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

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

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