HOW TO SAVE A DEAD FRIEND  
Marusya Syroechkovskaya | 2022 | Sweden, Norway, France, Germany | 103 minutes | Russian with English subtitles | Ontario Premiere

OPENING NIGHT FILM

On October 27th enjoy Rendezvous With Madness opening night film How To Save A Dead Friend by Marusya Syroechkovskaya.  Filmed over the course of 12 years, this film is a personal cry from the heart and a message from a silenced generation. It is an unbreakable love story existing in a destructible world. Post Film talk featuring the director.

How To Save A Dead Friend, it’s 2005, and Russia is governed by leaders who are keen to uplift their authoritarian dream. Millennial suicides have become omnipresent — a last act of self-will among a generation denied the chance to envision a better future. Marusya, 16, has decided this will be her year to die.

Muzzled by the increasingly autocratic regime of the “Depression Federation,” Marusya decides to join her generation’s suicide statistics by the end of the year. Then, she meets Kimi and an unexpected love story begins between the two millennials caught in the undertow of their oppressive government. Together, Marusya and Kimi film the euphoria, anxiety and despair of their youth, burning the candle at both ends fueled by drugs and music. When Kimi’s addiction threatens to make him fade away forever, Marusya’s camera becomes her last chance to save some part of his fragile soul.

For accessibility How To Save A Dead Friend is also available online via Workman Arts & Cinesend from October 27, 8 PM – 12 AM ET across Canada; October 28 – November 6 in Ontario

Keywords:  Suicide | Addiction | Authoritarianism | Youth | Depression
Genre: Documentary
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

WHEN WE REACH OUT, WHO SHOULD RESPOND?

Luke Galati | 2022 | Canada | 57 Minutes | English | 

Saturday, November 5th at Rendezvous With Madness come enjoy an in-person screening of the film When We Reach Out, Who Will Respond directed by Luke Galati.

After the film, stay for a dynamic conversation about police brutality and mental health crisis response as it relates to the city of Toronto and its community.

Featured speakers: Luke Galati, activist Desmond Cole, Director & Principal Consultant at Policing-Free Schools Andrea Vásquez Jiménez and the manager of the Toronto Community Crisis Service pilot at Gerstein Crisis Centre Andrea Westbrook; conversation moderated by Asante Haughton.

Toronto filmmaker Luke Galati’s documentary When We Reach Out, Who Should Respond? was born out of a tense interaction he had with police during a bipolar episode. In the documentary, he follows his own mental health journey in an effort to change emergency response and to end mental illness stigma.  

The film spotlights the Toronto Community Crisis Service, a pilot service responding to mental health-related calls with nurses and crisis workers, rather than police officers. When We Reach Out, Who Should Respond?  examines the need for alternative crisis response models through a series of interviews with politicians, activists, and crisis workers advocating for change. Galati’s thoughtful documentary invites audiences to engage in a necessary conversation about compassionate alternatives to police intervention during a mental health crisis.

Screening with
Hanging On | Alfie Barker | 2021 | United Kingdom | 16 minutes | English
A creative documentary spotlighting the strength of a community united when faced with eviction.

For accessibility When We Reach Out, Who Will Respond is also available online via Workman Arts & Cinesend from October 27th to November 6th 2022

Keywords: Police Violence | Bipolar Disorder | Systemic Racism | Class
Genre: Documentary (feature) Documentary (short)
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

IF YOU ASK ME

Sameena Anis, Mikaela Cordero, Shian Grace, Corinne Langmuir, Gladys Lou, Sanskruti Marathe, Lee Nisar, Esteban Powell, Roberto Santaguida, Agnes Wong |  2022 | Canada | 60 minutes | World Premiere | English 

November 5th at Rendezvous With Madness enjoy an in person screening of recent short films by This year’s If You Ask Me cohort.

For the sixth consecutive year, If You Ask Me (IYAM) has supported emerging filmmakers with lived mental health and/or addiction experiences to create new short works. This year’s program features shorts by filmmakers from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

These new films were developed from August – October 2022 under the guidance of Roberto Santaguida, along with IYAM alumni Angela Feng, Maud Mostly and Vyom Malhotra serving as mentors. Over the course of three months, filmmakers strengthened their film production skills in the company of peers and industry guests. Rendezvous With Madness is excited to support the production and exhibition of these distinctly personal creative works. 

Equipment rentals and facilities were generously provided by our community sponsor, Trinity Square Video.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: FILMMAKING NOW

The world has changed substantially since If You Ask Me 2021. This year’s cohort of filmmakers adapted their practices to ever-changing social realities. Join the in-person panel discussion to learn how each artist developed their films. 

