MAY 30th SCREENING DAY PROGRAM

2:00 PM 

Doors Open/ Gallery / Drinks

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3:00 PM – 4:15 PM

BLOCK ONE: Love, Memory & Self (58:03)

These films move through youth, heritage, love, grief, and the many ways we come to know ourselves. Warm, intimate, and emotionally grounded stories centered on identity, memory, and connection.

LOVE LETTER, Dir. Thipika Balakrishnan (12:00)
A young THIPI (7), is saddened by her crush moving away and decides to write him a love letter. Set in the backdrop of 2000s Toronto, within the vibrant, flavourful Tamil immigrant home of Thipi's grandfather (who is also an astrological fortune teller), Thipi is forced to face the truth about fate and letting go.

Craft Takes Labour, Dir. Gabriel Hutchinson(4:59)
This film follows Huỳnh, a traditional fish sauce maker living in Đà Nẵng, central Vietnam. For almost 250 years, his family has sustained an ancestral craft rooted in the coastal culture of the region. Through his daily practice, from sourcing ingredients to fermentation, the film traces the rhythms, labour and heritage embedded in this enduring tradition.

Morning Coffee, Dir. Nolan Begley & Kyla Mah (12:45)
After the end of a deeply emotional yet tumultuous relationship, a queer woman grapples with grief, self-discovery, and the bittersweet memories of love that linger, as she learns to navigate the space between loss and healing.

Fried Fish & Plantain, Dir. Paul Daniel Torres (13:38)
Two years from their first night together, Willie & Marisol have their "first date." As they navigate a "post-pandemic" Toronto, they sift through who and what they’ve become amidst the circumstances, grief, and secrets that have kept them apart. Together, they discover if there can be love after loss. Starring TIFF 21' Rising Star Emma Ferreira.

A Thousand Little Trees of Blood, Dir. Lorenza De Benedictis (6:15)
Stella and Giulio are on one of their many, stressful dates, when a small catalyst creates an untimely end.

A Black Woman Is, Dir. Teaunna Gray (8:26)
Through the voices of Black women and girls, a documentary reveals a portrait of Black womanhood that refuses to be singular.

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4:15 PM – 4:45 PM 

Break / Gallery / Washroom / Drinks

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4:45 PM – 5:30 PM 

PANEL DISCUSSION: Why We Tell Stories

A conversation with filmmakers and collaborators exploring the personal and creative motivations behind their work.

Moving beyond process, this panel invites reflection on what draws us to storytelling, what it asks of us, and what it means to share something personal with an audience.

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5:45 PM – 7:00 PM

BLOCK TWO: Resistance, Fear & Freedom (1:10:47)

These films explore the masks we wear, the fears we carry, and the courage it takes to move through uncertainty. Tense, energetic, and politically resonant stories that take us to a powerful close of our evening.

The Dinner Party, Dir. Jaye Lodhia & Steven Chau(9:03)
A young woman nervously prepares to host a dinner party. Too busy being focused on perfection, she isn't prepared for what happens when her guests arrive.

LET THE MYTH BE, Dir. Carrington Walsh (15:41)
When a grad student in folklore and mythology fears her monster-of-study might be hunting her, she retreats to a rural cottage to lure it out — and prove she’s not losing her mind.

SURFISTAS, Co-Collaborators: Dir. Meagan Enriquez & Dp/Ep. Christina Ienna (21:03)
Against icy winter winds and relentless waves, Filipino-Canadian surfer Robin Pacquing gathered a community of fearless women surfing in one of the world’s most unexpected places: Canada’s Great Lakes.

A Good Day Will Come, Dir. Amir Zargara (25:00)
Arash is a professional wrestler with dreams of representing his country and winning gold medals. The country is in turmoil and its people are suffering. Arash must decide between using his platform to stand up to tyranny, or put his head down and remain silent.

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7:00 PM onward

Closing Toast / Community Hang