Naissances - Anne Emond

Naissances examines an ephemeral connection between strangers and the false hope borne of living in a moment that both does and does not belong to you. Young Camille has just had an abortion and is hitchhiking home when she meets Pierre, an older man who refurbishes furniture. During their journey, both tell lies about their personal lives that are disquieting, but which build a certain hopefulness between them.

Interview with the Earth - Nicolas Pereda

The poignant Interview with the Earth follows two young brothers from a small Mexican town as they come to terms with the loss of their father, who left the family some time ago. Blending documentary and a fictional story of the death of one of their friends, Pereda explores how the boys experience grief and loss.

Smoke - Nikos Theodosakis and Linda

Thrown into an ice-fishing tradition of beer and cigarettes, Michael finds himself caught in the crossfire of his father’s wrath when he doesn’t quite fit into the ritual shared by the men in his family. Smoke is a beautifully rendered story of a young boy and the love-hate relationship he has to leave behind in the face of his father’s imminent death.

Sixty Seconds of Regret - Ed Gass-Donnelly

In the time it takes to steam water for a cup of tea, an elderly man has a moment of austere personal reflection. With an economy of narrative, Ed Gass-Donnelly creates a fully realized character whose life was shaped by a pivotal youthful decision and who must continue to live with the burden of his choice.

M - Felix Dufour-Laperriere

Following last year’s beautiful collage anim- ation Rosa Rosa, Félix Dufour-Laperrière returns to the Festival with M, a striking and abstract animated film. Delicately hand-drawn black-and-white architectural constructions expand and transform, evoking precariously balanced technological masses, while a cavernous soundscape punctuates this hypnotic visual play with structural complexity and progression.

Danse Macabre - Pedro Pires

Based on a concept by Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires’s exquisitely photographed morbid ballet pushes the traditional dance film to new cinematic heights. In haunting deserted spaces, the choreographed erratic motions of a corpse evoke the final spasms of life and a last struggle with the emotional turns of the past.

The Armoire - Jamie Travis

A young boy goes missing in a seemingly “perfect” suburban neighbourhood. His best friend has no idea what happened, and slowly begins to descend into an abyss of grief, tormented by the mystery surrounding the disappearance. Soon the depressed lad begins sleeping in his armoire, haunted by the silence it holds. Through magnificent art direction, Jamie Travis brings us another sad children’s tale, eerily capturing a young boy’s struggle to hide his secrets.