Bardo Light, Connor Gaston, BC, 11’ World Premiere

Accused of killing his father, a young man claims the television set was the offender. Referring to the yellow light of the hungry ghosts — the light we cannot resist — Bardo Light takes inspiration from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to create the ethereal tale of a modern creation linking all species to another, transcendent world.

Malody, Philip Barker, ON, 12’ North American Premiere

As a young infirm woman sits at a quiet diner counter, her surroundings become increasingly unstable. The ensuing chaos of her world literally turning upside down triggers an ominous sequence of events.

Keep a Modest Head (Ne crâne pas sois modeste), Deco Dawson, MB, 20’ World Premiere

Jean Benoît, the last official member of the French Surrealist group, receives Deco Dawson’s signature visual treatment in this biography that fantastically illustrates Benoît’s formative (and highly sexual) childhood memories. Mixing interviews recorded in Benoît’s Parisian studio with surrealist inspired reenactments, Dawson deconstructs documentary conventions to fittingly eulogize a formidable artist.

Joda (Apart), Theodore Ushev, QC, 4’ World Premiere

Poetic and political, Theodore Ushev’s latest animated work cultivates his incredible talent to call for the liberation of imprisoned Iranian filmmakers and to focus attention on the plight of Jafar Panahi. Drawing inspiration from raw footage of the Green Wave uprising to compose densely layered rotoscoped images embedded with Farsi text, the result is a powerful piece of activism that is both personal and profound.

Lingo, Bahar Noorizadeh, BC, 13’ World Premiere

A boy mistakenly starts a fire in a residential neighbourhood. His mother, an Afghan immigrant to Canada, is interrogated by the police. Protective of her son and hindered by a language barrier, she has trouble explaining with certainty what happened.

Bydlo, Patrick Bouchard, QC, 9’ Toronto Premiere

Inspired by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Bydlo is a staggering visual rendering of the lumbering wooden Polish ox-cart picture. Technically complex (Bouchard animates plasteline) and artistically fiery, Bydlo depicts the cycles of life, the power of man and beast, and both the beauty and horror of labour.

A Pretty Funny Story, Evan Morgan, ON, 19’ World Premiere

Bored family-man Rick witnesses a neighbour’s embarrassing act and is eager to report the story back to his office chums. The neighbour though, shamed and maniacal, proceeds to threaten and take action against his bully.