Five next-gen filmmakers will have a chance to work with producers with Canada’s widely respected national documentary-making organization. And all five of these short films will premiere at next year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The National Film Board of Canada and TIFF launched the {RE}DEFINED initiative at this year’s festival, inviting submissions from Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers 30 years old or younger. According to an NFB news release, the chosen projects “will reimagine Canadian and Indigenous identity at a pivotal time in the life of this country, offering new ways of seeing who we are and who we’re becoming”.
Each documentary will not exceed 10 minutes and creators will have a fully financed budget, marketing and publicity teams, and distribution and mentorship from the NFB.
The following five projects were selected:
- “Butter Chicken to Go” by Toronto-based writer, director, and artist Prajj. It follows drivers who deliver dinners in Toronto in the midst of winter.
- “Là où nos fleurs poussent” by Red River Métis animator Maxime Kornachuk. This project makes use of stop-motion animated beads in sharing personal stories about Métis people of various ages seeking to reconnect with their culture.
- “pâkwêsikan sâkihtin: Bannock Is Love” by Two-Spirited artist, photographer, and filmmaker Tyra Delver. The Saddle Lake Cree Nation member from Treaty 6 territory explores food sovereignty through the lens of making bannock.
- “Restaurant Kids” by Halifax-raised and Toronto-based writer-director Sylvia Mok. This project looks at Halifax Chinese restaurateurs, as well as their kids who spent a tremendous amount of time in these establishments.
- “Vite! Vite! Vite!” by emerging Montreal-based filmmaker Gabrielle Côté. This experimental documentary presents two visions of urban life in northern countries, spurring viewers to consider the implications of urban planning on people’s lives.
“What distinguishes these projects is the diversity of approach spanning style, identity and geography,” TIFF chief programming officer Anita Lee said in the news release. “Each filmmaker is pushing documentary storytelling in bold new directions, and we’re proud to champion their voices as part of TIFF and the NFB’s shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of Canadian talent.”
The NFB’s executive producer of {RE}DEFINED, John Christou, said in the same news release that “Canada is overflowing with talent.”
“With over 240 {RE}DEFINED submissions, we feel extremely privileged to have glimpsed how the next generation of filmmakers approach their work as creators,” Christou added. “Their creativity, the care for their communities and how they situate themselves within the broader Canadian context gives me great hope for the future of storytelling in this country, and for the future of Canadian culture,”
Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. Find the Toronto Spark on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
