A wide variety of films entered in YFF 2021 were available for viewing from May 27 to 30.
Meet and Eat at Lee's Garden
44:00 minutes
Growing up I knew little about my father's past. The restaurant he opened on Park Ave in 1951 was key. While researching it, I discovered little known facts about his life and the unexpected story of the Chinese and Jewish immigrant communities bound together by the food the restaurants served.
Shadow of Dumont
1 hour 28 minutes
Trevor, detached from his Métis roots and living in Toronto, pilots a campervan across North America to track the life and legacy of his childhood hero, Métis leader and his great-great-uncle, Gabriel Dumont.
Mr. Emancipation: The Walter Perry Story
1:00 hour
Mr. Emancipation is the story of Walter L Perry's determination to put on a celebration that would transcend divisions of race and class. He staged an Emancipation Day festival that was where everyone wanted to be. Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr, Jesse Owens all headed there because, as civil rights activist Dick Gregory said "The largest Juneteenth celebration was not in America, it was in Windsor, Canada.”
Captive
1 hour 27minutes
Captive is a powerful, personal journey of surviving the physical and psychological pain and trauma of captivity and the toll conflict takes on women and girls. Filmed over four years and several high-risk trips into north eastern Nigeria, writer and director Mellissa Fung meets several brave young women who have escaped imprisonment by Boko Haram and who are now trying to rebuild their lives. Through their struggles, Fung comes to terms with her own past, confronting the deep trauma she thought she had long buried.
(Re)claiming Indian Status
31:01 minutes
This documentary digs into the stories of Indigenous women and families to reclaim their Indian Status through their fight for the elimination of sex-discrimination in the Indian Act. It highlights the impacts of the law on individuals, families and communities. Since the passing of Bill S-3 and its amendments, thousands of Indigenous people are now eligible for Indian Status.
Pekiwewin Relief & Prayer Camp
06:01 minutes
Camp Pekiwewin was a ceremonial site for the house-less community in Edmonton that lasted from July - November, 2020. Among the many aims were to provide refuge and challenge the municipality that acknowledges treaty and Indigenous communities in council, but consistently denies and erases Indigenous peoples' title to occupy their territories. As told by camp residents.
Cottagers and Indians
45:00 minutes
Once upon a time it was "Cowboys and Indians". Now it ’s cottagers and Indians. Indigenous author Drew Hayden Taylor, who also wrote a play of the same name, goes on a cross-country exploration of the current hot-spots, historic conflicts, and peaceful co-existence that can occur when it comes to indigenous water and land rights.
Dark Cloud: The High Cost of Cyberbullying
49:00 minutes
Eight years after the tragic suicide of Amanda Todd, her mother continues to campaign for awareness about cyberbullying and hopes to help other parents protect their kids from the ubiquitous threat of digital dangers. Directors Holly Dupej (Painkiller: Inside the Opioid Crisis) and Mathew Embry (Living Proof) follow Carol as she connects with a network of activists and asks some of the country's leading experts on cyberbullying for insights about its causes and strategies for prevention.
The Least We Can Do
52:00 minutes
On August 3, 2014, ISIS extremists began a campaign of genocide against the Yazidi, a religious minority in Northern Iraq. They murdered the men, forced the boys into ISIS military training camps, and enslaved the women and girls, subjecting them to torture and rape in a fate that survivor Nadia Murad describes as "worse than death."
Above the Law
44:00 minutes
In the midst of a global uprising against police brutality and systemic racism, ABOVE THE LAW examines a deeply troubled police department and reveals the devastating consequences of unchecked police brutality. Despite its relatively low crime rates, recent years have seen the Calgary Police Service shoot and kill more people than officers in any other Canadian city, and more than either the New York or Chicago police departments in 2018.
Giants of the Boreal Forest
44:02 minutes
Giants of the Boreal Forest explores our relationship with moose and features rare and incredible encounters filmed by world-renowned expert Dr. Vince Crichton.
Listening to Orcas
44:08 minutes
Since the 1960's, our knowledge of orcas has steadily evolved. This species, once feared as apex predators and "killers of the deep", are now recognized as extraordinarily intelligent, emotional, and social in ways that are remarkably human-like. Listening to Orcas explores the ground-breaking research that lies behind these shifts in perception and documents the key roles and contributions of a remarkable group of life-long orca scientists, many of whom live and work on Canada’s West Coast.
Grass Farmers
17:32 minutes
Did you know that it ’s possible for cattle production to be green? Like, green, green? As in, carbon sink green? It ’s a pretty simple concept called regenerative agriculture that involves making soil health a top priority. Because healthier soils means healthier grass, healthier cattle and ultimately a much healthier earth.
Sovereign Soil
52 minutes
Set in the northern wilds surrounding the sub-Arctic town of Dawson City, Yukon, Sovereign Soil explores what it takes to grow local food north of 64 degrees. At the far-flung edge of Canada’s Boreal forest, a handful of unlikely farmers are growing everything from snow-covered Brussels sprouts to apples. These modern-day agrarians have carved out small patches of fertile soil in an otherwise unforgiving expanse of isolated wilderness to make a living and a life.
Follow Leader
06:41 minutes
A vivid exploration of the relationship between toxic male masculinity and the social as well as psychological influences it has had on me growing up thourough the generations.
