Tickets at Eventbrite

OPENING NIGHT 7 PM Short Takes On Human Connections

1. Poos - An animated adventure of Thumper the cat exploring her home and elements of Blackfoot culture. Directed by Blackfoot Language teacher Celestine Twigg (AB Canada)                  

2.  To Love Or Not To Love - A woman experiences two different universes, one in which her boyfriend loves her, the other in which he does not.  (BC Canada) 

3. Keep Me Posted - Real postcard messages sent between 1897 and 1924. (ON Canada)        

4. Nothing To Hide - Animated documentary follows the courageous journey of an Iranian woman, part of the minority group of differently-abled individuals. (BC Canada)            

5.  Shacktown - Urban Indigenous teens in trouble with the local drug dealer. Luckily the boys have a Rez Security Guard looking out for them. (BC Canada)                    

6. Good Girl  - Single mother Halima, living in a close-knit, East African community in Calgary, makes a last-minute decision to stop her 13-year-old daughter Salama's trip to Kenya to be circumcised.  (ON Canada)                           

7.  Subzero - Shima is with a group of young people relying on smugglers to illegally cross the Iranian border on foot. (IRAN)                         

8. Hayati - Threatened with a takeover of his land, a retired farmer plans to give his easy-money loving son the title to his land. (Canada- Turkiye)

9. Friction Ridge - Documetary about interactive LED light installation featured on New Westminster’s City Hall. (BC Canada)                          

TOTAL TIME: 81 min

SATURDAY OCTOBER 26

1:00  Documentary Shorts

1. Cherry - Portrait of Marie-Lise Chouinard, a radiant woman sharing details of her health crisis. Cherry is the epitome of resilience, friendship and hope. (QC Canada)

1. Thunderbird & Killer Whale - Stz’uminus Master Carver John Marston is on a journey to revitalize the traditional art of canoe carving in his community. (BC Canada)

2. Broca - The Broca’s Area in the brain is involved primarily in speech production. The film explores trauma and how it alters the mind-body connection. (ON Canada)

3. Elephant Warriors - Female conservation rangers are asserting themselves at the vanguard of wildlife conservation and gender equality in Kenya. (BC Canada)

TOTAL TIME: 65 min

3:00 pm Short Takes on Journeys and Discovery

1. The Keepsake - For Stella, beauty is the most valuable thing in the world. Stella learns how far she's willing to go to fulfill her dreams. (ON Canada)

2. Power - Follows a musician who descends into a spiral of emotions due to relentless external challenges. (BC Canada)

3. Simple Things - After a long day on the slopes a snowboarder goes on a harrowing journey in search of a cold beer. (BC Canada)

4. Thatch To the Future - Participants at a climate conference in the year 2033 have access to a time machine… (Luxembourg)

5. Groove Slam Work It Back - A glimpse into Sayla and Ishi's grief, as they meet at Sayla's mother's for the new year. (BC Canada)

6. La Ruse - Clara, 14-year-old, eats her lunch every day hidden away in the school bathroom. When 12-year-old Felix hides there too, they join forces. (QC Canada)

7. Night Ferry - While aboard a ferry, Jeremy’s ideal match appears in a dating app: Nemo. Through messages exchanged in the app, a tenuous connection forms. (BC Canada)

8. Harbour - After giving up her professional dancer career for her boyfriend, Harbour makes a devastating discovery that prompts her to reevaluate what really matters. (BC Canada)

TOTAL TIME: 80 min

5 pm Short Takes on Dreams and Human Discoveries

1. Resistance Meditation - A meditation on crip time as resistance by a chronically ill filmmaker. Shot on Super 8 and non-toxically eco-processed with plant materials by hand. (BC Canada)

2. Minerva Noctua - The creatures living inside Minerva's mystical owl embark on an adventurous journey of transition and transformation as they strive to give their home a new look. (USA)

3. Lost Media -In alternate reality where Laika the Soviet space dog survives her mission. The cosmic bond between human and canine. (BC Canada)

4. Nora 2.0 - In a not-so-far future where everything can be purchased, will Walter be finally happy after replacing his ex-wife with a robot? (BC Canada)

5. Metronome - An elderly man with early-stage Parkinson's discovers a magical hat that transforms his life, inspiring him to embrace joy and adventure like never before. (BC Canada)

6. Bunk Beds - Jackie accompanies her childhood friend Anna and her parents on a weekend trip, despite having been distancing herself from Anna after developing a crush on her. (BC Canada)

7.  Moving To Japan - Ruth plans to move to Japan in proximity to her late husband's final resting place, and crosses paths with Akira, a delivery man, who helps her with her plan. (BC Canada)

8. Breath - ‘Breath’ is a bilingual English-Korean parable short film on a challenging father-son relationship set in America. as they navigating both the pain and the love we don’t deserve. (USA)

Total Time: 78 min

7 pm

Seven Citrus Aurantium - SHAMS, a retired literature professor, despite having to cope with his own infirmities, he decided to abandon reason in the name of love. (Iran) 1:20 min

9:00 pm

Short Takes on Twists & Turns       

1. Curveball - Moments after a devastating car crash, two women from very different worlds are each other's only hope for survival. (ON Canada)

2. Plot - During a censored rehearsal of Macbeth, a stagehand reveals that he has received the play's message better than either the actors or the director. (Iran)

3. Bad Girls Eat Brains - Amidst the Zombie Disease outbreak, Bailey is pressured by her best friend Eva into throwing an ill-fated party. (BC Canada)

4. The Third Person, Or If Found Footage Movies Were Real - two ambitious filmmakers sacrifice themselves on a mission to create the next great entry to their beloved genre. (BC Canada)

5. Pringle Mingle - A young couple celebrate their anniversary with a romantic weekend getaway, only to discover their bed frame isn’t the only thing to go bump in the night. (BC Canada)

6. Cults - Catholic boarding school, 1970. Father De Monval is supervising a film projection when a young schoolboy sees something that will turn his life upside down… (France)

7. Terroir - A curious wine student with a secret past is invited to an idyllic vineyard by an eccentric winemaker, but his connection with the land is more sinister than it appears. (BC Canada)

TOTAL: 90 minutes

SUNDAY OCTOBER 27

1 pm  Feature Documentary

HYPHEN - A documentary that pairs the beloved road movie with poignant conversations about race, culture, and identity with people who live at the intersection of several realities. (ON Canada)

3:00 True Crime Documentary

The Program - For decades, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs have carefully cultivated an image of being misunderstood motorcycle enthusiasts who have been unfairly treated by police. The reality, however, could not be farther from what they want you to believe. (BC Canada)

5:00 Celebrating Drag Featurette

Beyond the Sea - Lady Casca, a drag queen in her sixties, is about to go on stage at her cabaret for the last time. (Belgium)

7:30

Look At Me -  A fictional autobiography about an insecure, awkward and lonely bisexual actor who goes on an unwitting journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse. (NS Canada)