This is where we find ourselves
What exists between a crisis and everything after? This program aims to be a soft landing space, a sort of non-specific present where we can take a breath and assess before moving forward. These films tell stories about queer, trans, and Two-Spirit people existing post change or emergency. There may still be work ahead of them to heal and move on, but for now, this is where we find ourselves.
Partners
Films
Pitoc e icinakosian
Jos-Onimskiw Ottawa-Dubé & Gerry Ottawa
Gerry and their big brother Jos show us that there is more to being different than bullying, discrimination, and harassment.
Gerry Ottawa was raised in the Atikamekw community of Manawan. At age 10, she began her transition. She is passionate about painting, drawing, film and video games. She and her brother dreamed of making a movie about her life.
Jos-Onimskiw Ottawa-Dubé was raised in the Atikamekw community of Manawan. He collaborated with Wapikoni Mobile for the first time in 2016. He has a passion for cinema, video games, music, art and dubbing.
Gay as in Happy: A Queer Anti-Tragedy
Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim
An award-winning, experimental, autoethnographic documentary about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia.
Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim is an award-winning writer, director, and editor of Korean and Jewish descent whose work has been featured in over 115 film festivals around the globe. She is also a dog mom, She-Ra and ABBA superfan, and an aspiring graphic novelist. Jordana Valerie has a background in activism and social justice. She also worked in electoral politics for four years, holding leadership positions at several major progressive organizations, before realizing that she could make a far greater change through art. Her life goal is to dismantle capitalism, but she is also intent on telling bold, disruptive stories about queer women and non-binary people of colour.
Accidental Activist
Jinung Chung
Friend, immigration attorney, father, brother, and humanist, this inspiring documentary sheds light on the ways El-Farouk Khaki has dedicated himself to creating a world of wellness and oneness.
Keepin It Real
Malique Lee Moore
Keepin’ It Real is an immersive experimental film exploring the multifaceted experiences of the contemporary Black person. The film examines W.E.B Du Bois’ research on double consciousness to articulate the depictions of the characters and experiences seen throughout the film. Largely referencing popular culture in both France and the United States, the film mixes music, performance, and cinema to critique the singular narratives existing within mainstream Black popular culture. The film offers counter-narratives of blackness, queerness, and gender, utilizing eclectic references ranging from Greek mythology, vogue ballroom culture, surrealism, and satirical television.
Malique Lee Moore is a Brooklyn-born multimedia artist, based in Paris and New York, his practice utilizes performance, photography, video, and installation to question the roles of race, gender, sexuality, class, and religion.
Born and raised in Paris from Senegalese and Congolese parents, Johanna Makabi is a documentary filmmaker, her first short film Medusa Afro hair and other myths won several prizes and was screened worldwide. After a diploma in Cinema at la Sorbonne Paris and a master’s degree in anthropology and documentary.
They Through Them
Joan Galo
“They Through Them” explores the non-binary experience by drawing inspiration from real people who are part of a community in Barcelona. Although the film focuses on three main characters, it is about the strength of the social group as a whole, as community affects the way we perceive our non-normative bodies and the ability to accept them and love them. In this short, the director plays with cinematographic language, mixing documentary structure with performance-based techniques.
Joan Galo is a director and photographer based in Barcelona. They are known for Radiografía de una mujer joven (2017), Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés: Fiera de mi (2021), and Cuerno de Hueso (2017).
Thrive
Jamie Di Spirito
“Thrive” is a lush narrative depiction of a hookup between two young men. After a sexy encounter, the two get to know each other better and connect through their shared experiences of stigma, but it quickly becomes apparent they’re looking for different things.
Jamie Dispirito was born in 1993 in London. He is an actor and director, known for Thrive (2019), Silk (2011) and EastEnders (1985).
My Family
Yan Qiu Foong
CN: Depiction of suicide/self-harm (cutting)
A young man is bleeding out slowly in the bathroom. Oblivious to his latest suicide attempt, his bickering family members line up for their turn outside. This is clearly an excellent time for his parents to begin openly questioning his sexuality.
This heartbreaking and hilarious short will leave you wanting more.
Yan Qiu is a filmmaker and aspiring musician based in Singapore. He works mostly as a freelance lighting grip on local commercials, corporate videos, and TV productions, and is also a part-time busker. His dream is to one day play a beautiful concert, with Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World’ as inspiration.
Birds of a Feather
Varad Bhamburdekar
In a courtyard of an Indian palace, Peacocks and Peahens come together to celebrate their love until one of the males has trouble displaying his affection.
Varad Bhamburdekar is graduating with a BFA in Computer Animation from Ringling College of Art and Design. My film, Birds of a Feather is a piece about celebrating yourself and enjoying a moment in life.