Winter Sleep
06:24 minutes
Winter Sleep, a short film, offers affective critique of the agroindustry in prairie Canada. The poem and film, in conversation, ask viewers to reckon with the devastating socio-environmental impact of agribusiness, a clarifying task in re-conceiving new horizons for being here.
The Unforgotten
31:23 minutes
The Unforgotten explores Canadian healthcare through the shared experience of Inuit, Metis and First Nations people. Across the broad sweep of the land we hear stories of those who have been forcibly sterilized, abused in hospital, displaced, ignored to death, starved and forced from their homes and land under the guise of healthcare.
Leo’s FishHeads: Leech Gathering
11:00 minutes
Today, the Fishheads meet one of Leo’s favourite snacks: Leeches! Chouristian and Sayat head to Algonquin Provincial Park with Sebastian, a scientist and curator from the Royal Ontario Museum. He helps them wade thourough the muck in search of North American Medicinal Leeches to use for the ROM’s newest exhibit. Along the way, Sebastian teaches the FishHeads how to properly handle leeches, and what to do if one latches on!
The Arctics
56:45 minutes
The Arctics is a never before seen look at the history and impacts of the Arctic Winter Games, an international biennial multi sport games that has been celebrating circumpolar sport and culture in the North since 1970. This short documentary follows the stories of characters from across the 9 contingents that make up the international competition as they prepare to partake in the 2020 Arctic Winter Games which mark 50 years since first opening.
Jack’s Garage
35:29 minutes
Jack’s Garage follows the extraordinary journey of one man’s transformation as he discovers the power of cannabis, bringing his body back from death’s door and his life into balance. Now pharmaceutical and cancer free, Jack Kungel has made it his mission to share what he has learned, and has helped hundreds of others and their pets from around the world to transform their own lives. Jack's Garage is the documentary Big Pharma doesn't want you to see.
After the Storm: A Road Trip to Redemption
55:02 minutes
After the deaths of his parents, a son fulfills his promise to complete a road trip that remained incomplete for a decade. The adventure would become an unexpected spiritual journey where he would come to face to face with the forces that changed his life forever, and he would come back with a special souvenir.
Dancehalls, Deejays & Distortions
24:30 minutes
Since the early 30's, British Columbia has procured a vibrant and eclectic music scene, widely known as a good place to test acts before hitting the big stages of Vegas or New York. From the founder of New Age music who performed a concert for a grieving killer whale, to the punk band whose show at Expo ‘86 sparked a riot that led to the cancellation of a whole concert Series, Dancehalls, Deejays & Distortion crosses musical genres exploring stories of artists, deejays, and clubs that made British Columbians swing and shout.
Search and Rescue North Shore
56:28 minutes
This 5-episode series follows the highly skilled volunteer members of North Shore Rescue as they find and rescue people in distress in the rugged mountains, canyons, forests and urban environments of North Vancouver. Through the lens of real rescues, we meet some of the people who give their time to the busiest volunteer rescue organization in the country.
An Uninvited Guest
03:22 minutes
Three White people and one Black man wordlessly enjoy dinner while in the front yard a dishevelled Black man is brutally assaulted by police. The sounds of his suffering seem to only momentarily distract these strange people from their meal. However, as events outside escalate, one of the guests, the Black man, grows increasingly anxious. As his demeanour changes from numb to responsive, the people around him grow uncomfortable. Moments later, a police officer shows up and in a wordless interaction, he singles out the Black man for detention. He is placed in a police car but on the way to the station he senses something sinister is about to occur and he escapes but not for long.
fine
11:44 minutes
A hyper-efficient new mum in her 30s unwittingly descends into postpartum depression, exacerbated by a colicky infant. During a moment of extreme fatigue, she abandons her baby on a park bench in the cold of winter before realizing she needs to reach out for help.
Connecting With Michael
04:07 minutes
A conversation with well-known Saskatchewan athlete and role model, Michael Linkater, that invites us to hear his story of leadership, dedication, and being the change you want to see in the world.
Love Letters from Everest
7:30 minutes
A long-distance love story unfolds via letters exchanged during the 1956 Everest expedition.
In the Shadow if the Pines
8:00 minutes
In the Shadow of the Pines is an animated short documentary about a difficult father-daughter relationship. Drawing on childhood memories, Anne Koizumi, the filmmaker, explores her upbringing with her Japanese immigrant dad, who was also the janitor at the elementary school she attended. The film explores the idea of shame and how it can shape and define us while also concealing who we can truly become.
I Am Here
20:00 minutes
A young Syrian sister and brother, separated during the civil war, have a chance to be reunited years later thourough the power of poetry, persistence and friendship.
Ingredients
23:00 minutes
In the midst of writers block and the anxiety that comes with it, a young writer finds himself in a situation that blurs the lines of fact and fiction, as he connects with another writer in crisis who has invaded his space, bringing both in intrigue and danger.
All-In Madonna
12:40 minutes
When 17-year-old Maddie attends public school for the first time, she discovers dark secrets about her father and must reconciler herself with the father she thought she knew, and the father he may actually be.
Promise Me
24:47 minutes
Charlie still has hope and is adamant in caring for her mother, Yolonda Thomas, as her health takes a turn for the worse. Loyal, she insists on sticking by her mother’s side until the very end. But when her school begins to notice Charlie’s absence, she is placed under a system of surveillance and Charlie will soon come to find that some decisions are outside of her control.
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