslip 2004 12 min. 2007 3 min. Set in a sea of cubicles, the futility A bizarre comedy about Ed, a Two oddball brothers are dedicated to of the daily rat race is illustrated in head whose desperate desire to playing billiards in a swimming pool. this ingenious dance comedy. be attached to a body has him travelling around the countryside RECORD SAD BEAR with a freak show in order to raise Dylan Reibling 2011 5 min. Liz Van Allen Cairns, Joe LoBianco money for the operation. A sidewalk record sale takes an 2010 10 min. LE TECHNICIEN emotional turn when a chance A sincere and funny story that WILLIAM SHATNER musical discovery yields a powerful tackles the universal need to SINGS O CANADA response. simultaneously hold on and let go. Jacob Medjuck 2011 5 min. The always-charming William Shatner RIBOFLAVIN! SORRY, RABBI treats us to a memorable rendition Blair Dykes 2009 9 min. Mark Slutsky 2011 10 min. of Canada’s national anthem. Funny, When two men set out to see what Due to a misunderstanding, a secular quirky and heartwarming, this short happens if they ingest too much Jew in ends up the subject pokes fun at our beloved “home and riboflavin, they end up causing an of an impromptu Hasidic tribunal. native land.” unexpected rift in time. 4 AM DRAMA

4 AM ARUBA THE BLANKETING Janine Fung 2011 4 min. Hubert Davis 2005 11 min. IM Trevor Mack (Tsilhqot’in) Spoken-word poet Muhammad A young boy employs ingenuity 2013 8 min. Muwakil conjures up a powerful and his imagination to escape his In the mid-1800s, the Tsilhqot’in picture of suburban life in Trinidad. difficult life circumstances. First Nation of was 35 MPH 35 MPH ASSINI IM nearly wiped out by a devastating Jean-Marc E. Roy, Philippe David Gail Maurice (Cree/Métis) smallpox outbreak. The Blanketing Gagné, Dominic Leclerc 2011 10 min. 2015 13 min. depicts a fictional confrontation (French with English subtitles) Seven-year-old Assini and her before the epidemic. Two buddies share a passion for dirt friends often play Cowboys and BOXED IN IM bikes, but their friendship is also Indians. But when Assini discovers Shane Belcourt (Métis) 2009 4 min. based on a deeper understanding that she herself is an “Indian,” the A woman of mixed ancestry struggles that only they share. game takes a new turn. with an Equal Opportunity form ANATOMY OF ASSISTANCE AVILIAQ / ENTWINED IM that requires her to respond to the Cory Bowles 2013 13 min. Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk) 2014 dilemma “Ethnicity — Choose One.” ASSINI When defiant Talia challenges the 15 min. (Inuktitut with English subtitles) CAMERA assistance envelope given to her In the 1950s, two Inuit women David Cronenberg 2000 5 min. at school, she comes to better attempt to protect their relationship A seasoned actor discusses the understand herself and to rethink when pressure from their new colonial current state of cinema while a group how assistance programmes work. culture forces them to marry men. of young children sneak in with ANIRNIQ / BREATH BAREFOOT IM production equipment to film him. R.J. Sauer 2011 5 min. (Inuktitut Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis) 2012 CLADDAGH with English subtitles) 11 min. Brett Ferster 2016 8 min. A beautiful exploration of the In a tight-knit Cree community in Truth and loyalty are tested when three BAREFOOT Inuit belief that when someone northern Saskatchewan, 16-year- brothers discover a dead body on their dies, their spirit enters the living old Alyssa enjoys the attention that way to go swimming in the forest. creatures around them. comes with pregnancy — until her secret plan unravels. COVERED ARROWHEAD Jonathon M.B. Hunter 2014 7 min. Peter Lynch 1994 30 min. BIG GIRL Actors reinterpret a 1960s television An ingeniously wry look at the way Renuka Jeyapalan 2005 15 min. interview with folk music icon and people struggle to find meaning A poignant tale of a little girl who legendary Indigenous-rights activist within sterile urban environments. embarks on a battle of wills with Buffy Sainte-Marie. her mother’s new boyfriend. BIG GIRL REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS 59 DRAMA continued ELEVATED KAJUTAIJUQ: THE SPIRIT IM SHAHZAD Vincenzo Natali 1996 20 min. THAT COMES Haya Waseem 2016 12 min. A routine elevator ride becomes a living Scott Brachmayer, Co-producer/Co- Shahzad is a young boy recently hell for its three trapped passengers. writer: Nyla Innuksuk (Inuk) arrived from Pakistan. He finds 2014 15 min. that integrating into Canadian life EMMA EMMA Part Inuit legend, part thriller, an and school is easy – but his life at Martin Edralin 2016 13 min. Arctic hunter tries to live by the home with his father is becoming Fourteen-year-old Emma struggles traditional skills his grandfather increasingly strained. with alopecia areata, a condition taught him — but they are difficult of rapid, unpredictable hair loss. A for a modern man to apply, and the STOLEN IM delicate film about the uneasy path price of failure is high. Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs towards self-acceptance and putting (Mohawk) 2017 7 min. one’s own well-being above what LEFTOVER This powerful short offers a glimpse others think. Eui Yong Zong 2014 19 min. into the life of Sheena, a troubled A family of North Korean refugees 14-year-old Indigenous girl who yearns ENTANGLED FROST tries to adjust to a new life in for a life and freedom away from the Tony Elliott 2014 15 min. Etobicoke, Ont., with painful girls’ home she’s been placed in. Forced to care for her catatonic lover memories of the oppressive regime after a secret quantum experiment still fresh in their minds. TAXI LIBRE goes awry, Erin is determined to Kaveh Nabation 2010 13 min. uncover the cause of his condition MY FATHER’S HANDS (French and Spanish with English — even at the risk of her own life. Sudz Sutherland 1999 27 min. subtitles) A powerful and moving short about a Jose Garcia was a doctor in his FROST father and a son, each representing a home country. Now, as a taxi driver Jeremy Ball 2012 14 min. different culture and time. in Canada, he must cope with a Young Arctic hunter Naya embarks playfully taunting prospective LEFTOVER on a search for food outside her PARANORMAL RADIO employer who takes a seat in his cab. ancestral hunting grounds. There, Andrew Jeffrey 2015 12 min. she discovers an unfamiliar new Are we alone? One stormy night, a IM world and a dangerous predator. talk-radio host who is an expert in Miranda de Pencier the paranormal receives a call that Executive-producers: Alethea THE GAME may have the answer…. Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk), Qajaaq Andrew Chiang 2012 11 min. Ellsworth (Inuk) 2011 16 min. After a professional basketball player PUDGE A young Inuit woman with a is cut from his team, he reflects on Annie Bradley 2008 17 min. troubled past begins to connect with the talent and passion that brought Twelve-year-old Violet just wants a other victims of violence from her MY FATHER’S HANDS him to this point by playing a game winter coat that fits, but what she community and reclaims her voice against three younger versions of gets is an unusual friendship that fits along the way. himself. her best of all. UNDER HEART QAGGIQ / GATHERING PLACE IM Mark Raso 2011 23 min. Ann Marie Fleming 2002 7 min. Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk) 1989 58 min. Tom tries to help Sydney overcome A singer prepares for a performance (Inuktitut with English subtitles) her addictions in an isolated while fighting back tears; a Conflicts arise when families in an northern setting, but when an beautifully rendered response to the Inuit camp build a communal igloo to avalanche traps the couple, their trip events of September 11, 2001. celebrate the coming of spring with becomes a battle for survival. games, singing and drum dancing. SAVAGE HEART OF THE WORLD THE UNDERGROUND IM Guy Maddin 2000 5 min. SPIRIT OF THE BLUEBIRD IM Michelle Latimer (Algonquin/Métis) The story of state scientist Anna and Jesse Gouchey (Cree), Xstine Cook 2014 14 min. the two brothers who vie for her love 2011 6 min. In this gritty and poetic short, an while she tries to save the world. A personal and poetic tribute by Iranian man struggling to fit into Cree artist Gouchey to Gloria Black North American life finds comfort A HINDU’S INDICTMENT Plume, a woman who was murdered in the cockroaches that inhabit his OF HEAVEN in Calgary in March of 1999. home. Based on the Canadian novel Dev Khanna 2009 11 min. Cockroach by Rawi Hage. A charming, tongue-in-cheek drama SAVAGE IM SHAHZAD about a woman who waits with Saint Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe) WAPAWEKKA IM Peter outside the gates of heaven for 2009 6 min. Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis) 2010 her soulmate. This “residential school musical” 16 min. uses song and dance to depict a little Josh and his father visit their family HOME AWAY girl’s dehumanizing journey into the cabin in Saskatchewan for the last Hannah Yohannes 2013 10 min. residential school system, as well as time, confronting the generational With nowhere left to turn, pregnant her mother’s pain. differences between their Cree Sabrina checks herself into a group heritage and Josh’s urban lifestyle. home for teen girls and discovers the family she desperately needs. WAPAWEKKA