For accessibility the If You Ask Me shorts program is also available online via Workman Arts & Cinesend from October 27th to November 6th 2022

Keywords: Addiction | Trauma | Mental Health | Youth
Genre: Shorts
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

Image Design: Dorothy Ogda Laxton “Trigger Warning”

UPON, REFLECTION: RECENT SHORT FILMS BY WORKMAN ARTS AND SATELLITE MEMBERS

W.I PISTOLARY | Conilyn Herrera | Canada | 2022 | 4 minutes
EXPRESS YOURSELF | Sirene Qureshi & Luis Estores | Canada | 2018 | 4 minutes
THE HALLWAY | Zan Redcrow | Canada | 2022 | 3 minutes 
HYPOTHETICALLY FEBRUARY 15 | Jasmine Vanstone | Canada | 2022 | 4 minutes
TORONTO INTERLUDE | Christine Waloszczyk | Canada | 2022 | 5 minutes
TRIGGER WARNING | Dorothy Ogda Laxton | Canada | 2022 | 36 minutes

October 30th at Rendezvous With Madness enjoy an in person screening of recent short films by Workman Arts and Satellite members. Post-film screening talk with filmmakers moderated by James Buffin

Upon, Reflection is an anthology of recent short films by Workman Arts members and Satellite program artists. Filmmaking is a medium that allows us to tell stories and reflect on our own personal journeys. Each film presented in this series speaks to the vastness of storytelling and how it can transform us to make lasting and meaningful connections.

For accessibility Upon, Reflection: Recent Short Films By Workman Arts And Satellite Members is also available online via Workman Arts & Cinesend from October 27th to November 6th 2022  

For accessibility Mis Dos Voces / My Two Voices and Under the Full Moon are also available online via Workman Arts & Cinesend from October 27th to November 6th, 2022 

Keywords: Artists | Experimentation | Healing | Resilience
Genre: Shorts
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

Films from Workman Arts’ Satellite program were made possible thanks to generous support from The Slaight Family Foundation.

EAT YOUR CATFISH
Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand, Senem  Tüzen | 2021 | United States, Spain, Turkey  | 70 minutes | English | Canadian Premiere  

Rendezvous With Madness is pleased to present the Canadian premiere of the documentary film Eat Your Cat Fish directed by Adam Isenberg, Noah Amir Arjomand, Senem Tüzen available for streaming across Canada from October 27th to November 6th 

Years with ALS have left Kathryn paralyzed and needing 24-hour care. With her mind intact and having opted for mechanical breathing, she could live like this indefinitely. But the situation has embittered and alienated her husband, Said, and proved too much for many nurses and aides. Her grown son Noah, who lives with Kathryn and Said in their New York City apartment, struggles to balance his academic obligations with those he feels he has to his mother. Kathryn often falls into despair, but she has been holding on to see her daughter’s wedding day. 

This project draws on 930 hours of footage filmed with a fixed camera from Kathryn’s point of view, without any crew present.  The result is a profoundly intimate, layered and wryly funny portrait of a family at its breaking point.

Keywords: ALS | Disability | Family | Chronic Illness | Mental Health
Genre: Documentary
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

MIDWASTE
2021 | Liz Roberts | USA | 23 Minutes | English

Artist spotlight

Rendezvous With Madness is pleased to present the short film Midwaste directed by Liz Roberts available for streaming across Canada from October 27th to November 6th 

Midwaste addresses the Midwest region, midlife, and various notions of wasted. Roberts’ connection to drug subculture is inextricable from her relationship to the camera. She started making Super 8 films as a teen, shooting friends she became intimate with in circles of drug use. Her methods are palpable and relational; retracing her steps, interviewing friends about their memories of the past, and revisiting footage taken at various stages of her youth.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Liz Roberts is running a virtual workshop on Tuesday, November 1 on creating autobiographical films please visit workmanarts.com for more details.

Keywords: Artist | Healing | Addiction | Autobiography
Genre: Short
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

DE PÅRØRENDE – NÅR ENS BARN RAMMES AF PSYKISK SYGDOM / LOVE BOUND: WHEN YOUR CHILD BECOMES MENTALLY ILL
Vibe Mogensen | 2021 | Denmark | 52 minutes | Danish with English subtitles | North American Premiere

Rendezvous With Madness is pleased to present the extraordinary documentary film Love Bound: When Your Child Becomes Mentally Ill directed by Vibe Mogensen available for streaming across Canada from October 27th to November 6th 

Director Vibe Mogensen’s documentary, Love Bound: When Your Child Becomes Mentally Ill takes viewers behind closed doors to experience intimate group therapy sessions for empathic and stressed parents. Many of the caregivers featured in the film have children who will require specialized care throughout their entire lives. The parents struggle to maintain their own health, careers and social lives while meeting their kids’ unique needs – schizophrenia, ADHD, bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation.

This revealing documentary is uplifting, heartbreaking and unapologetically honest. Love Bound: When Your Child Becomes Mentally Ill delivers a touching reminder of what the superhuman levels of inner strength people are capable of when they have others to lean on.

