Eric Cheung (Canada) EMERGING

World Premiere

Duration: 4:26

Set in a neo-noir-inspired landscape, the narrative follows Eric's never-ending journey and obsession with the infinite as a source of meaning. Eric portrays his internal conflict through choreographic distorted, repetitive, and looping movements. As he progresses through the real world, he gradually transforms and merges with the environment around him until he reaches a perceived infinity. At this point, Eric transcends into a 3D virtual world. A vacuum of space where time does not exist, where he sees glimpses from his past, present, and future. Eric then leaves this virtual space back to reality, beginning a new cycle. Ultimately leading to the end of the film's beginning - an infinite loop.

Film Director, Editor: Alim Sabir
Choreographer, Dance Artist: Eric Cheung
Creative Director: Sebastian Palencia
Director of Photography: Brad Stuckel
Producer: Pique Production
Music Composer: Mathew Tomkinson
Assistant Director: Michael Falco
Gaffer: Artur Vetstein
Steadicam: Miha Matevzik
1st AC: Teo Weyman
2nd AC: Ben Smallz
VFX: Luke Bellissimo
Swing(s): Carson Lower, Brian Gregory, Kurtis Watson
DMT: Ben Smallz
PA: David Falco, Catrina Chen, Jack Peros
Production Designer: Sam Sziget
Costume: Acronym

Hadi Moussally

Duration: 4:55

Hadi’s birthday landed on the 3rd of April, 2020, during lockdown, and for the first time he celebrated it all by himself.

Film shot in lockdown.

Director: Hadi Moussally
Music: "Bellydance Vogue" by Hadi Zeidan
Producer: h7o7
Director of Photography, Post-Production: Olivier Pagny

Gabriella Engdahl

Duration: 2:58

SILK PAPER AND BRUISES is an experimental dance film exploring norms, expectations, and body ideals within the contemporary dance industry. The film, made in stop motion, takes the audience on a poetic journey among colourful changing rooms, untouched sandwiches, and broken bodies. Through Barbie dolls in the lead roles, the film depicts how women's bodies are represented, presented, and talked about.

Director, Cinematographer, Designer, Writer: Gabriella Engdahl
Composer: Maria Rojas Gomez
Voice Actress: Ciara Amas
Camera assistant: Peter Lundhall Ortiz

Dustin Chok

Duration: 8:56

House music is widely recognized in popular culture, though its roots tend to be overlooked. Legendary House dancer Future shares stories of his decades-long experience in the sub-culture. His journey from dancer to teacher is achieved through his mentorship with Edmonton House dancer Sekou Sonko-Boisclair. Together, they weave a wonderful mosaic of body movements alongside thumping house beats. The pair, tagging in and out during the invigorating dance sequences, is a sight to behold.

A beautiful and poetic sharing of House dance knowledge between generations, almost a passing of the torch to ensure that the culture lives on.

Directory: Dustin Chok
Primary Dancer: Daniel E "Future" Kelley III
Primary Dancer: Sekou Sonko-Boisclair
Cinematographer: Colin Waugh
Editor: Dustin Chok
Music: Oveous + Don Kamares

Jessie Huggett

Duration: 13:22

Insight Out is a choreopoem about identities—it was a collaborative process in words and movement and the music is our voices and silence. A collaborative creation in words and movement choreographed by Jess Huggett with Robert Chartier, Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson, Rachel Gray, Moni Hoffman, Dylan Phillips, Maureen Shea, Renata Soutter, Shara Weaver, Elizabeth Winkelaar, and Russell Winkelaar. Creative consultants: Rachel Gray (text), Maureen Shea (movement), Bryce Morison (smudging music), and Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson (rehearsal director and support). Audio editing by Rachel Gray. Video editing and closed captioning by Matthieu Hallé. Insight Out was created through Propeller Dance’s Emerging Choreographers Program under the mentorship of Shara Weaver. Jess Huggett gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

A collaborative creation in words and movement choreographed by Jessie Huggett through Propeller Dance’s Emerging Choreographers Program under the mentorship of Shara Weaver and with financial support from the City of Ottawa.

Choreographer, Director: Jess Huggett
Dancers, Collaborators: Robert Chartier, Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson, Rachel Gray, Moni Hoffman, Dylan Phillips, Maureen Shea, Renata Soutter, Shara Weaver, Elizabeth Winkelaar, and Russell Winkelaar
Creative Consultants: Rachel Gray (text), Maureen Shea (movement), Bryce Morison (smudging music), and Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson (rehearsal director and support)
Audio Editor: Rachel Gray
Video Editor, Closed Captioning: Matthieu Hallé

Rosie Choo Pidcock

Duration: 3:51

Five Chinese Canadians return to their elementary school to reclaim their names through dance.

