VIWFF Summer Fest
In August 2022, we proudly presented VIWFF’s Summer Fest, a two-day celebration of the Best of Fest and Best of BC Shorts from the 2022 festival featuring in-person screenings and events.
VIWFF 2022 Festival Trailer
Program
Perfect Daughter
Directed by Jasleen Kaur
Canadian Short Narrative / English / Canada / 2021 / 13:42
When a highly respectable family moves into the neighbourhood, a young woman grows suspicious of her new neighbours’ seemingly flawless daughter.
Srikandi
Directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
Canadian Short Narrative / Indonesian / Canada / 2021 / 8:32
This fantasy drama is a modern retelling of an Indonesian myth of the same name. Teenager Anjani’s late father had been teaching her the ways of a shadow puppeteer in private, as women are not allowed to practice it. Through the puppets, Anjani is able to reconvene with her father’s spirit, learning one final lesson through the art form before she sets out to realize her own future – becoming a modern Srikandi.
Militant Mother
Directed by Carmen Pollard
Canadian Short Documentary / English / Canada / 2021 / 7:34
To get to class on time, children from Vancouver’s largest social housing project were forced to jump shunting train cars that stood in their path. After months of advocating for a safe crossing, twenty-five mothers made their voices heard by blockading CN rail.
Wildflower
Directed by Heather Perluzzo
Canadian Short Narrative / English / Canada / 2021 / 17:33
After a woman escapes from an abusive, male-dominated world she creates an AI replica of herself for companionship.
Esther & Sai
Directed by Roșie Choo Pidcock, Anaïsa Visser
Canadian Short Narrative / English / Canada / 2021 / 12:30
The night before their first day of nursing school in 1976, Esther and Sai, two female immigrants to Vancouver, endure racism and homesickness. Based on a true story, Esther & Sai captures the struggle of immigrating to a new country through the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
The Isobel Imprint
Directed by Ali Grant
Canadian Short Documentary / English / Canada / 2021 / 6:59
A dozen years after the devastating suicide of her oldest sister Isobel, filmmaker Ali Grant is transported back to Toronto in the summer of 1978, to a pivotal moment of their intertwined destinies. With humour, insight, and love, she explores her own coming of age through family letters, photos, and home movies, and examines the lasting imprint of a sister’s invitation into a world of possibility.
I Am Leo
Directed by Tanja Tajo Hurrle
International Short Narrative / German / Germany / 2021 / 17:48
12-year-old Leo spends the autumn holidays romping in the woods and wide meadows and building cabins with big sister Noémie and cousin Emil on Grandma Marlies’ farm. When Leo is surprised by what Grandma Marlies calls big news, Leo faces an identity crisis. I Am Leo immerses itself into the emotional world of a child who is on the way to discovering their gender identity and inner courage.
Run Woman Run
Directed by Zoe Leigh Hopkins
Canadian Feature / English / Canada / 2020 / 1:40:00
Thanks to an unlikely coach, single mom Beck learns how to reclaim her dreams, her family, and her life. Run Woman Run is a feel-good anti-rom-com about a woman who has to tackle the ghosts of her past before she can run toward a new future.
Topics
- How do we create authentic and inclusive content?
- Creating structural change through community building
- The responsibility that comes with telling stories
- How can we envision the future and honour the past?
- Eligibility and why it's important to the community
Supporting Research
Participants are encouraged to read the following research reports ahead of the panel.
- Being Seen, Black Screen Office
- Building Trust and Accountability, Indigenous Screen Office
Moderated by Dee Abdirahman (they/she) - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist, Liberation Collective
Panelists
Joan Jenkinson
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Black Screen Office
Joan is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Screen Office where she works to empower Black Canadians working within the screen industries to thrive and share their stories. She is committed to making sector practices and policies equitable and free of anti-Black racism and to work collaboratively with decision-makers to ensure system-level change.
Joan was Vice-President of Independent Production for VisionTV. She commissioned, developed and executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning creative content in all genres. For five years, Joan served as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television - Toronto (WIFT-T), where she established professional development training and networking opportunities for women in screen-based media.
Kristy Assu
Director of Funding Programs
Indigenous Screen Office
Kristy is a seasoned professional in the Indigenous film and television industry, specializing in Project Management, Producing, and Program development. With over 16 years of experience, she has produced documentary series covering topics such as clean drinking water in Indigenous communities and Indigenous Arts and Culture.
As a commissioning Producer, Kristy prioritized cultural safety and received the Chloe Award for Community Champion. She played key roles in the acclaimed Haida Language film, SG̲aawaay Ḵ’uuna; Edge of the Knife, which premiered at TIFF and won several awards.
Currently, Kristy is the Director of Funding Programs at the Indigenous Screen office, supporting program strategies and advocating for Indigenous content creators. She is a passionate advocate for Indigenous rights, languages, and culture, working towards representation and inclusion in the industry.
VIWFF gratefully acknowledges the support of
