Bionico's Bachata (La Bachata de Bionico)

Yoel Morales | 2024 | Dominican Republic | Experimental Fiction | 80 minutes | Spanish with English subtitles

GENRE: Experimental Fiction (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Rehabilitation, Addiction, Recovery, Hybrid film

Bionico (Manuel Raposo) and his closest pal Calvita (El Napo) live their lives on the wild side, driven by their insatiable desire to get high, no matter the cost. Early on in the film, Bionico decides to turn his life around. He’s a romantic at heart, and he wants to clean up his act before the love of his life La Flaca (Ana Minier) completes rehab. To begin this new phase of life, he must find a job, buy an engagement ring, and find a nicer place to live. But making life-changing plans is easier said than done, as Bionico struggles to detox while facing an endless parade of temptations.

WITH SHORT FILM ——— CHRYSTALLID —— Esteban Powell | 2023 | Canada, Mexico | Experimental documentary | 7 minutes | Spanish with English subtitles

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
Box office: 7 PM | Film: 8 PM

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Streaming online November 4-11 (available in Canada)

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Aziz

Majid Tavakoli | 2023 | Iran | Fiction | 90 minutes | Farsi with English subtitles

GENRE: Fiction (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Alzheimer’s, Aging, Caregiving, Family

Aziz, an 80-year-old matriarch lives with progressive dementia and requires constant caregiving by her children. Anoush, her youngest son, who is about to get married, loves and takes care of his mother more than his siblings. Aziz lost her husband years ago and is suddenly professing her love to someone while her family engages in a search for this mysterious man. They eventually discover Aziz is in love with her younger son.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

CAMH Auditorium | 1025 Queen Street West, Toronto
Reception at 3:30 PM with art, snacks and refreshments
Box office: 4 PM | Film: 5 PM

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Intercultural Iranian Canadian Resource Centre

Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin

Katia de Vidas | 2023 | France, United Kingdom | Documentary | 95 minutes | English

GENRE: Documentary (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Addiction, Recovery, Music, Documentary

Opening Performance: Contemporary Dance | We Lost You A Long Time Ago | Nicole Decsey Dance Projects | 2023 | 25 minutes

“As the lead singer of The Libertines and Babyshambles, Pete Doherty became the most iconic singer and rock n’ roll poet of his generation.Over a ten-year period, director Katia DeVidas – now Doherty’s wife – follows the musician as he attempts to overcome his addiction and relapses. Her unique access to Doherty provides a relentless insight into an addict’s struggle to overcome his demons without losing himself and his undeniable artistic genius in the process."

– CPH:DOX

Friday, November 1, 2024

Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
Box office: 7:30 PM | Film: 8:30 PM

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We Lost You A Long Time Ago

Opening for Feature Film | Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin | Katia de Vidas | 2023 | France, United Kingdom | Documentary | 95 minutes | English

Dance Synopsis
We Lost You A Long Time Ago is a poignant contemporary dance piece by Nicole Descey Dance Projects, running 20-30 minutes, that delves into the emotional turmoil of losing a close friendship. This work explores the unraveling of a bond that once felt familial but disintegrates seemingly without warning or closure, reflecting on the deep, often unspoken grief that accompanies the loss of a friendship. Choreographer Nicole Descey draws from her personal experience of watching a friend struggle with mental health, leading to an inevitable and painful separation. Through intricate, expressive movements, dancers Nicole Decsey, and Melissa MacTavish bring to life the stages of emotional turmoil – such as grief, anger, confusion, and sorrow, offering a raw portrayal of the longing for answers and closure that never comes.

Accompanied by a live musical track composed and performed by Luc Gaylie, the choreography takes audiences through memories and moments of connection and the chaotic aftermath of a friendship slowly fading, highlighting the complexity of coping with the absence of resolution. In this powerful exploration of mental health, friendship, and the enduring pain of relationships that cannot be mended, We Lost You A Long Time Ago resonates as a moving portrayal of loss, acceptance, and the memories of a bond that can now only be mourned and remembered.

 

Keywords: Grief, Trauma, Loss

Accessibility: Active Listener on-site

ABOUT NICOLE DECSEY DANCE PROJECTS

Nicole Decsey is an emerging artist with a BFA in Performance Dance from Toronto Metropolitan University. She works as a performer, choreographer, and rehearsal director with multiple Toronto and Mississauga based companies such as Frog in Hand, Create Dangerously, Dance : Corps Company, and Human Body Expression. Nicole has trained in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Mississauga with companies such as Transformation Danse, Addo Platform, The Toronto Community Love In, and Toes for Dance. Nicole struggles with body dysmorphia, anxiety and depression and uses her personal experiences to create her work.

Melissa MacTavish is a Toronto based dance artist who graduated from George Brown Dance with a Certificate and Diploma in 2019. Melissa has a deep appreciation for contemporary dance and acrobatics. She has performed with Beats and Intentions for Nuit Blanche and worked for Legends of Horror in 2019, performed works by Hanna Kiel and Syreeta Hector for The Fifths Summer Intensive in 2022, and most recently performed “We Lost You A Long Time Ago” with Nicole Decsey’s Dance Projects in August 2023 and performed “Listen, this will be fun” by Teagan Ariss for The Garage’s 2023 Showing.

