I’Mpossible – This program celebrates stories of unique, fun, and ferocious folks who are rejecting stereotypes and living their authentic selves. Historic prejudices, gender journeys and coming-of-age are all explored.

FILMS AND FILM LINE-UP ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

ADJUSTMENT – The nine year-old Shahrokh, humiliated and pushed away by his family and friends, makes up his mind to “adjust” himself to his new identity even if it inflames the behaviors of those around him.  (2022 / 17 mins / Islamic Republic of Iran / dir. Mehrdad Hasani / Persian w/English subtitles)

CORVINE – An eccentric boy has trouble fitting in at school due to his obsession with crows. It really becomes too much until one day a connection is made that will change his life.  (2022 / 10.5 mins / Canada / dir. Sean McCarron / no dialogue)

FOR THE SECOND TIME – Sareh, is a school girl who comes from a religious family. She loves acting but her family has other thoughts about the role of girls in society. Secretly preparing herself for a student theater production she is determined to let nothing get in her way.  (2022 / 18 mins / Islamic Republic of Iran / dir. Leila Akhbari / Persian w/English subtitles)

 

INTO LIGHT – When a child reveals who they truly are on the inside, how does a parent set aside their own expectations to help them become their most authentic self? Set against the Northern landscape of Yellowknife, Sheona McDonald’s new documentary, Into Light, captures a season of change as a mother and child navigate the complexities of gender identity together. As elemental changes parallel this extraordinary journey, the return of brighter days uncovers a confident and social little girl with an encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs, a deep love of animals, and a parent who fully embraces this magical person.  (2021 / 19 mins / Canada / dir. Sheona McDonald / in English)

 

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE – The amazing Molly takes us on a journey through her own mind and into the world of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (2022 / 3.5 mins / United Kingdom / dir. Alexander Amelines / in English)

RACHEL – Animator Rachel Reid talks about how to be an animator and encourages others to follow their dream. (2022 / 3 mins / USA / dir. Toko Shiiki / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Alice Guy – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. We all know Lumière and Méliès, the great inventors of cinema! However, at the same time, there were pioneering women directors, such as Alice Guy-Blaché… A name that remained unknown for a long time, Alice Guy-Blaché was an incredible cinema pioneer whose name had been forgotten… until today!  (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Oona Musha – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. Ah, Japan… With its well-behaved geishas in silky kimonos, and its samurais busy with swordplay… Confronted with these imposing stereotypes, the onna-musha are not well known, yet these women had a very particular function: warfare. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Viqueen – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. Archaeologists were perplexed: how can a tomb of a great Viking warrior contain such a small skeleton? It only took a DNA test to reveal the obvious: this grand burial is that of a woman! (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

A story about five young people who neither feel male nor female, but rather position themselves somewhere in between. Everyday they are confronted with being different, yet they are proud to be who they are. The young people portrayed in this film all have their own struggles and together they create a compelling story about acceptance.

HELLO WORLD (Hei Verden) is a coming-of-age story told by four gay kids, becoming teenagers in Norway. What do teenagers experience the first years after they have revealed their secret? When you are the first one to be open, who are you going to kiss? How do you start to fall in love but don’t know anyone who is gay like you?

Through three years, this documentary follows the lives of four teenagers who are the first ones to be openly gay in their schools. They are 12 and 13 years old when their stories begin. Do things change for the better?

This compilation of four films has multiple, thought-provoking topics to think about, and hopefully after, talk about. They include the struggles of young, Afghani women being musicians in a time when it looks like the Taliban will be coming back to power. Other films from the Netherlands and Argentina follow families who are dealing with children on gender journeys unfamiliar to them. The last film, 2nd Class, is quite relevant to what is happening here in our own country when it comes to reacting to white supremacists. The reel includes the following films…

SOMETHING ABOUT ALEX – A young teenager develops a close friendship with his older sister’s boyfriend, and must confront the depth of his feelings when the couple announces that they will be moving away. (2017 / 18 mins / Netherlands / dir Reinout Hellenthal / live-action / Dutch w/English subtitles)

ORCHESTRA FROM THE LAND OF SILENCE – You’ll defeat the beast with the power of music. Zohra – the first female orchestra of Afghanistan. Girls are preparing for their journey to play a concert in Europe. We see their everyday reality in contemporary Afghanistan through the eyes of 16-year-old girl Marzia. After arriving in Europe unexpected thing happens and four members of the orchestra decide to run away… (2020 / 30 mins / Afghanistan, Slovakia / dir Lucia Kasova / documentary / English, Persian and Slovak w/English subtitles)

THE NAME OF THE SON (El Nombre del Hijo) Lucho, a 13-year-old trans boy, doesn’t usually share much time with his father. When he goes on vacation with him and his younger sister, the new closeness puts their relationship to the test. (2020 / 13 mins / Argentina / dir Martina Matzkin / live-action / Spanish w/English subtitles)

2ND CLASS (2ND CLASS – 2021 Special Jury Award Best Short Live-Action Film!) This is a story about an elementary school teacher who is violently attacked one night by a neo-Nazi. After healing enough to return to the classroom she finds out that the man who attacked her is one of her student’s fathers. What does she do? And why? This film demands a conversation after viewing. WARNING: Graphic scene with profanity. Recommended age 13+ (2018 / 13 mins / Sweden / dir Martina Matzkin / live-action / Swedish w/English subtitles)

 

East Coast Premiere

This film is about Charlie, a talented teenager with a love for soccer and a chance to play professionally and realize her father’s own unfulfilled dreams of a successful soccer career. But for Charlie, this opportunity is not all that matters. Born a boy, but wanting to live as her true self, she faces challenges of acceptance from those around her once her secret is made public. The film documents a family’s journey on a path paved with obstacles and uncertainty as they struggle to restore harmony.