Vancouver International Women in Film Festival Archives

Passages

Directed by Florence Pelletier, Caroline Côté
Documentary  /  English, French, Inuktitut /  Canada  /  2020  /

Three women from across Quebec embark on a multisport expedition, following the Koroc river in Nunavik. Travelling together against adversity, this journey soon becomes one of self-discovery for each participant.

The Curse of Willow Song

Directed by Karen Lam
Horror  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

A supernatural thriller set in Vancouver that highlights the stark socio-economic divides that allow those who need help the most, to become their own worst nightmares.

Brother, I Cry

Directed by Jessie Anthony
Drama  /  English  /  Canada  /  2019

A young First Nations man, trapped in a world of addiction and cultural displacement, finds himself in trouble when his sister betrays him and a "friend" to the police.

BIRTH TIME: the documentary

Directed by Jerusha Sutton, Jo Hunter, Zoe Naylor
Documentary  /  English  /  Australia  /  2020

An exploration of the systemic causes for why women are increasingly emerging both physically and emotionally traumatized from giving birth.

Holy Rights

Directed by Farha Khatun
Documentary  /  Urdu  /  India  /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

Safia, a devout Muslim, trains women as Qazis (Sharia court judges) to rebel against the instant "triple talaq" divorce practice that has allowed men an imbalance of power in classical Islamic law.

ALA KACHUU - Take and Run

Directed by Maria Brendle
Drama  /  Kirghiz /  Switzerland, Filmed in Kyrgyzstan  /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

A young Kyrgyz woman is kidnapped and forced to marry, and her desire for freedom struggles against the clutches of tradition.

Program One: Your Worst Enemy

In This Land We’re Briefly Ghosts

Directed by Chen-Wen Lo
Drama  /  Burmese  /  Myanmar, Taiwan, USA  /  2019

Myanmar, 2013. A 12-year-old Burmese child soldier, imprisoned for deserting battle, is forced to either kill her older brother, a fellow deserter—or die alongside him. Based on actual events.

Song Sparrow

Directed by Farzaneh Omidvarnia
Animation  /  No Dialogue  /  Denmark, Iran  /  2019

A group of refugees flee in search of a better life. They pay a smuggler to take them across borders, in a refrigerated truck; however, the freezing temperature of the truck turns their hope for a better future, into a fierce struggle for survival.

Snake Trail

Directed by Shicong Zhu
Fantasy  /  Chinese  /  U.S.A. /  2020

Urged to complete the traditional Chinese death ritual as her mother’s only daughter, but without the legal documentation to prove her kinship to the woman who gave birth to her—a girl finds herself in an institutional conundrum.

La Danza Delle Streghe

Directed by Maud Pugliese
Drama, Dance  /  Canada, France  /  2019

La Danza Delle Streghe is an all-women dance piece that explores the question of woman’s objectification, bringing together women from diverse backgrounds to share in ritualistic movement, trance, and a reclamation of themselves.

The Death of Winter

Directed by Latonia Hartery
Historical Drama  /  English  /  Canada  /  2019
Vancouver Premiere

In 1830s Newfoundland, an adulteress’ life hangs in the balance as a court weighs her guilt for the crime of murder.

The Art of Dieting

Directed by Hannah Smith
Animation  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

This film depicts the journey of a young woman who struggles to lose weight, after seeing a large poster for weight-loss diet pills. After looking herself up and down in her window reflection, she sets off on a course to change her lifestyle.

IVO

Directed by Christina Lande
Drama  /  Norwegian  /  Norway  /  2019 
Vancouver Premiere

Iben, an elderly teacher living alone in a small Norwegian community, tries to help a struggling student; but an accident puts her in a difficult position when the other villagers demand her dog be put down.

Program Two: Be Like Water

êmîcêtôcêt – Many Bloodlines

Directed by Theola Ross
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Two women are on a path towards having a child together, through the fertility treatment process. The film follows the couple’s experience of building a family, while grappling with differences of race, culture, class, and gender roles.

Ritu Goes Online

Directed by Vrinda Samartha
Documentary  /  Hindi /  India  /  2020

A homemaker with no business background launches an entrepreneurial venture, becoming a success story and inspiration for a young generation in India.

The Grass Ceiling

Directed by Iseult Howlett
Documentary  /  English  /  Ireland  /  2019

In Iseult Howlett’s directorial debut, three successful female athletes explore how being physically courageous, unapologetically competitive and deeply passionate in team sport can unlock a freedom to truly occupy one’s own skin.

Hum and Do No Harm

Directed by Inder Nirwan
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Vanessa Richards is a community leader, activist, and a lover of music. She uses songs as a medicine, but now due to COVID it’s too dangerous to sing. In the wake of George Floyd’s death, she must answer the call and find a new way to bring music without doing harm.

Hot Flash

Directed by Thea Hollatz
Animation  /  English  /  Canada  /  2019

Hot Flash is a journey into the funny, uncomfortable, and sometimes maddening world of an aging professional woman navigating a culture that puts great emphasis on physical appearance.

