From animation to observational realism, these films employ experimental visual approaches to explore the fragility of family connections.

Chamber Drama

Megan, a stubborn teenage girl with hypersensitive hearing who is interning in an acoustics laboratory, must prove herself to her supervisor on her last day. What starts off as a psychological drama turns into a sensorial thriller, as Megan’s boundless dedication becomes potentially dangerous.

Father

When his father is electrocuted while illegally stripping copper in an abandoned factory, his young son must attempt to deal with the aftermath by himself. As the boy struggles to bring his father’s body out into the light of day, the factory’s foreboding environs double as both physical gauntlet and symbolic vision of the boy’s uncertain future.

Hole

Billy, a middle-aged disabled man, is a classical music lover and well-liked Value Village worker who longs for intimacy. Director Martin Edralin creates an honest portrait of a quest for human connection.

Indigo

Hand-crafted, stop-motion figures come to life in this dreamlike tale inspired by Native mythology, in which a confined woman is liberated by a grandmother spider while opaque memories are projected in an effort to restore her spirit as life nears its end.

Light

Devastated by the death of his newborn son, a Lebanese man living in an adopted country is challenged by his mother’s request that he perform Islamic pre-burial rituals in the confines of a hospital. Avoiding melodrama, Yassmina Karajah delivers a deeply affecting story about culture, loss, and devotion.

Luk'Luk'I : Mother

A full-time mother and part-time sex worker goes missing on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside during the 2010 Winter Olympics. This narratively sophisticated and righteously angry commentary on social neglect is set against a backdrop of glib patriotism.

The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer

In this bold blend of live action and digital animation, the lives of two brothers with conflicting memories of their common past take very different directions. Randall Okita bends the boundaries of cinema with his spellbinding, seamlessly rendered visuals.