Hye's Musings – Arts & Culture From A Fresh Perspective

Arts & Culture, Awards, Dance, Musical Theatre, Theatre

TAPA’s 2025 Dora Mavor Moore Awards

July 2, 2025

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the recipients of the 45th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation. The Awards were presented on Monday, June 30 at an evening ceremony at Meridian Hall hosted by actor Peter Fernandes.

The Dora Awards, Canada’s largest and oldest awards program, celebrates the incredible talent within Toronto’s professional theatre, dance, and opera communities.

Sharing with you the recipients for this year’s awards in the various divisions.

Arts & Culture, Comedy, Hye's Picks, Theatre, Toronto Festivals

0 Reply

Hye’s Picks: Toronto Fringe 2025

July 1, 2025

The Toronto Fringe Festival is a platform for innovative theatre and performance. Shows are selected by lottery or first-come-first-served processes, and all ticket revenue goes straight to the artists.

The Toronto Fringe is Ontario’s largest performance festival and will include three dance shows, five KidsFest shows, over a dozen new Canadian musicals, the Next Stage Series, plus dramatic theatre, clown, storytelling, comedy, puppets, and more.

Below, I give you the first half of my curated personal picks for shows I hope you and I get to enjoy at this year’s Fringe. So many shows… how exciting!

Arts & Culture, Books, Hye's Picks, Literature

0 Reply

MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival Returns With New & Acclaimed Authors

June 26, 2025

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) hosts MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival for its fourth year from June 27 to 29 at University of Toronto (U of T).

In a new partnership with Victoria University at U of T (one of favourite places in the city!), MOTIVE will transform the college’s gothic halls into the centre of literary suspense for the weekend.

Similar to last year’s festival, I am sharing my personal picks of events for us to immerse ourselves during the course of the festival.

Artist Spotlight, Arts & Culture, Interviews

0 Reply

Indigenous Artist Jason Baerg on Creativity, Activism and Planning for the Future

June 19, 2025

Cree-Métis artist, designer, and educator Jason Baerg (they/them) is a leading voice in Indigenous contemporary art and culture. Raised in Red River (Prince Albert, SK), Baerg’s practice bridges visual art and fashion.

Film, Film Festivals, Hye's Picks

Comments Off

Hye’s Picks: Future of Film Showcase 2025

June 18, 2025

From body rituals to gender journeys, the Future of Film Showcase (FOFS) returns to Toronto with a bold lineup of debut feature films from first time local directors for its 2025 edition. The festival runs from June 19 to 22 in-person with a few online events.

This year, FOFS is showcasing a new generation of storytellers with fresh, intimate takes on identity, friendship, and self expression.

Below I am sharing my picks of screenings and industry events for you to check out at this year’s FOFS.

Film, Film Reviews, On Demand/Stream

Comments Off

In Review: ‘Finding Nicole’ – A Spotlight Domestic Violence

June 9, 2025

In Finding Nicole, director Harley Wallen takes us into true-life story of Nicole Beverly, as seen on Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo, ‘Til Death Do Us Part’, and the top-selling book with the same title. Nicole and her children survive and overcome domestic violence.

Arts & Culture, Awards, Film Festivals

Comments Off

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Announces 2025 Festival Award Winners

June 8, 2025

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival’s Moon, Sun, Water and Land juries have selected winners across film, video, audio and digital media works in 17 different categories for the 2025 Awards Presentation. Hosted at the TIFF Lightbox, a total of $68,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to artists and filmmakers in recognition of their outstanding work, innovation and excellence.

Film, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Interviews

Comments Off

Spotlight: Damien Eagle Bear’s #SKODEN

June 3, 2025

In the early days of social media, a notorious image circulated of an Indigenous man with raised fists, ready to strike. The photo was initially shared to mock and reinforce stereotypes of Indigenous peoples, but one word added to the image would change it forever.

Anime, Arts & Culture, Hye's Picks

Comments Off

Crunchyroll Reveals 2025 Anime Award Winners

May 25, 2025

Crunchyroll, the global brand fueling anime fandom, revealed the winners of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards during a star-studded live ceremony honoring the creators, musicians, and performers powering the global love of anime.

Film, Hye's Picks, On Demand/Stream, Television

Comments Off

Spotlight: ‘Dangerous Games: Roblox and the Metaverse Exposed’

May 22, 2025

When Alex discovers a dark side of the metaverse, where predators, extremists, and hate groups exploit platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, she teams up with a group of young investigators to expose the truth. Their search leads them to a predator with multiple victims and a kidnapped child, uncovering the devastating consequences of a system failing to protect its most vulnerable users.