LOST SOUL PARTS
Log line
A lost wanderer is caught between surreal ancestral visions guided by the Divine Mother and the stark, lifeless reality that haunts him.
Statement
The ways in which transnational displacement has created a sense of spiritual disillusionment amongst refugees and immigrants in our post-secular, consumerist society is at the heart of this scripted short released in 2021. This postmodern conundrum has been the reflection of many first generation westerners disconnected from their ancestral lands, rituals and stories.
Lost Soul Parts underlines the importance of searching of keeping the tether to your roots intact.
Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Short, scripted, UAE/Canada, 2021
WE MAKE STORIES OUT OF TOTEM POLES
A short film on Kwakwaka'wakw carver, Charles Joseph, who carves his dreams and sometimes nightmares into cedar. Having survived the evils of residential school at a young age, Charles tells the story of what happened on his largest carving yet in order to take a step forward and leave the pain behind.
Watch here.
Lost Soul Parts underlines the importance of searching of keeping the tether to your roots intact.
Short, unscripted, Canada, 2017
THE RISE OF JORDAN PETERSON
A rare, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of Jordan Peterson, the academic and best-selling author who captured the world’s attention with his criticisms of political correctness and his life-changing philosophy on discovering personal meaning.
Distributed by Gravitas Ventures and Sideway Films.
Feature, unscripted, Canada, 2019
A WALK IN THE PARK
Log line
An anxious recluse takes a walk in the park on the first day after his COVID-19 quarantine, where he meets he biggest foe hell bent on his destruction.
Statement
The pandemic has been extremely difficult for many. We’ve noticed debilitating anxiety and anti-social behaviour with many of our friends and family members - including ourselves.
When your thoughts are against you, life's no walk in the park.
This is why we felt compelled to tell a story that depicts how mental illness can send anyone spiraling down the dark corners of the mind, finding a temporary solace and illusionary control in reclusion. But as the film shows, there's always hope and this hope starts with taking that first step to reconnect with your community.
Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Short, scripted, Canada, 2021
FINDING MY FATHER
Log line
Documentary logline – inspired by his father’s childhood memories in Iran, an artist creates his most ambitious installation to date in hopes of evoking a closer connection with his father. But things don’t go as expected when its reception steers the pair into uncharted territory.
Director’s Statement
“The nature of memory is reconstructive, not reproductive. Whether consciously or not, we have a tendency to confabulate a preferred, even grandiose belief onto our beloved parents and their past. Through the making of this art installation and the subsequent documentary about it, I have come to realize that I too have unknowingly perpetuated a glorified myth about my father, which left me frustrated when the real-life version didn’t measure up to my expectations. I’ve come to learn that I can have a more intimate and honest relationship with my father if I accept him for who he is: a fallible, imperfect war refugee that tried his best to give us a better life with the little he had.” - Maziar Ghaderi
Funded by the National Film Board of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Short, unscripted, Canada/Iran, 2022