60 REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS DANCE AND EXPERIMENTAL BABA INUKSHOP IM PRETTY BIG DIG Jonathan Lawley 2006 3 min. Jobie Weetaluktuk (Inuk) 2009 Anne Troake 2006 3 min. Different people, cultures and 2 min. Three excavators move together styles of dance come together in Inuk filmmaker Weetaluktuk mixes with impressive grace to a one expression of love and life. archival reels with new footage to contemporary classical score, gently Choreographed by Tré Armstrong. make this commentary on cultural inviting us to re-examine the way BABA appropriation. we view dance and technology. BUS NO. 9 Michael Downing 1999 3 min. IN THE GROOVE A SHORT FILM ABOUT FALLING A chance encounter at a bus stop Clarence Ford 2006 2 min. Peter Lynch, Max Dean becomes an excuse for a sultry This combination of hockey, dance, 2007 15 min. tango pas de deux. figure skating and rock/funk takes Using a robotic chair as the place on ice and features champion axis of entwined stories tied to the THE CINNAMON PEELER figure skater Kurt Browning. theme of suspension, Lynch Veronica Tennant 2004 3 min. IM and Dean explore autobiography in Michael Ondaatje reads his poem LITTLE THUNDER this challenging and complex work. The Cinnamon Peeler accompanied Nance Ackerman, Alan Syliboy CYCLES by the choreographed movements (Mi’kmaq) 2009 3 min. SOMETHING’S COMING of two dancers. Inspired by the Mi’kmaq legend “The Veronica Tennant 2012 3 min. Stone Canoe,” this coming-of-age A creative split-screen film featuring CYCLES story follows a boy who reluctantly ballet and singing performances of Joe Cobden 2016 4 min. sets out on a canoe trip by himself as “Something’s Coming!” from West Through playful choreography and a rite of passage into adulthood. Side Story. piano harmonies, a man revisits abstract memories of a failed MOBILIZE IM SNARE IM relationship. Caroline Monnet (Algonquin) Lisa Jackson (Anishinaabe) 2015 3 min. 2013 4 min. LITTLE THUNDER FOUND Featuring a hypnotic soundtrack Spare and visually arresting Paramita Nath 2009 6 min. by Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, with a haunting soundtrack, this Toronto poet Souvankham Mobilize repurposes footage from performance piece captures Thammavongsa discovers her the NFB archives to explore the the brutality of violence against father’s scrapbook documenting perpetual negotiation between the Indigenous women, as well as the their family’s escape from Laos modern and the traditional by a possibility of healing and grace. in the 1970s. An impressionistic people always moving forward. journey told through old photos, TERMINUS animation and home movies. NOUS NOUS SOULEVERONS / Trevor Cawood 2007 8 min. WE WILL RISE UP IM One man manages, at a gruesome NOUS NOUS SOULEVERONS Natasha Kanapé Fontaine (Innu) cost, to escape from the shadows Theodore Ushev 2012 9 min. 2015 4 min. of the dancing concrete figure that Recycling elements of surrealism Through a performance of her own dogs him. and , this Genie-nominated powerful and inspiring poem, the animation explores relationships talented Innu poet Natasha Kanapé TROPICAL RUMOURS between art and war. Fontaine invites us to rise up to Veronica Tennant 2004 4 min. bring light to the world. A rich fabric of movement and INDIGO IM imagery inspired by Michael Amanda Strong (Michif) PORTRAIT AS A RANDOM ACT Ondaatje’s memoir, Running in the 2014 9 min. OF VIOLENCE Family. In this short inspired by Indigenous Randall Lloyd Okita 2013 5 min PORTRAIT AS A RANDOM stories and vividly realized through This engrossing short combines VERY NICE, VERY NICE ACT OF VIOLENCE stop-motion animation, a woman performance with stunning kinetic 1961 7 min. trapped in a cluttered space is freed sculptures, evoking themes A look behind the business-as-usual by “Grandmother Spider,” who still of protest, destruction and face we put on in life. The film has some important webs to weave. resurrection. shows anxieties we’d rather forget using dozens of familiar pictures and fragments of speech. WAVE A RED FLAG IM Adam Garnet Jones (Cree/Métis) SNARE I really hope we get to see another 2009 3 min. A whimsical, wordless exploration film next year because I believe that of Indigenous identity, community this was an amazing opportunity! and culture. — Grade 11 student, Southwood SS, Cambridge, ON