Starring: Kallie Hu 胡家贤, Jennifer Tong 唐沛玲, Johnny Wu 吳光翔, Katrina Teitz 嘉敏, Alger Liang 梁家傑
Writer, Director: Rosie Choo Pidcock 朱薇颖
Producer: Jasmin Wanzheng Lyu 呂宛錚
Director of Photography: Belen Garcia
Editor: Evelyn Starks
Composer: Eimear MacCarrick
Sound Designer: Kyle Cashen
Colourist: Cam McCutcheon

Leonardo Martinelli

Duration: 20:00

A delivery man dreams of having a motorcycle. He was told that everything would be like a musical film.

Director, Writer: Leonardo Martinelli
Producer: Ayssa Yamaguti Norek, Leonardo Martinelli, Rafael Teixeira
Starring: Dennis Pinheiro, Silvero Pereira
Cinematographer: Felipe Quintelas
Editor: Lobo Mauro
Music: Ayssa Yamaguti Norek, Carol Maia, José Miguel Brasil, Leonardo Martinelli
Choreographer: Soraya Bastos

Brandon Wint

Duration: 27:48

MY BODY IS A POEM/THE WORLD MAKES WITH ME is a personal documentary about belonging, familial love and Canadian colonial histories by director and poet Brandon Wint. At the intersection of Blackness and disability, the film is an artistic kaleidoscope composed of animation,illustration, poetry, and photography bending genres and flirting with experimentalism. With a colourful soundscape and cinematography to match, Wint’s directorial debut floats off the screen and echos as a defiant, assured visual language. The film also depicts some of the beauty and difficulty of life in the Canadian prairies, as histories of racism and ableism mix with the beauty of the land, and the resolve of racialized communities to create a life that is at once brutal and beautiful, joyful and rugged for Black Canadians.

Director, Writer, Performer: Brandon Wint
Editor, Motion Designer: Noah Lefevre
Music production, Mixing, Mastering and Arrangement: Brian Raine
Cinematography: Caelin Moore, Brian Raine

Special Thanks: Titilope Sonuga, Matthew James Weigel, Edmonton Heritage Council

Era Bothe

A Cure to Boredom follows three rambunctious boys on the hunt to find something fun to do. After experiencing a drought in entertainment, the boys quickly seek many interesting ways to quench their thirst for fun. Initially, the film seems lighthearted and wholesome. However, as options appear to quench the boys' thirst, they only ever get more dangerous.

Director: E.V Bothe
Written by: E.V Bothe
Cast: Akira Leblanc • Gabriel Canilanza • Ivan Le
Director of Photography - E.V Bothe • Asha Raibmon
Edited by: E.V Bothe
Editing Supervisor: Hanna Odlos
Production/Art Design: Asha Raibmon
Key Grips: Ainsley Wong • Joanna Kar Mei Huo
Equipment: Face Of Today Foundation
Music: Street Fighting Man By The Rolling Stones (1968)
Everybody’s Talkin By Harry Nilsson (1968)
(I do not own the rights to this song, for creative purposes only)

Ash Szeto

Andromeda is a song about being in a toxic relationship with no escape, finding ways to justify what is happening to you and putting the blame on yourself instead of the person doing you harm. Even when you've been pushed too far, you struggle to gain control over your situation.

Director: Ash Szeto
Producer, Gaffer, 2nd Assistant Director: Chloris Au @Chlxris_
Performers: Allison Wan (Toxic Partner) @Alliwanton, Olha Оnyshchenko (Protagonist) @olha_only
Cinematographer/Camera Operator, Storyboard: Soléne Pango Salas @Solene_pango
1st Assistant Director, 1st Assistant Camera: Samuel Patrick @samburger04
Production Designer: Lianne Guo @Li.an.ne_send_halp
Polaroids: Rachel Lok @reiko_rkgk
Grip: Ayelet Pango Salas
Choreographer: Olha Onyschenko
Music Score: Artemis Gallegos @artem1s_pr1me
Singer: Sophie Taylor
Editor: Ash Szeto
Special Thanks: Vincent Yao, Phil Bryne

Thivya Jeyapalan

In 'Awaken,' nature's tranquil beauty intertwines with the complexities of human emotions. While exploring the depths of how PTSD may affect an individual, this short film transcends a single narrative, inviting viewers to interpret its profound message personally. Through various scenes in nature, 'Awaken' evokes a sense of renewal, reminding us that even amidst turmoil, moments of serenity and healing can be found. This visual expressive piece invites introspection, celebrating the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of our connection to the natural world. 'Awaken' is an ode to the untamed, both within and around us.

