For the 10-year anniversary of National Canadian Film Day, we want to tell stories that are intimate, close to home, family stories. Just like every year, we are giving a voice to those who are less represented in our society. Discover a 48 min program of quality short films followed by an informal discussion.
We hope you’ll be one of the 2.5 million Canadians watching a Canadian film at Le Labo, on TV or on a live streaming platform that night, and we’re hoping you’ll join us!
NO CRYING AT THE DINNER TABLE / PAS DE PLEURS À TABLE
Director: Carol Nguyen / Year: 2019 / 16 min
Director Carol Nguyen examines a family tragedy through a series of interviews, exposing how trauma and grief can remain in the shadows for too long. In 2020, « No Crying » received the Jury Prize for Short Documentary at South by Southwest (SXSW).
ANGAKUSAJAUJUQ: THE SHAMAN’S APPRENTICE
Director: Zacharias Kunuk (Inuk) / Year: 2021 / 20 min
In this beautiful stop-motion animation, a young Inuk woman follows her shaman grandmother to investigate a member of her community.
MNI WICONI: MITAKUYELO
Director: Victoria Anderson-Gardner (Ojibwe) / Year: 2019 / 12 min
Young indigenous leaders from the Standing Rock protests reflect on the experience of living in the camp and the significance and lasting impact it has had on their lives.
Carol Nguyen
Vietnamese-Canadian filmmaker, born and raised in Toronto, now based in Montreal. Her films often explore themes of cultural identity, silence and memory. Her latest film « Nanitic » (2022) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was selected for Berlinale Generation Kplus 2023. Recently, her project « The Visitors » was selected for IDFA Project Space 2022, a development lab for first-time and emerging filmmakers. Today, Carol writes and directs several projects, including two feature films and an animated short.
Zacharias Kunuk
Inuktitut: ᓴᖅᑲᓕᐊᓯ ᑯᓄᒃ
A Canadian Inuk producer and director, he is best known for his film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, the first Canadian feature-length drama produced entirely in Inuktitut. This debut feature was named the greatest Canadian film of all time by the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival poll.
Victoria Anderson-Gardner
Queer filmmaker and Indigenous activist, she is from the Ojibway lands of Eagle Lake First Nation, but is based in Toronto, Ontario. She is currently completing her thesis at Toronto Metropolitan University towards a BFA in Film Production at the School of Image Arts. She hopes to share the stories of indigenous peoples around the world through film, both from a narrative and non-fiction perspective. She believes that it is important for people’s voices and stories to be heard in order for change to happen.
This program is made possible thanks to our funders: Ontario Arts Council, Heritage Canada and Toronto Art Council