Doll

Directed by Nasrin Golreyhan
Drama  /  Arabic  /  Iran /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

A woman journalist finds a baby girl in a war-torn city. The borders are closed to the girl, and she will be killed if she stays in the city. This film is about people who need peace—but are on the battlefield.

Sombrio Surf

Directed by Tara-Lee Novak
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Born and raised as a squatter on Sombrio Beach, Leah Oke overcomes unthinkable tragedy to become one of Canada’s first female pro surfers.

Program Three: All About Love

The Bath

Directed by Anissa Daoud
Drama  /  Arabic  /  Tunisia, France /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

Imed, a young father—finding himself alone for a few days with his five year old son due to his wife’s business trip—will have to confront his deepest fear.

Felt Love

Directed by Angeline Vu, Arlene Bongco
Animation /  English  /  U.S.A.  /  2020

A young boy learns to understand the depth of his mother’s love, despite the distance her dedication may create.

Synthetic Love

Directed by Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix
Comedy  /  French (English Subtitles)  /  France  /  2020
Vancouver Premiere

Diane realizes that the man she fantasizes about, shares his life with someone very peculiar.

 

On Falling

Directed by Josephine Anderson
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Three women reflect on their willingness to sustain broken bones, concussions, and organ damage as professional mountain bikers, driven by the rush of control that comes with completely letting go.

A Living Sculpture

Directed by Diana Chire
Drama  /  English  /  U.K.  /  2019

A young French horn player explores both pros and cons of her relationship with an artist.

I think it’s enough, isn’t it?

Directed by Emily Shir Segal
Documentary  /  Hebrew   /  Israel  /  2020

An homage to a loved one, and the tragedy of not being able to pay last respects.

FREYA

Directed by Camille Hollett-French
Drama  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Set in the not-too-distant future, FREYA will make you second-guess your relationship with technology, social media, and The State.

Program Four: Break The Sky

The Road

Directed by Vanessa Wenzel
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

The girls of Stardale Women’s Group share their perspective on Canada’s history of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls; the intergenerational impact of colonialism; and what it’s like to be a young First Nations girl today.

This is Not a Love Letter

Directed by Ariel Zucker
Documentary  /  English  /  U.S.A.  /  2020

A videopoem that celebrates the resilience of women in a culture full of body politics, seen through a young woman’s retelling of her abortion.

El Color Negro

Directed by Andy Hodgson
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

An empowering, spoken word exploration of the value and meaning of blackness.

From…

Directed by Sepideh Yadegar
Documentary  /  English  /  Canada  /  2020

Themes of identity, belonging, and creative expression weave through the visual and musical journey of Kim Villagante (a.k.a. Kimmortal) to find their place in Vancouver’s hip hop music scene.

Without a Whisper – Konnón:kwe

Directed by Katsitsionni Fox
Documentary  /  English  /  U.S.A.  /  2020

Without a Whisper—Konnón:kwe is the untold story of how Indigenous women influenced the early suffragists in their fight for freedom and equality.

IWD Advocacy Panel: #ChoosetoChallenge

VIWFF, in collaboration with WIFT Canada Coalition, hosted a conversation with major government film and television funding agencies and organizations as we challenge ourselves—and the systems that support our film and television industry in Canada—to become more inclusive and representative.

We invited the organizations to report on gender equity, with a focus on intersectionality within their work on gender equity. In particular we invited them to speak about their progress and plans toward equitable representation and opportunities for Indigenous women, Black women, Women of Colour, Women with Disabilities, LGBTQ2++ Women, and Gender Diverse people in their funding programs. The focus was in keeping with the 2021 International Women’s Day theme of #ChoosetoChallenge.

Moderated by Ana de Lara, former Vice President, Women in Film and Television Vancouver.

Panelists:

• Valerie Creighton, CEO, Canada Media Fund
• Christa Dickenson, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada
• Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC
• Jill Golick, Women in View
• Joan Jenkinson, Executive Director, Black Screen Office
• Claude Joli-Coeur, Government Film Commissioner/ Chair, National Film Board of Canada
• Doreen Manuel, WIFTV Board of Directors / BOSA Centre for Film + Animation, Capilano University
• Barbara Williams, Executive Vice President, CBC

From Our Dark Side Keynote + Finalists

A keynote from Diana Williams, Founder, Kinetic Energy Entertainment, followed by a panel with the five Finalist creative teams of this year’s From Our Dark Side genre development incubator. Moderated by Lindsay Peters, From Our Dark Side program director.

Panelists:

• The Apartment: Becky Parsons (Producer)
• Dark Woods: Berkley Brady (Director/Writer/Producer)
• Mid Life: Alyson Richards (Director/Writer)
• Red Wings: Kate Kroll (Director)
• Transvengeance: Kaye Adelaide (Director/Writer)

Watch a recording of the From Our Dark Side Keynote + Finalists Panel

Program sponsors: Creative BC, Telefilm Canada
Program partner: Frontières International Co-Production Market

Screenplay Competition Finalists

A conversation with the ten finalists of this year’s VIWFF Screenplay Competition. Moderated by Joan Macbeth, Screenplay Competition program coordinator.