Director, Producer, Editor: Thivya Jeyapalan (@youspoken)
Performer: Bella Liang (be.oq_)
Assistant Director: Gloria Wang
Special Thanks: Aryan Ihsan & Victoria Hung as well as the rest of the YouSpoken volunteer team
Featuring music by Johnnie Lawson and Ludovico Einaudi (I do not own the rights to this song, for creative purposes only)

Larkin Miller

An exploration of the desire to run.

Director: Larkin Miller @lrknmllr
Starring: Larkin Miller
Cinematographer: Rob Rupert
Lighting: Kendra Fanconi
Editor: Larkin Miller
Special Thanks to Kali Miller
Music: Run Boy Run by Woodkid (I do not own the rights to this song, for creative purposes only)

Kaila Bhullar

Duration: 6:58

An experimental audiovisual work that explores the constructed nature of perception, and some of its nutritive factors, i.e. images and media. Using a non-linear form and collage aesthetic, the work aims at expressing a disjointed narrative coming from personal feelings and observations.

Director, Creator: Kaila Bhullar

Haley Jacques

Duration: 3:09

Independant screendance artist Haley Jacques from Calgary, Alberta in collaboration with Contemporary dance artist Jolie Che from Calgary, Alberta, bring you "Intrepidity and Existence", an abstract, experimental dance short film which explores an internal conflict around a desire to live a life apart from societal pressure and expectation. Filmed on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (colonially known as Vancouver, British Columbia). Soundscore derived from "Seigfried" by Frank Ocean.

Director: Haley Jacques
Cinematographer: Haley Jacques
Editor: Haley Jacques
Dancer: Jolie Che
Soundscore: "Seigfried" (instrumental) by Frank Ocean

Andy Dongan Liu

Duration: 2:52

The short film introduces Isaac, Clement and Serge, who are well established members from the Afrobeats dance community in Vancouver and have been actively promoting this part of art culture around the city through dance classes and public shows. Through the lens of a first-time filmmaker and close friend to the three dancers, the film seeks to explore ideas behind their passion for Afrobeats dance and share the genre and its vibrancy to the public with impromptu performances.

Director, Cinematographer, Editor: Andy Dongan Liu
Dancers: Isaac Gasangwa, Clement Rugwiro, Serge Biriteye

danielle Mackenzie Long

Duration: 1:30

A ribcage embodies a dance, refusing to allow its movement to be constrained by a diaphragm made of bubble wrap.

Using animation software and motion capture data from a non-binary dance artist’s movement a dance is presented through non-gendered means of performance. opaqueREFUSALS is the first volume of a work-in-progress interdisciplinary project combining movement, digital media, installation, online game design and live performance. The work aims to empower genderqueer dance artists to exist in a world where gender is neither binary, nor defined.

Director, Animator, Dancer, Editor: danielle Mackenzie Long
Sound Designer: Miya Kosowick Mawatari
New Media Support: Freya Björg Olafson, Casey Koyczan

Artemis Pyrpilis

Duration: 11:38

In 2019, 7 years after my grandmother’s passing, I went for the first time to the house where she was born and spent her childhood. Searching through the rooms, drawers and boxes I discovered previously unseen pictures of her when she was a young girl in the 40s. A dancer, a gymnast, a restless girl whom her closed ones called Nette. Who was she really and what is my connection to her? Through her death it became clear to me that there were much more things uniting us than I had ever imagined. I decided to interact with these archival images through my body.

Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Performer : Artemis Pyrpilis

Kristen-Innes Stambolic

Duration: 5:14

SATURATED combines dance and animation to explore colour. Each section of the film takes you to explore and feel different colour, ending in an explosion of saturation. Abstract, hand drawn line animation dances across the screen and creates a playful duet with Sasha. I invite you to feel each colour.

