Interest: Global Experiences
Intersection
Chilean refugee Daniela came to Canada as a child after her mother was assassinated during Chile's dictatorship. Her father, Pepe, never wants to speak about Chile, but when her daughter Rocío starts to ask questions, Daniela decides to apply for Chilean citizenship for a first trip back. This triggers the Chilean government to piece together records never before connected in the paper days and leads them to uncover much more than Daniela expected.
Director
Cecilia Araneda
Writer
Cecilia Araneda
Cast
Carmen Aguirre
Producers
Cecilia Araneda, Joseph Novak
Genre
Drama
Interests
Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Language
English
Brilliantly adapted from Kim Thúy’s Governor General Award-winning novel of the same name, this compassionate story of resilience in the face of adversity is stunningly captured and deeply moving.
“An exceptional and beautiful film.” – Isobel Grieve, Montréal Guardian
Director
Charles-Olivier Michaud
Writers
Kim Thúy, Charles-Olivier Michaud, Jacques Davidts
Cast
Chloé Djandji
Producers
André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget
Genres
Drama, Family
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Family Relationships, Global Experiences, Literary Adaptation, Newcomer Stories
Original Languages
French, Other Language
Baba (Drama)
Director
Jay Kamal
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language
Roses Sing on New Snow
Director
Yuan Zhang
Genre
Animation
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, French
So Much Tenderness
Director
Lina Rodríguez
Writer
Lina Rodríguez
Cast
Noëlle Schönwald, Deragh Campbell, Natalia Aranguren
Producer
Brad Deane
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Female Filmmaker, Global Experiences
Original Languages
English, Other Language
In Her Place
Set against the misty South Korean countryside, the film treats its three subjects with equal affection, and Shin delivers an honest, powerful drama that packs an enormous emotional punch.
Director
Albert Shin
Writers
Pearl Ball-Harding, Albert Shin
Cast
Ji-hye Ahn, Hae-yeon Kil, Kyung-Ik Kim, Da-Kyung Yoon
Producers
Igor Drljaca, Albert Shin, Hyun Chan Yoon
Genre
Drama
Interests
Asian Filmmaker, BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences
Original Language
Other Language
Such a Long Journey
His son would rather become an artist than attend engineering school, his daughter has malaria and his wife (Razdan) spends an increasing amount of time with a neighbour that he fears is a witch. On top of all this, the local government threatens to tear down the wall surrounding his housing complex. Ingeniously, Gustad asks an artist (Chowdhry) to paint a multi-faith mural on the wall so believers of all religions will be compelled to save it. A rich and thoughtful portrayal of the power of spirituality and how to overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.
Director
Sturla Gunnarsson
Born in Iceland and raised in Vancouver, Gunnarsson earned an Oscar nomination for his debut feature doc, After the Axe. His films include Beowulf and Grendel, Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie and Monsoon, and he has directed hit TV shows such as Motive, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Art of More, and most recently Schitt’s Creek and Ransom.
Writer
Sooni Taraporevala
Cast
Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Ranjit Chowdhry, Om Puri, Kurush Deboo
Producers
Paul Stephens, Simon MacCorkindale
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Global Experiences, History, Literary Adaptation, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English
The Man Who Skied Down Everest
While many explorers have climbed the legendary peak of Mount Everest, Yûichirô Miura had a different dream. This Japanese skier and daredevil became the first person to ever ski on the treacherous slopes of the highest mountain in the world, descending nearly 4200 feet. While becoming famous in Japan for his achievement, it wasn’t until Canadian filmmaker F.R. Crawley released this documentary that he received widespread international attention.
Showing all of the dangers and thrilling moments of his journey up and down the mountain, this tense and engaging film won the Oscar for Best Documentary and became a formative work in the sports documentary genre.
Directors
Bruce Nyznik, Lawrence Schiller
Writers
Yûichirô Miura, Judith Crawley
Cast
Yûichirô Miura, Douglas Rain
Producer
F.R. Crawley
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Global Experiences, Sports
Original Language
English
Boasting an infectious reggae score by Jimmy Cliff, the film was developed as part of the National Film Board’s Alternative Drama program, which placed non-professional actors in realistic situations. Issues including racism, poverty and teenage pregnancy are highlighted in what is also a very warm and pleasing film.
Sitting in Limbo achieved Honourable Mention for “its freshness and vitality” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Director
John N. Smith
Smith’s credits include award-winning TV docudramas such as The Boys of St. Vincent, Dieppe and Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, as well as numerous feature films, including Dangerous Minds, A Cool Dry Place, Geraldine’s Fortune and Love & Savagery among others. Sitting in Limbo won the Best Canadian Feature Film award at TIFF 1986.
Writers
David Wilson, John N. Smith
Cast
Pat Dillon, Fabian Gibbs, Sylvie Clarke
Producers
John N. Smith, David Wilson
Genre
Drama
Interests
BIPOC Stories, Classics, Discrimination, Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics, Strong Female Leads
Original Language
English
Letter From Masanjia
When Julie Keith finds a mysterious note in her box of Halloween decorations asking for help, it begins an adventure to find its writer in Masanjia, an illegal labour camp in China. A political prisoner as a result of his spiritual beliefs, Sun Yi details in his letter the physical and emotional abuse he’s been subjected to, and his message goes viral, leading to the closure of the camp.
Now free from the camp, Sun Yi begins to document his experience as a human rights activist while Julie, the recipient of his letter continues to raise awareness of his fight. Through their combined efforts, they seek to effect change against a Chinese government that is notorious for the suppression of differing ideologies.
“What begins as an unusual “message in a bottle” story builds to a powerful tale of human suffering, compassion and perseverance” - Kevin Crust, The Los Angeles Times
Director
Leon Lee
Genre
Documentary
Interests
Global Experiences, Social Justice & Politics
Original Language
English