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Category: 2021

Cindy Mochizuki – Sue Sada Was Here (BC)

Cindy Mochizuki has created installation, performance, animation, drawings and collaborative works that consider spaces that embody both the fictional and documentary. Often working with archival sources, memory work and interviews; her practice revisits historical and personal memory. Her multi-media works experiment with moving images, optical illusions and magical realism through a hybrid of video, film, audio and animation.

 A large body of her work investigates narratives and memories within the archive of familial architecture, including childhood spaces, home videos, photography, and oral histories. Family, displacement, migration and remembrance of traumatic historical memory have been departure points within an ongoing series of works that re-visits the memory and history of the Japanese Canadian internment and its effects on family members both within Canada and Japan.

Mochizuki’s short films have been screened in Hungary, Holland, Korea, Toronto, Los Angeles and Montreal. Recent exhibitions include: AIR 475, (2014) Yonago, Japan, Fictive Communities Asia, Koganecho Bazaar (2014), On the Subject of Ghosts, Hamilton Artists Inc (2013), Yokai & Other Spirits, Toronto Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (2013), and To|From BC Electric Railway 100 Years, Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (2012).

She has received her MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the School For Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.

Sue Sada Was Here is an experimental film that turns written texts Muriel Kitagawa (1912–1974) into scores of physical movement, which are then enacted in the historic Roedde House. Kitagawa’s editorial writing and unpublished manuscripts speak to the pre- and post-war periods in Vancouver, particularly the injustices of the Canadian government’s policies towards Japanese and Japanese Canadians. The performers embody Sue Sada, one of Kitagawa’s pen names and use books as objects of print history that can omit histories of violence and colonialism. This film was originally commissioned for Memories of the Future III.

Sue Sada Was Here will be showing as part of our TEAL program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Andrea Cass – Wheels of Life (NL)

Andrea Cass is a filmmaker located in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Her first film, “River of Fire”, was selected for film festivals in Canada and the United States including FIN-Atlantic International Film Festival, the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival. This beautiful short documentary captures the sights, sounds and spirit of the Victoria Park Lantern Festival in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland. Her second short, “Wheels of Life”, documents the experiences of 3 long-term care residents as they enjoy a taste of freedom on an adaptive bicycle built for two. Wheels of Life was screened at The Nickel Independent Film Festival, FIN-Atlantic, SJIWFF, Charlottetown and the Halifax Independent Film Festival. Andrea’s latest film, a dramatic short, “SPIN”, will be released in the fall of 2021.


“…Free, free like a bird!”

Wheels of Life is a short documentary that covers a single summer day in the lives of three long-term care residents as they enjoy a bit of freedom on an adaptive bicycle built for two.

Wheels of Life will be showing as part of our PURPLE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Stefan Kuchar – That Thing You Did (ON)

Stefan Kuchar is a Toronto based filmmaker who is passionate about creating and sharing films. A producer and director with Sudden Impulse Productions and the founder and producer of the annual Sudden Impulse Film Festival, showcasing local Toronto and GTA short films since 2011. In 2019, he was awarded Best International Director at the Atlanta Comedy Film Festival for his work on the web series French Off the Boat. In 2017 his short comedy Legends of the Falls, about a group of Niagara Falls mascots, played at 7 festivals across 3 countries. His 2019 short film Around the Hole was a finalist at the 48 Hour Toronto Film Project and his latest short That Thing You Did is currently in the festival circuit.

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That Thing You Did. An office place comedy set during the covid 19 global pandemic. Llyns coworkers react to the news of her being fired by changing their custom printed expressive face masks.

That Thing You Did will be showing as part of our BLUE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Mawrgan Shaw – Days Like These (ON)

Mawrgan Shaw BA(Media&Comm), M(DigFilm), is a visual artist and animator based in Toronto, Canada, originally from Melbourne, Australia. Mawrgan’s art is inspired by our sense of self and the intersection with our physical reality, and how we move through and make meaning in the world. Mawrgan creates 2D frame-by-frame animation traditionally using mixed media; ink, marker, charcoal and watercolour, and digitally to explore texture and feel. Recently, Mawrgan has had her animated work featured in festivals in Canada and the United States, and has upcoming programming in South Korea and China.

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Days Like These is an animated piece that celebrates dance in the midst of a global pandemic. Performing alone, we watch a dancer whose image is constantly changing. Created in the first three months of the pandemic, this film is an expression of the tension and anxiety I felt as lockdowns occurred around the world. It is a story through dance about the difficulties in overcoming the very natural desire to touch someone; to make contact, when this is now unsafe.