Screenplay Competition Finalists:

• Isobel Bradbury & Isabella Vergun – Exes and Ohs – Feature (USA)
• Morgan Brayton – Flannery & Flannery – TV Pilot (Canada)
• Kaili Capito – Regression – Feature (USA)
• Charlotte Daniel – We Were Never Meant to Survive – Feature (UK)
• Helen Doremus – Romanza – Feature (USA)
• Tihemme Gagnon – PB&J – Feature (Canada)
• Arielle Haller-Silverstone – Family Politics – TV Pilot (USA)
• Lulu Keating – Klondike Kalahari – Feature (Canada)
• Nubia Rahim – Pedal Power – Feature (USA)
• Isabella Vergun – Sean Glick F*cks the World – Feature (USA)

Watch a recording of the Screenplay Competition Finalists Artist Talk

Competition Sponsor: The International Screenwriter’s Association

Table Reads: Tricksters and Writers

Workshopped actor table reads of scripts/script excerpts from WIFTV’s Tricksters and Writers film writing program for Indigenous women. Facilitated by Renae Morriseau.

March 12
Queen of East Van by Brenda Prince
One Who Knows by Shilo Nyce
The Words We Can't Speak by Lindsay McIntyre (excerpt)

March 13
Sadie's Move by Shaelyn Johnston

Actors (for all readings): Shauna Baker, Sam Bob, Joyce Delaronde, Asivak Koostachin, Shane Leydon, Oivia Lucas, Taninli Wright

Event Sponsor: Indigenous Digital Filmmaking Program, Capilano University

Program Sponsors: Matrix Production Services, CMPA- BC Producers Branch, Final Draft, TELUS Storyhive, Line 21, Creative BC, BC Arts Council

Workshop: Digital Marketing with Annelise Larson

“How to Build a Basic Digital Strategy for Your Film” with Annelise Larson, digital strategist, StorypreneursUnite.com.

Annelise Larson is a digital strategist and former filmmaker who works with media industry stakeholders to use the digital opportunity to find, grow, and engage audiences; and work toward sustainable business models. Her podcast STORY+AUDIENCE with screenwriter Jill Golick can be found on all major podcasting platforms, and she just launched a new online Digital Marketing for Media course in conjunction with the National Screen Institute. See a recent presentation and report from Annelise for Telefilm Canada.

Watch a recording of “How to Build a Basic Digital Strategy for Your Film” with Annelise Larson

Workshop Sponsor: Annelise Larson, Veria.ca / StorypreneursUnite.com

Awards announcements for Official Selection Features and Shorts, and the International Screenplay Competition. Hosted by Sabrina Furminger, YVR Screen Scene.

Watch a recording of the 2021 Awards Ceremony Here.

Feature Film Awards

Best Feature

Ala Kachuu—Take and Run (Nadine Lüchinger, Flavio Gerber)

Best Direction

Maria Brendle (Ala Kachuu—Take and Run)

Best Cinematography

Holy Rights (Priyanka Biswas, Debalina Majumder)

Best Editing

Jeanne Slater (The Curse of Willow Song)

Best Screenplay

Jessie Anthony (Brother, I Cry)

Best Performance

Alina Turdumamatova (Ala Kachuu—Take and Run)

Honourable Mention: Valerie Tian (The Curse of Willow Song )

Impact Award: Documentary

Birth Time: the documentary (Produced by Zoe Naylor, Jerusha Sutton, Jo Hunter)

Impact Award: Feature

Holy Rights (Produced by Priyanka More)

Honourable Mention: Passages (Produced by Samuel Trudelle, Florence Pelletier, Caroline Côte)

Short Film Awards

Best Short

In This Land We’re Briefly Ghosts (Chen-Wen Lo)

Best Direction

Chen-Wen Lo (In This Land We’re Briefly Ghosts)

Best Cinematography

The Grass Ceiling (Eleanor Bowman)

Best Editing

Josephine Anderson (On Falling )

Best Screenplay

Chen-Wen Lo (In This Land We’re Briefly Ghosts )

Honourable Mention: Valerie Tian (The Curse of Willow Song)

Best Performance

Rhona Rees (FREYA )

Best Screenplay

Chen-Wen Lo (In This Land We’re Briefly Ghosts )

Honourable Mention: Valerie Tian (The Curse of Willow Song)

Best Performance

Alina Turdumamatova (Ala Kachuu—Take and Run)

Honourable Mention: Valerie Tian (The Curse of Willow Song )

Impact Award: Documentary

On Falling (Produced by Joella Cabalu)

Impact Award: Short

êmîcêtôcêt—Many Bloodlines (Produced by Alex Bailey)

Screenplay Competition