Accessibility
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This programme is presented with a mix of open captions and English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Canada, Japan, South Korea, USA2023TRT: 1h37Japanese, French, Korean, English, Tagalog, Arabic
These shorts look at the soft to even slightly off-kilter bonds we find in one another, the realms we exist in, and ultimately, ourselves, despite ongoing change—no friendship bracelets required.
*Directors in attendance starred.

Japan202220 minJapanese with English subtitlesComedy, Drama, Science Fiction
In the peripheries of near-future Tokyo, high schoolers Kou and Yuta practice a prank that begins as a faux argument and involves a prop glass bottle stolen from their theater department.

Neo Sora
Raised in New York and Tokyo, Neo Sora is a filmmaker, artist, and translator living between the two cities. He is in development for his debut feature as a writer-director, Earthquake.

Canada202312 minFrench with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Documentary
Kathy Tran and Agnès Gaudreau work as auto mechanics at Bâtiment 7, a collective-run space where they can truly be themselves.

Namaï Kham Po
Namaï Kham Po is a self-taught video director and editor based in Montreal and born in Thailand.

USA202316 minEnglishDirected By Women, Drama, Family-friendly
Flaming lobsters and menstruation woes plague 12-year-old Yuki’s doomed Hawai'ian beach vacation.

Maya Tanaka
Maya Tanaka is a Japanese and Lebanese American filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Her work uses writing and film to question historical narratives around cultural legacy, gender, and sexuality.

South Korea202214 minKorean with English subtitlesAnimation, Drama, Family-friendly
A boy longs for his father's affection, but he is only interested in fishing.

Jinman KIM, Jiyoung CHON
Jin-man Kim and Ji-young Chon both work at HUMUHUMU Stopmotion Studio as directors.



USA202213 minEnglish and Tagalog with English subtitlesComedy, Directed By Women
Teenager Ly and her cousins get high before a boisterous family Thanksgiving at their auntie’s house in southeast San Diego in 2006.

*Kayla Abuda Galang
Born in Olongapo, Philippines, and raised in San Diego and Houston, Kayla Galang is an Austin-based filmmaker exploring themes of femininity, home, and belonging.

USA20227 minEnglishAnimation, Directed By Women, Experimental
A crush gone mouldy…

Zhen Li
Zhen Li is a Chinese American animation artist based in L.A. whose work centers around expressing the in-between, with an affinity with darkness, misalignment, warping realities, and folded feelings.

Canada202215 minEnglish and Arabic with English subtitles2slgbtq+, Comedy, Directed By Women, Drama, Romance
Grinding away at the inherited family business, Mohamed works tirelessly making sales of knock-off perfume, while living as a knock-off version of his true self.

*Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller
Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller is a Queer mixed-race Palestinian Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. Her work explores themes of fragmented identity, isolation and connection through grounded “oh no, should I laugh?” comedy.
PG
11 Nov, 2023 12:00 pm
TIFF Bell Lightbox 4–

This programme is presented with a mix of open captions and English subtitles. Wheelchair spaces and step-free seating is available for this screening – click below to book accessible seats.
Be warmed by friendship and held by the depth of feelings in this collection of wholesome shorts for all ages in a relaxed screening environment. Stick around to participate in fun and simple art activities post-screening.
Mariam, a medical student, is dealing with her grandfather’s passing, her grieving mother, and preparing for upcoming exams. When an estranged and suspiciously helpful uncle re-enters their lives and promises support with their property and finances, Mariam senses trouble.
Last fall, the DOC Institute invited creative producers to reimagine a documentary ecosystem that recognizes the needs of BIPOC producers with critically acclaimed projects, and published their thoughts in the “Creative Producer Think Tank Report.” A key point highlighted was producer/director relationships—listen as panelists delve into the critical and vital collaboration that underpins any successful film.