Screening with

Ousmane | Jorge Camarotti | 2021 | Canada | 25 minutes | French with English Subtitles

Ousmane, a newly arrived immigrant living in Montreal, faces a challenging situation when he meets an elderly disoriented woman at the end of his workday.

Keywords: Suicide | Schizophrenia | Bipolar Disorder | Caregiver
Genre: Documentary 
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE
Reid Davenport | 2022 | United States | 76 minutes | English

Rendezvous With Madness is pleased to present outstanding documentary film I Didn’t See You There directed by Reid Davenport  available for streaming across Canada from October 27th to November 6th 

Filmmaker Reid Davenport won the Sundance Documentary Directing Award for his feature-length directorial debut for I Didn’t See You There. This film unflinchingly explores the effects “othering” has on the disabled – from the days of the “Freak Show”, to a modern society that continues to neglect and isolate the population – all framed through Davenport’s literal perspective in his wheelchair. Inspired by the sudden appearance of a circus tent near his Oakland apartment, Davenport sets out to examine the legacy of showmen like P.T. Barnum, while observing the lack of access, objectification and other forms of ableism he personally experiences with his family in Connecticut and at home as an artist in California. From construction and maintenance that impedes his mobility to the incredible inconvenience of “conveniences” put in place for wheelchair users, to the unsolicited offers of help and careless blocking of ramps, I Didn’t See You There forces audiences to re-examine their own cultural perspectives and confront what it truly means to be “othered” within today’s world.

Keywords: Isolation | Disability | Othering | Mental Health | Perspective
Genre: Documentary 
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

VIVRE EN GRAND | BIGGER THAN US
Flore Vasseur | 2021 | France | 95 minutes | English 

How does one keep it together in a world coming apart at the seams? Climate change ravages the planet as greedy corporations keep polluting the environment at an unsustainable rate. With much of the global population living like there’s no tomorrow, fighting for change can feel pointless. Writer-director Flore Vasseur’s documentary, Bigger Than Us, offers viewers reason to remain hopeful.

Bigger Than Us follows 18-year-old Indonesian activist Melati Wijsen on her quest to meet with the 18 to 25-year-olds fighting for change. Melati heads to Lebanon, Malawi, Greece, the United States, Brazil and Uganda, to celebrate the activists fighting for free speech, food security and equal rights. These defiant young people refuse to let soulless corporations and self-interested politicians dictate their future. This beautifully shot documentary will shock, inspire and most importantly, leave viewers hopeful about the future. 

Yaren’s mother died when she was six. Her friend Kato’s father died a year ago. Yet the atmosphere in a therapeutic summer camp is far from mournful when one of the supervisors dances with a girl to the lively song “La Bamba.” It’s fine to have fun, the children learn—it can coexist with sadness.

Keywords: Climate Change | Women’s Rights | Refugee Crisis
Genre: Documentary (feature) Documentary (short)
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion

MI VACÍO Y YO | MY EMPTINESS AND I | Adrián Silvestre | 2022 | Spain | 98 minutes | Toronto Premiere | French and Spanish with English Subtitles

Rendezvous With Madness is pleased to present the fabulous fiction film Mi Vacío Y Yo / My Emptiness And I directed by  Adrián Silvestre available for streaming across Canada from October 27th to November 6th. With the film, there is a prerecorded talk about the film with the d moderated by Anna Daliza to enjoy.

“Raphi, young and naive, enjoys writing love poems and dreams about falling in love. She leaves her native France and moves to Barcelona, where she works in a call centre. She struggles with maintaining relationships with boys and what it means to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria.  As a trans woman, Raphi feels the pressure to define and defend herself to anyone who asks but also deals with the social pressures to move forward with irreversible reassignment surgery. Even among her trans support group, Raphi receives mixed messages about needing to love herself exactly as she is … or instead, change her body in order for someone to love her in return. The brutal dating scene is no help as she’s matched with men who see her as more of a sexual novelty than a human being searching for love and connection. Wading through serious doubts and an array of intimate encounters of varying pleasure, Raphi must learn to trust herself and her newfound opportunity of the arts as a means of healing and empowerment. Raw, honest, and thought-provoking, Mi vacío y yo is an intensely intimate journey of self-discovery and acceptance.” —Cleveland International Film Festival

Anna Daliza is an emerging writer, artist and educator, was born in Southwestern Ontario to an Anglo-Canadian father and a Lebanese immigrant mother. She describes her cultural upbringing as a marriage between oil and water. 

Screening with 

The Spiral | María Silvia Esteve | 2022 | Argentina | Spanish with English subtitles 

The Spiral is a dive into a lonely ride, an hypnotic escalation towards childhood, family, and the loneliness of “home”.

Keywords: Dating | Gender Dysphoria | Family | Anxiety | Youth
Genre: Fiction (Feature) Fiction (Short)
#RWMFEST #MoreThanRebellion