As a professional composer and instrumentalist with over 20 years of experience, Luc Gaylie has honed their craft through international tours with St. Michael’s Choir, performances as a member of award-winning band Jammers Waffle House, and a long history of music directing for theatre and dance shows. With a deep passion for creating music that elevates the art of dance, Luc Gaylie is grateful for the opportunity to work with talented choreographer Nicole Decsey and her talented dancers

Friday, November 1, 2024

Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
8PM

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IF YOU ASK ME

2024 | CANADA | SHORT FILMS | 60 MINUTES | WORLD PREMIERE | ENGLISH

GENRE: Short films
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
Featuring artists: Cai Bell-Jerome, Noor Gatih, Hanna Gulzar, Mio Muyoboke, Katrina Rodriguez, Kurtis Watson, Sydney Waters

For the eighth consecutive year, If You Ask Me (IYAM) has supported emerging filmmakers with lived mental health and/or addiction experiences to create new short films. This year’s program features shorts by filmmakers from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These new films were developed from July – September 2024 under the guidance of Robin Riad, along with IYAM alumnus Esteban Powell serving as mentor. Equipment rentals and facilities were generously provided by our community sponsor and partner, LIFT. 

Friday, November 1, 2024

Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
Box office: 4:30 PM | Film: 5:30 PM

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Streaming online November 4-11 (available in Canada)

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SHORT FILMS FROM SCOTTISH MENTAL HEALTH ARTS FESTIVAL

Various artists | Scotland | Documentary + Fiction | 60 minutes

GENRE: Documentary + Fiction (shorts)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON

Join us for a program of short films from recent editions of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF). Stick around afterward for discussions with staff from the festival who will talk about the films and share how the SMHAF is organized.  This year’s Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival takes place across Scotland from 10 – 27 October 2024, exploring the theme of ‘In/Visible’. You can learn more at www.mhfestival.com.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Tranzac Club | 292 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto
Box office: 4:30 PM | Film: 5:30 PM

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A Man Imagined

27 OCTOBER 2024

Aziz

03 NOVEMBER 2024

Ink, Blood and Socks (Ink, blod och strumpor)

Johan Ribe | 2023 | Sweden | Documentary | 68 minutes | Swedish with English subtitles | Canadian Premiere

GENRE: Documentary (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Homelessness, Addiction, Graffiti, Punk

Hanna Finn’s talent and charisma were undeniable from an early age. By the time she reached preschool, her creativity and sharp sense of humour were on full display. Now a young adult known as Psykos, she exists on the fringes, describing her life as one in a “parallel society.”  Ribe’s documentary Ink, Blood and Socks chronicles Psykos’ struggles with addiction and her journey toward recovery. Keywords:  Homelessness, Addiction, Graffiti, Punk

WITH SHORT FILM ——— Off Suit —— Lou Estores & Brian Desmoskoff | 2018 | Canada | Documentary | 3 minutes | English

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

CAMH Auditorium | 1025 Queen St W, Toronto
Box office: 7 PM | Film: 8 PM

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Malu

27 OCTOBER 2024

The Looms We Resemble

3 NOVEMBER 2024 - 9 DECEMBER 2024

Malu

Pedro Freire | 2024 | Brazil | Fiction | 100 minutes | Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles | Canadian Premiere

GENRE: Fiction (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Poverty, Housing, Intergenerational Trauma, Family, Fiction

Writer-director Pedro Freire’s feature debut Malu offers a raw and emotional exploration of motherhood and the circumstances perpetuating transgenerational trauma. Amid the many sequences of emotional chaos, Malu emerges as a touching story about healing, forgiveness, and learning to see the people we love for who they truly are rather than who we expect them to be.

Sunday, October 27, 2024

CAMH Auditorium | 1025 Queen St W, Toronto
Box office: 6:15 PM | Film: 7:15 PM

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A Man Imagined

Brian M. Cassidy & Melanie Shatzky | 2023 | Canada | Documentary | 61 minutes | English and French with English subtitles

GENRE: Experimental Documentary (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Schizophrenia, Housing, Experimental Documentary

Pushing at the limits of non-fiction cinema, A Man Imagined is a bracingly intimate and hallucinatory portrait of a man with schizophrenia surviving amidst urban detritus and decay. Made in close collaboration with 67-year-old Lloyd, this immersive documentary fable follows the jagged path of a decades-long street survivor, across harsh winters and blistering summers, as he sells discarded items to motorists, sleeps in junkyards and lapses into near-psychedelic reveries.

When Lloyd reveals a startling detail from his past, the filmmakers try to help him piece together a story that spills out in fragments—a jigsaw puzzle of painful childhood abstraction that seems to hold an unspeakable mystery at its core.

With its subjective, lyrical camerawork and expressionistic sound design, the latest feature from directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky finds poetic power and transcendence in the harrowed mind of its protagonist, delivering a poignant meditation on life at the margins.

WITH SHORT FILM ——-Uncle Bardo —— Luke Mistrucci | 2024 | Canada | Documentary | 14 minutes | English

Sunday, October 27, 2024

CAMH Auditorium | 1025 Queen St W, Toronto
Box office: 4 PM | Film: 5 PM

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1001 Days

Zikethiwe Ngcobo & Chloe White | 2023 | South Africa, United Kingdom | Documentary | 94 minutes | Zulu and English with English subtitles | North American Premiere

GENRE: Documentary (feature)
TYPE: FILM | IN-PERSON
KEYWORDS: Postpartum depression, Women’s issues, Stress, Family

Unemployment, poverty, disease and domestic violence are commonplace in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg. For young mothers, who often have to raise their children alone, they barely have time for themselves and their babies. A group of women from the Ububele Home Visiting program are working to transform the neighborhood by improving the mental well-being of mothers and their babies.

WITH SHORT FILM ——— Beyond Recall —— Ajay Kumar | 2024 | Canada | Fiction | 11 minutes | English

Saturday, October 26, 2024

CAMH Auditorium | 1025 Queen St W, Toronto
Box office: 5 PM | Film: 6 PM

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(available in Canada)

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