Days Like These will be showing as part of our TEAL program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Andy Wong – Small Bites (BC)

Andy Wong, Director of Small Bites, is an Asian-Canadian film maker from Vancouver. After finishing the film program at Simon Fraser University, he very quickly began working in various departments in Vancouver’s booming film and TV industry before finally settling in as an assistant director, with credits such as Supergirl, DC Legends of Tomorrow, and The Detour. He discovered soon after that his passion lies in producing, and began producing “The Star of Therapy” with his two friends under the company “Come On In Productions” and ultimately starting his own production company “Lonely Artists Production”. With multiple completed short films, and other projects in post-production, Andy has built a strong foundation as a producer in only a couple of years. Most recently he produced a short film that received funding from the National Film Board and the Canadian Arts Council called “Hekademia”. His passion, drive and well-rounded experience in the film industry has made him a strong asset on any production team.

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Lissa Neptuno, Writer and Producer of Small Bites, is an Asian-Canadian actor, writer and producer who was born in Brunei and raised in Western Canada. Growing up in a creative household, she first discovered writing and imitating cartoon voices as a way to express herself, and was soon drawn to acting and drama classes in high school. Upon graduation she was awarded a scholarship to Vancouver Film School, and after graduating that program entered into one of Western Canada’s most prestigious acting schools, Studio 58, the only conservatory program in the region. Since graduating, her training and experience in both theatre and film has brought her to Toronto and Berlin, and all over BC. In 2015 she co-produced the play The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, and has been producing ever since. When Covid-19 struck in March 2020 she was inspired to write Day 60, in response to violence against Asians in Canada and around the world. Working in film, television, stage, and print ads, Lissa has since been awarded Best Performance for her lead role in Small Bites, a film featured in the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Currently based in Vancouver, she continues to pursue her dreams of being the next great film and stage actor. Her favorite credits include Morris in “The Nether”, Anne in Virgin River, and Mr. Average Joe in Supergirl.

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Mike Li, Producer of Small Bites was born in Hong Kong, the only child of Josephine, an educator, and Eddie, a social worker. His first stage role was “Officer #2” in a high school production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Since going on to tackle character roles like “Templeton” in Charlotte’s Web and “Mercutio”, Mike jumped straight into acting classes after graduation and began auditioning before the age of 19. After finding small successes on shows like the CW’s Arrow and Showcase’s Travelers, he landed his first feature film role acting opposite Blake Lively in The Age of Adaline (2015); scenes that were ultimately cut for time. Mike made his proper feature film debut in the Dwayne Johnson blockbuster Skyscraper (2018). His first recurring role was playing a Yakuza on the third season of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, which he followed up with a couple of appearances on CBS’s Salvation season two. An avid video gamer, it was a dream come true for him to join the voice cast of United Front’s “Sleeping Dogs” starring Will Yun Lee. Mike spends much of his time collaborating with fellow actors and filmmakers to write and produce his own projects, working part-time co-producing with Thought Swerve Media as well as his company, Fiasco Entertainment.

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When friends Annie, Robbie, Jason, and Dave meet up for a hike, Dave asks Annie questions that are micro-aggressive in nature. Climbing this mountain trail Annie is continually bitten by mosquitoes when Dave asks her seemingly harmless questions about her race and ethnicity. As the trail progresses, Jason and Annie’s friendship comes into question when Dave goes too far and pushes Annie to challenge him. Left with an ally in Robbie, who has been considerably bitten as well, Annie is forced to reconsider her position in this group, and in the world.

Small Bites will be showing as part of our TEAL program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Yohann Thiou – Contained & Seasonal Depression (QC)

Yohann is a Quebec director of French origin. Co-creator of the feature film “Montreal Dead End”, he has also directed several short films selected in numerous festivals. His films “Seasonal Depression” and “Contained” are both present this year at the Cinema Spectacular Festival.

Which makes him very very happy.

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Seasonal Depression

In this dark comedy, Elisa doesn’t want to go out, but Vincent doesn’t hear it that way.

Contained

Léanne is in confinement at home, far from Gabrielle.

Seasonal Depression and Contained will be showing as part of our BLUE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Daniel Foreman – Raven Steals the Light (AB)

Daniel is a mid­career Métis filmmaker from Alberta. He has been creating stories all his life, using different media for the storytelling (from photographs to children’s stories to music to film). For the last ten years, he has been focusing on film and video.

