The grief of time passing, of life moving on half finished, of empty spaces that were once bursting with the laughter and energy of people we loved.
READ MOREThe highly anticipated docu-comedy short film 15 Ways My Dad Almost Died, directed by award- winning filmmaker Sura Mallouh and written by Filipina Dora-nominated comedian Alia Rasul.
The short film also had its world premiere at the 2024 Reel Asian Film Festival and is now available for streaming on CBC Gem and YouTube, bringing this heartfelt, humourous and important story to audiences across Canada.
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It has been ‘a minute’ since I last made a list for you in terms of recommendations of films starting their Toronto screening run.
Here I recommend four films which are all different but have been receiving positive reviews from critics and audiences alike.
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Graham Isador is losing his vision due to a degenerative eye disease. But because there are no visual identifiers for the condition, people don’t think he’s losing his sight …they just think he’s an asshole.
Short Sighted is an opportunity to explore Graham’s personal experiences with a degenerative eye disease, this five-episode podcast attempts to explain vision loss using sound. It is a blend of experimental music and comedic storytelling.
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Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail is a tender, quirky, and deeply moving addition to his singular body of work—a stop-motion feature film that once again proves his excellent ability to blend absurdity, melancholy, and warmth into stories that stay with you long after the credits roll.
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The unbelievable, yet entirely true, story of a incredible woman comes to vivid light in Never Look Away, the new film about Margaret Moth, a pioneering news camerawoman dedicated to documenting the civilian impact of war, who stared death in the face but refused to look away.
Acclaimed actor and activist Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, My Life Is Murder) makes her directorial debut with this feature documentary to share the remarkable story of how Margaret lived her life to the absolute fullest while covering war zones for CNN, and paid a significant price.
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SONG FOR NO ONE
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
World Premiere / Dramatic Short Film / Shorts Presentation: UNSUNG VOICES
SONG FOR NO ONE is the directorial debut from actor-turned-writer/director Liam Ma (Cruel Intentions).
From his apartment in Brooklyn, Gene (Giullian Yao Gioiello) hosts an independent radio show to platform his music in hopes of one day finding a dedicated audience. Instead, his radio show reaches his recently deceased mother, Sook-Ja (Felice Choi), in the afterlife, through a radio powered by the stationary bikes that Sook-Ja and her interpreter, Han Sol (Stella Kim), ride each day.
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In Dahomey, director Mati Diop achieves something rare and profound: she transforms a historical documentary into a poetic meditation on colonial violence, cultural loss, and the fragile act of restitution. The film follows the return of 26 royal treasures, looted from the Kingdom of Dahomey in 1892 by French colonial forces and finally repatriated to their homeland, Benin, in November 2021.
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Rendezvous with Madness (RWM) is the first and largest arts and mental health festival in the world. The 32nd edition of the festival presents 10 feature films and 3 short programs. As always, films screenings are complemented by thought-provoking post-screening Q&As and curated panel discussions, extending the uniquely meaningful conversations that define Rendezvous With Madness.
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The Light Before the Sun is a raw, thought-provoking meditation on fame, mental health, and the limits of self-help, brought to life through the nuanced script by Rob Baker. This mid-length feature follows Daniel Wolf, a celebrated self-help guru played with heartbreaking vulnerability by Jamie Thomas King, as he returns home from an international book tour to an empty house and an even emptier sense of self. Snowed in, with his family away and his usual support system out of reach, Daniel must face the anxieties he has taught others to master. The film sets off with a familiar, well understood struggle: being forced to face ourselves without the distractions we so carefully construct.
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