Director, Editor, Animator: Kristen-Innes Stambolic
Cinematographer: Jacob Rodier
Dancer, Choreographer, Wardrobe: Sasha Speed
Composer: Alex Gluch
Colorist: Anthony Zor
Special thanks to the RT Collective

Jasmine Mohan Zhu

Duration: 3:26

PMS: Pepper Menstrual Syndrome is an experimental film highlighting women's struggles during monthly cycles. The pepper, shaped like a womb, symbolizes pain, frustration, and exhaustion caused by monthly cycles. It aims to raise awareness of this overlooked hardship which is often normalized and expected for women to overcome. The film prompts reflection on attitudes towards menstruation, fostering empathy and understanding. It contributes to the dialogue on gender, health, and social justice through visual motifs and body language.

Director, Cinematographer: Jasmine Mohan Zhu
Performer: Katharine Jinyan Zhao

Iwona Pasińska

Duration: 13:00

ZIELNIK/HERBARIUM is the fifth choreographic film directed by Iwona Pasinska. It is a fairy-tale episode, told with tenderness, gushing with the intense colours of flowers and élan vital. Choreography composed to a suite by Edward Grieg and presented by the artists-dancers of the Polish Dance Theatre takes the audience into the world of flora. It allows to explore a day in the life of a plant from the moment it blooms to the end, drowned in warm nostalgia. We invite you to immerse yourself in the beautiful world of flowers and leaves, in the greens, reds and purples transitioning to the greys and browns of the autumn. And all this told with movement to the rhythm of the dynamic sounds of the suite Peer Gynt op. 1 performed by Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera.

Script, Direction: Iwona Pasińska
Scenic Design, Costumes: Andrzej Grabowski
Score: Edward Grieg
Cinematographer: Marek Grabowski
Editor: Edyta Pietrowska
Colour Correction, Post-production: Mirosław Feliks Mamczur
Costume Assistant: Adriana Cygankiewicz
Cast: Evelyn Blue, Kacper Bożek, Julia Hałka, Paulina Jaksim, Patryk Jarczok, Jerzy Kaźmierczak, Zbigniew Kocięba, Katarzyna Kulmińska, Dominik Kupka, Daniel Michna, JinWoo Namkung, Pau Perez-Pique, Katarzyna Rzetelska, Sandra Szatan, Zofia Tomczyk, Emily Wong-Adryańczyk

Ysadora Miranda Dias

Duration: 1:29

The song "Garganta" comes to life through movements that explore the inner struggle between the mind and the heart. It represents the complexity of human emotions and the challenge of expressing oneself fully. The performance culminates in a moment of realization, understanding that doubting one's own voice doesn't diminish one's essence, conveying a message of liberation and empowerment.

Dancer: Ysadora Dias
Cinematographer, Editor: Igor Gomes

Silvia Autorino

Duration: 3:15

Freely inspired by the Valdrada story from Italo Calvino's "Le città invisibili", the video work aims to lead towards an emblematic thought over the reality of the individual and his appearance. We are in a world full of images that shapes and reconstructs emotions and actions. An occult and deceptive reality that is reflected in our daily life.

Director: Silvia Autorino
Performer: Roberta Fanzini, Mariangela Milano
Videomaker: Sara Grasso
Music: Daniele Gherrino
Assistant Director: Vittoria Guarracino
Editors: Silvia Autorino, Sara Grasso

Brigita Gedgaudas

Duration: 2:55

“Be Vardų, Be Kojų”, meaning ‘without names, without legs’, is an experimental, animated, dance film investigating queer movement in Lithuanian folk dance. Using photograms made from scanning dancers performing specific gendered folk dance steps, each dancer has been glitched by the computer’s inability to put moving bodies into one space and time. Transforming into aliens, these bodies don’t conform to earthly physics, boundaries, and rules; they act as disruptive agents stripping folk dance of binary roles and structures assigned to dancers. Unrestricted, these glitches can create new forms of folk dance that reinvent traditions to imagine queer futures and dreams.

Director, Dancer, Animator, Editor, Sound Designer, Writer: Brigita Gedgaudas

Aerial Sunday-Cardinal

Duration: 15:00

A short film documentary that takes place on Whitefish Lake First Nation #128 and Saddle Lake Cree Nation. It offers an insight into and a reminder of Nehiyaw traditions and values as we near the prophetic end of times.

Director: Aerial Sunday
Cinematographer: Andriy Lyskov
Sound design: Matt Leibowitz
Editors: Joshua Lam, Aerial Sunday
Mentor: Joshua Lam

Co-Commissioned by: Wild Mint Arts
Commissioning Fund Production Partner: Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers