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
When a highly respectable family moves into the neighbourhood, a young woman grows suspicious of her new neighbours’ seemingly flawless daughter.
17 year old Anjani is still grieving the death of her father, while simultaneously trying to save his shadow puppet studio from being sold by her mother.
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.
After a woman escapes from an abusive, male dominated world she creates an AI replica of herself for companionship.
The night before their first day of nursing school in 1976, two female immigrants to Vancouver endure racism and homesickness.
A dozen years after the devastating suicide of her oldest sister Isobel, filmmaker Ali Grant travels back through old letters, photos, and home movies to arrive at a pivotal moment in their intertwined destinies – Toronto in the summer of 1978. With humour, insight, and love, she explores her own coming of age, 3000 miles from home, and the lasting imprint of a sister’s invitation into a world of possibility.
From one day to the next, everyone says that Leo is a woman. But for Leo, that doesn’t feel right at all.
Run Woman Run follows single mother Beck who has been running from reality. Her “breakfast of champions” is a five cream, five sugar coffee and donuts. Something has to give and it does when Beck finds herself in a diabetic coma and visited by a ghostly ancestor, the legendary Indigenous marathon runner Tom Longboat, who becomes her wise cracking new life coach. Told with a lighthearted touch, 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.
