Coming of Age

  • yaya/ayat

    yaya/ayat explores identities, being lost in translation and distance. But at its core it’s about Shimby longing for a relationship with her geographically distant grandma and her journey to Greece to find her. This is an experimental documentary about how being a part of any diaspora shapes a person’s identity.

    Biography

    Shimby Zegeye-Gebrehiwot was the first in her family to be born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. In February 2010 she went to Greece to be with and film her maternal grandmother. The result of this trip was the experimental documentary yaya/ayat, which is her first film.
  • Sonata for Christian
    Christian is a young suburban boy who learns more about himself than he expects every time he goes to his piano lesson.
  • Open Window

    A backyard birthday party is consumed with tension when an abusive relationship between the birthday boy’s parents is revealed.

    Biography

    Born in Calgary, Alberta, Cam Woykin graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Lethbridge in 2003. He has since completed numerous short films, screening his work throughout Canada and internationally. Woykin currently resides in Toronto, where he is completing his Master’s of Fine Arts in film production at York University.
  • Warchild

    Warchild is part of a trilogy of experimental documentaries done on students from South East Collegiate, a boarding school in Winnipeg for Aboriginal youth coming from Northern Manitoba.

    Recalling the esthetic of traditional Japanese cinema this short film portrays a young solitary figure seeking his place in society. His journey from the North to the city encapsulates his struggle to become a responsible adult and seek serenity.

    Biography

    Caroline Monnet (Algonquin/French), born in Ottawa, Canada, is a self-taught award winning filmmaker and artist. She completed a B.A in Communication and Sociology at the University of Ottawa and Granada, Spain. She uses video, photography, and installation to explore the dualities of her social, political, and spiritual identity, developing a critical framework influenced by history, community, and unconventional memory. Monnet’s work has been exhibited across Europe, Canada and the US. She is currently based in Winnipeg where she is an active member of ITWÉ, a trans-disciplinary collective dedicated to research, creation, production and education in the field of Aboriginal digital culture. 
  • Life From 95

    Created through the WITH ART program at the Winnipeg Ars Council Life From 95 is a poignant look at how music can provide hope to high risk refugee youth in the inner city.

    About the Film

    The WITH ART program matches artists with community groups to collaborate on art projects that explore ideas and issues and give voice to community. The resulting voices were literal, loud, clear and strong. The filmmakers worked with the youth of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba to create a hip hop video and a documentary of the process.

    IRCOM, located at 95 Ellen Street in downtown Winnipeg, is a transitional housing complex and delivers social and recreation programs to newly arrived refugees and immigrants to Canada. Over 250 new immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Korea, Liberia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan live at IRCOM and access their  programs – over half of whom are under the age of 18. Navigating their new environment is challenging and some youth become vulnerable to gang-related activities. The goal was to offer opportunities for more productive activities and creative growth.

    Watch the Live From 95 Music Video

  • Life From 95

    Created through the WITH ART program at the Winnipeg Ars Council Life From 95 is a poignant look at how music can provide hope to high risk refugee youth in the inner city.

    About the Film

    The WITH ART program matches artists with community groups to collaborate on art projects that explore ideas and issues and give voice to community. The resulting voices were literal, loud, clear and strong. The filmmakers worked with the youth of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba to create a hip hop video and a documentary of the process.

    IRCOM, located at 95 Ellen Street in downtown Winnipeg, is a transitional housing complex and delivers social and recreation programs to newly arrived refugees and immigrants to Canada. Over 250 new immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Korea, Liberia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan live at IRCOM and access their  programs – over half of whom are under the age of 18. Navigating their new environment is challenging and some youth become vulnerable to gang-related activities. The goal was to offer opportunities for more productive activities and creative growth.

    Watch the Live From 95 Music Video

  • The Nature of Nicholas
    Set on the Canadian Prairie, The Nature of Nicholas is a unique coming-of-age story of a twelve-year old boy wrestling with an attraction to his best friend and tormented by the ghost of his father. Twelve-year-old Nicholas is the focus of this unique coming of age story about the tumult of budding sexuality and a boy’s struggle to reconcile his desires with what’s expected of him.
  • The Snow Fort
    William, a 10-year-old wise beyond his years, watches over his young friends as they build their first snow fort. Once the final blocks are in place, a group of teenagers show up to cast a shadow on their perfect day.
  • The Claw
    Remembering a bogeyman. Art-noir for kids aged 6 to 106