Daniel’s interest in filmmaking took root when he created music videos for bands that he played in through the 1990s and 2000s. In 2003, he was hired as key grip for Halo, a feature motion picture directed by Mr. Gilbert Allan (an Edmonton­based filmmaker who has directed five feature films). In 2007, he took his first film class with the Film and Video Arts of Alberta Society (FAVA). The film he created through this class was a black and white short drama, The Christmas Wreath, shot using 16mm on a Bolex camera. This confirmed his passion to direct and make films.

Daniel uses every project as an opportunity to learn and develop his skills. His first short narratives were created from personal experiences and observations. In more recent projects, he has created stories that address issues such as racism, intolerance, societal disconnection, and communication challenges using genres including satire, drama, comedy, horror and animation.

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Raven is the craftiest of all creatures. Be transported into a magical animated world where Raven is flying blindly in the endless night. He decides to steal all the light in the world from Sky Father, which is no easy task. The story is adapted from an ancient Haida (North Pacific Coast First Nations) myth.

RAVEN STEALS THE LIGHT will be showing as part of our BLUE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Danielle Braund – Falling In (BC)

A graduate from The University of Lethbridge in Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Danielle Braund is multi-talented actor, writer and singer based out of Vancouver. She studied at famous acting schools including Ivana Chubbuck Studio, Margie Haber Studio, The Groundlings and UCB in Los Angeles. Danielle continues to refine her acting career, and in 2017, she wrote, produced and starred in a one-woman show to sold-out audiences at The Vancouver Fringe Festival. Most recently, she co-starred in “Ladies Don’t Wear Slacks,” co-starred in “Meant For Something More” a trans teen suicide awareness music video and was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. She and her co-writer Meeshelle Neal, gained credibility as a quarter finalist at The ScreenCraft Film Fund. In her former life she was a singer/musician and opened for groups such as Boyz II Men and Sean Kingston.

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Based on Danielle Braund’s experience, FALLING IN is the story of Kailey, a struggling artist with lightning fast wit, who begrudgingly returns to her religiously oppressive small town, at the request of her father, Jim. Hiding her current financial instability, and lack of success as an artist, she pretends that everything in her life is going just fine, a skill she learned from him. However, Jim is too distracted to notice anything is ‘off’ with Kailey. Instead he openly and honestly shares the part of himself that he has been hiding from her and the rest of the world for years – he’s gay. Funny thing is… Kailey already knows her father’s ‘deep dark secret.’ She’s always known. Upon seeing the absurdity of pretending to be something (or someone) you’re not, Kailey realizes there is no point in lying. By acknowledging her true self, Kailey is finally ready to live without compromise.

FALLING IN will be showing as part of our PURPLE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Emily Shepard – Girl and a Polar Bear (AB)

Born in Hollywood, raised in Michigan, starting a film career in Edmonton. Emily discovered her passion for filmmaking while attending classes at the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta, and has written, directed, edited and produced two short films so far: Honey Money (2017) and Girl and a Polar Bear (2019). She is currently developing a short horror comedy about class, cannibalism, and Mozart.

A convenience store worker is having a rough night when she is greeted by a very unusual customer.

Girl and a Polar Bear will be showing as part of our BLUE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!

Rheanna Toy – Dadaji/Ode (BC)

Rheanna is a video creator based out of the Greater Vancouver Area. She started her career after graduating from Simon Fraser University with a BFA with honours in Film Production. From there she worked in documentary post-production, on films such as Fractured Land and The Moving Child. After this, she began working extensively in corporate documentary, beginning with creating a web series about the innovative work of InWithForward, which launched her freelance career. When she isn’t experimenting with her own film projects, Rheanna is collaborating with local businesses and organizations to create a variety of videos. In her spare time she likes to take long walks in the forest, snuggle her miniature poodle (who makes a cameo in Dadaji/Ode), and dance in her living room.

Rheanna Toy
PosAbilities.ca – Anjalica Solomon – Roshni Kashap

Dadaji/Ode emerged from an initiative created by posAbilities, an organization that provides a broad range of services to people with developmental disabilities and their families. posAbilities paired up poets of diverse abilities and commissioned them to write together. The poems in Dadaji/Ode came from one of these collaborations, and features poems written and read by Rosh Kashap and Anjalica Solomon. When the pandemic hit, the possibility of a live reading of the poems was out of the question, so posAbilities asked Rheanna to make a video to go with the poems. Faced with the restrictions that came during the early days of covid, Rheanna came up with the idea to film herself and her colleague (from her bubble) against a white backdrop set up in her home, overlaying their silhouettes with stock footage and family photos provided by Anjalica and Roshni.

Dadaji/Ode will be showing as part of our PURPLE program exhibiting July 15-19th, 2021!