TROPICAL RUMOURS

REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS 61 DOCUMENTARY

7 MINUTES IM DE FACE OU DE PROFIL / IM INUIT HIGH KICK IM Tasha Hubbard (Cree) 2016 7 min. FACE OR PROFILE Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk) Marie’s walk home from university Sharon Fontaine (Innu) 2010 3 min. takes seven minutes, but when she 2014 5 min. French with English A stunning slow-motion visual is followed home by a stranger in a subtitles examination of an athlete performing LE CHEMIN ROUGE van, those seven minutes feel like Told from 16-year-old Sharon’s point the traditional Inuit high kick. an eternity. of view, this charming short uses her wit and humour to reflect on THE LIFE YOU WANT IM ACTIVISM 2.0 society’s use of online avatars. Michelle Derosier (Anishinaabe) Emily Hunter 2015 15 min. 2011 34 min. Filmmaker and eco-warrior Emily HANDSOME AND MAJESTIC The isolated northern town of Fort Hunter explores the unconventional Nathan Drillot, Jeff Petry Hope, Ont., has a serious problem tactics of the Black Fish, members 2015 12 min. with prescription drugs. Many of a new generation of high-tech Milan’s a regular teen: He likes residents are addicted, with crime environmental activists. sports, lasagna and hanging with and poverty rising as a result. This film follows the journey of one CREE CODE TALKER IM friends. But unlike other boys his AGAINST THE GRAIN age, he faces the struggles that brave resident who admits her Curtis Mandeville (Métis) come with a transgender identity. problem and applies for treatment. 2009 24 min. With his family supporting him, his Survivors of the Indian residential inspirational story helps educate THE LITTLE DEPUTY school system attempt to cope with and inspire those around him. Trevor Anderson 2015 9 min. its impact on their personal lives Years after dressing up as a deputy and communities. A good primer HARD LEARNING IM sheriff for a western-style photo for discussions of the Truth and Daniel Fortin 2017 7 min. with his father, Anderson explores Reconciliation Commission report. With no high school in her northern issues of gender identity when he community of Wapekeka, 14-year- tries to recreate the photo as it CRY ROCK LE CHEMIN ROUGE / IM old Miranda must move 500 km always should have been. RED PATH away for Grade 9. The challenges Thérèse Ottawa (Atikamekw) faced by her and many Indigenous MA BOÎTE NOIRE / MY BLACK BOX 2015 15 min. youth from remote communities Nicolas-Alexandre Tremblay 2012 (French with English subtitles) are revealed in this touching doc. 12 min. (French with English subtitles) This moving documentary tells the A man uses rap to overcome both story of Tony Chachai, a young man HARDWOOD his speech impediment and his who goes on a journey to reconnect Hubert Davis 2004 27 min. troubled past, and then teaches with his Atikamekw roots by Mel Davis, a member of the other young people to do the same. dancing in powwows. legendary Harlem Globetrotters, had IM HOME COOKED MUSIC two families — one in Chicago and MÉMÉRE MÉTISSE THE CREATOR’S GAME IM one in . His Canadian son, Janelle Wookey (Métis) Candace Maracle (Mohawk) Hubert, takes a personal look at his 2008 30 min. 2011 41 min. father’s life. Nominated for an Oscar. A young filmmaker explores her After being denied entry family’s past as she schemes to into Europe because of their HOME COOKED MUSIC convince her grandmother to Haudenosaunee passports, Mike Maryniuk 2014 9 min. accept her Métis heritage. Wookey’s the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse Is there anything more Canadian mischievous persistence uncovers a team forfeit a shot at the World than a moose-antler electric guitar? legacy of shame and the profound Championship. A year later, they After having a near-death experience, courage needed to overcome it. MA BOÎTE NOIRE continue to fight for national a retired machinist finds meaning sovereignty — and the title. by making whimsical stringed ME, MOM AND MONA instruments from strange objects. Mina Shum 1993 20 min. CREE CODE TALKER IM In this evocative documentary, the Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree) HONEY FOR SALE IM women of the Shum family share in 2016 14 min. Amanda Strong (Michif) a discussion that reveals the impact During WWII, Allied Forces used 2009 7 min. of conflicting values on their lives. Indigenous-language speakers to The director focuses her camera on transmit coded messages that could the tenuous life of a honeybee in this MOHAWK GIRLS IM not be broken. The contributions poetic and thoughtful meditation on (Mohawk) of Charles “Checker” Tomkins are the fragility of human existence. 