Metamorphosis

Philippines 2019, Dir: J.E. Tiglao, 98 min

Date and Venue August 14, 2022 | VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC

This coming-of-age film presented a beautiful and powerful revelation of the complexities encountered by an intersex teen growing up in the Filipino community. It showcased Adam, a teenager growing up in the Philippines who incurred menstruation in his family home, and the film highlighted the pressures and confusion that arose for him as a young child while he struggled to identify who he was in terms of gender during these early transformative years.
Full review

Apparitions (Shorts)

Date and Venue August 11 - 21, 2022 | Online

Queer fear meets sci-fi during Apparitions, a series of five succinct reels aka ‘shorts’. The collection of the independent films showcased a variety of different tones and flavours where some were thrillers and others played into science fiction. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience showcasing cultural feels from the producing countries of Canada, Brazil and Sweden.

Lyckad Upptining Av Herr Moro (Successful Thawing Of Mr. Moro) Sweden 2021, Dir: Jerry Carlsson, 14 min

This short spoke to the unthawing of an elderly Black man’s male partner four decades after he was frozen to preserve his life. With scientific developments in the future, the staff involved in bringing his partner back to life arrive at the elderly man’s home who is accompanied by his daughter. The staff expect to be greeted with excitement as they are taking back the capsule to unthaw his true ‘love’, but much to their dismay, the old man is hesitant to give them access. He develops excuses like not wanting to break down the wall since the capsule is too big to be transported out after his home renovations years ago. Full review

Amor By Night Brazil 2022, Dir: Henrique Arruda, 19 min

The tagline of this film is “In the future, love will be frequency.” It was a psychedelic futuristic tale of Sharlene, an androgenous drag queen radio jockey whose show is from midnight to 3 a.m. It showcases her dancing and speaking to a disco ball named Lele about love. Full review

Don’t Text Your Ex Canada 2021, Dir: Jo Güstin, 14 min

This short depicted a Black documentary filmmaker and her camera aide walking through a park where she saw a human sized bunny on the swings and two Black elderly ladies conversing on the bench. It was quite a conceptual plot where she approached the Black ladies and interviewed them around whether they were a couple and the story of their relationship. The short then segued to a different scene where one of the Black elderly woman described to the filmmaker a story she heard about somebody who died in an accident where texting their ex was the cause of the situation. Full review

Fresh Meat Canada 2021, Dir: Lu Asfasha, 17 min

This short flic was done in a very modern style and showcased the story of a new writer in a cutthroat ad agency where everyone is expected to come up with fresh new topics to pitch to clients. It tells the story of how the writer interacts with her fellow staff and the alpha boss where fresh, campaign concepts seem to sprout from the food being served. Full review

Canto Vi Canada 2022, Dir: Emil Vargas, 12 min

While this short was only 12 minutes, they packed in a lot of ‘punch’ and were effective doing it! This told the tale of a young girl who has apparitions of a presence, whether it be spirits or ghosts, while spending the eerily lit evening in a lakeside secluded cabin. With her neighbour checking in on her, they both come to the realization that they are not alone in the woods. Full review