HIFF Dailies — DAY ONE
HIFF is here!
The 16th annual Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival makes its triumphant return to in-person screenings TONIGHT at 7 p.m. We're very excited to kick things off with ISLANDS, the celebrated feature debut from Martin Edralin, who will join us for a live Q+A after the screening.
These presentations will also be available to stream online through Eventive for 48 hours following their in-person screenings.
You can see it all with a HIFF Festival Pass ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members, including full access to online screenings) or catch films with individual tickets for $10. Plus, all in-person screenings are FREE for students (with a valid student ID)!
Here's our schedule for opening night:
ISLANDS
DIR. MARTIN EDRALIN
CANADA / 2021 / 94 MINS
SCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 9 at 7 PM
@ LIGHT HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
HIFF's opening night will launch with Islands, Toronto-based filmmaker Martin Edralin's acclaimed debut, whose arresting lead performance earned a Special Jury Mention at the film's SXSW premiere.
Islands follows Joshua, a shy Filipino immigrant caring for his aging parents in southern Ontario. After the sudden death of his mother, Joshua begins to grapple with loneliness and what life might hold for him when both his parents are gone. When his cousin Marisol comes to visit, he’s forced to confront this disconnect between what he wants from his future and the future he is building.
LIVE POST-SCREENING Q+A WITH MARTIN EDRALIN
HIFF FESTIVAL PASS ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members)
"Carefully-paced, with the occasional burst of cha-cha to raise the pulse, Islands is a touching, authentic Tagalog-language film." —Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
Click below to view the trailer:
GOOD GRIEF
DIR. SYLVIA MOK
CANADA / 2022 / 30 MINS
SCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 9 at 7 PM (BEFORE ISLANDS)
@ LIGHT HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
Immediately before our screening of Islands, we're thrilled to debut Sylvia Mok's brand new short film, Good Grief, the first project made through HIFF's Open Field Grant.
After spending some time in the cold, dark, abyss of death, Dawn finds herself awake, alive and, well, quite undead. Now with a second chance at life, she decides to seize the things she once took for granted, but not everything can come easy, especially when everyone's been grieving your untimely death.
STE. ANNE
DIR. RHAYNE VERMETTE
CANADA / 2021 / 80 MINS
SCREENING IN-PERSON: JUNE 9 at 9 PM
@ LIGHT HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
Closing out our opening night double-feature is Ste. Anne, the dreamy debut feature from Rhayne Vermette.
In Ste. Anne, a woman returns home without explanation after a mysterious four-year absence. She attempts to restore her connection to the daughter she left behind, but she’s preoccupied with an empty lot in Ste. Anne, Manitoba, and an overwhelming sense that something dark is coming.
RECORDED POST-SCREENING Q+A WITH RHAYNE VERMETTE
HIFF FESTIVAL PASS ($35/$25 for AFCOOP members)
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ($10)
"Vermette’s film is full of questions—big and small—that linger in the air amidst a formally experimental piece that feels like a visual collage of emotions, expressions, and metaphor." —Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
Click below to view the trailer:
ATLANTIC AUTEURS CLOSE-UP
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Beijing, China and moved to Kjipuktuk in 2009.
What was the inspiration for the film you’re presenting at HIFF?
This film is based on my experience going through the Canadian immigration system, a process spanning ten years from the moment I boarded a plane in Beijing to the moment I exited a landing interview at the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration. I use a combination of paper cut and drawing to capture the negotiation, disorientation and determination felt throughout a seemingly never-ending journey, and the realization that every step forward is one more step from home.
What was the most challenging part of making this film?
Cutting and arranging paper cutouts for each individual frame.
What’s your favourite (or worst/weirdest) memory of making this film?
A lot of textured paper in this film was leftover from my previous installation work. For some scenes, I only had enough of it to shoot one take, so I had to trust my gut!
What’s surprised you about people’s reaction to this film?
I was surprised that most people thought this film was a digital animation. They were surprised to find out that the film was shot frame by frame with hand-cut paper.
What are you working on next?
An animated archive of ordinary moments in the lives of Nova Scotians of Chinese descent.
This film will screen along with a selection of others made by established and up-and-coming filmmakers from across the region in HIFF's Atlantic Auteurs shorts program at the Light House Arts Centre on June 11 at 9:30 p.m. and will be available online for the following 48 hours. Learn more about the full program here.