2005 55 min. MÉMÉRE MÉTISSE revealed in this insightful doc. Three teens from the HYPHEN: GABRIELA’S STORY Indigenous community wrestle not CRY ROCK IM Gabriela Warrior Renaud 2016 5 min. only with decisions about their Banchi Hanuse (Nuxalk) 2016 29 min. Renaud explores her hyphenated futures, but also with the challenges Fewer than 15 Nuxalk-language identity through a portrayal of the of maintaining and embracing their speakers and storytellers are left in complexities of her multiracial family. Mohawk identity. Bella Coola, B.C. This thoughtful film explores what is lost from a culture when a language threatens to go extinct. MOHAWK GIRLS

62 REEL CANADA SHORT FILMS DOCUMENTARY continued MR. SANDERSON IM RELEASED IM UTE KANATA / IM Ray Sanderson, Terrie McIntosh Chantal Rondeau (Northern HERE IN CANADA (Ojibwe) 2014 9 min. Tutchone) 2015 10 min. Virginie Michel (Innu) 2016 2 min. An intimate portrait of the Karen Nicloux, an Indigenous This poignant take on “O Canada” inspirational Ray Sanderson, a single embroidery artist from Yukon, has adapts the national anthem to father blinded by gun violence struggled with drug addiction since a the reality of the First Nations of PETRA’S POEM who pleads for us to look at things so-called friend offered her cocaine Canada, and provides a rallying song differently. to cure a headache. This inspiring for all peoples. doc follows Nicloux’s journey to MY ENEMY, MY BROTHER stitch her life back together. VOLTA Ann Shin 2015 18 min. Ryan Mullins 2009 13 min. During the Iran-Iraq war, an Iranian THE ROUTES IM In this gorgeously shot child soldier risked his life to save James McDougall (Anishinaabe) documentary, Ryan Mullins is an injured Iraqi enemy. Years later, 2014 4 min. guided by a former projectionist on in Canada, the men meet by sheer A man cycles through his memories a tour of a derelict movie theatre in THE ROUTES coincidence and help each other of the local women who have gone rural Ghana that is now serving as a heal the wounds of the past. An missing in his Anishinaabe community. make-shift school. inspiring true story. SEA SHEPHERD WAYS OF YESTERDAY IM NAILS Emily Hunter 2009 5 min. Elliott Simon (Anishinaabe) Phillip Borsos 1979 13 min. This short by self-styled eco-warrior 2014 6 min. This documentary explores the Emily Hunter documents the Through breakdance and rap, Elliott, manufacturing of nails and the organization Sea Shepherd’s 2007 a rapper, and Curtis, a b-boy, share gulf between the skilled labour anti-whaling campaign as a dedicated their life experiences and try to of traditional tradespeople and group of direct-action marine motivate and inspire Indigenous SHARKWATER REVOLUTION modern mechanization. conservation activists try to stop illegal kids to follow their dreams. SAIPAN whale slaughter on the high seas. OVERBURDEN IM WHERE THE RIVER WIDENS IM Neil McArthur, Warren Cariou SHARKWATER REVOLUTION Zach Greenleaf (Mi’gmaq) (Métis) 2009 15 min. SAIPAN 2014 5 min. Indigenous communities in Alberta Rob Stewart 2011 5 min. A lyrical ode to the hard work, defend the environment, their After watching the feature film determination and kinship of the health and their way of life in the Sharkwater, a Grade 6 class in fishermen of Gesgapegiag First face of a destructive oil recovery Saipan of the Northern Mariana Nation. enterprise. Islands pressures their government to ban shark fins — and succeeds. YESTERDAY IN RWANDA PETRA’S POEM Davina Pardo 2005 14 min. UTE KANATA Shira Avni 2012 4 min. THIS RIVER IM A documentary examining the Against a backdrop of colourful Erika MacPherson, Katherena resonant horrors of the Rwandan animation and live action, artist Vermette (Métis) 2016 19 min. genocide — through the eyes of Petra Tolley recites her poem about An Indigenous perspective on the Claire Wihogora, a survivor now life with Down syndrome. devastating experience of searching living in Ottawa. for a missing loved one, told through two stories that exemplify the resilience and activism borne out of the need to do something. YESTERDAY IN RWANDA

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