Processing Duration is an anthology of recent short films by Workman Arts member artists that contemplate subjects of service, restriction, healing and embodied time. Through movement, ritual,
montage and song, these short films highlight nuance and storytelling. Ice On The Window Like A
Thousand Small Bees, Troubled Amplitude and Ice Into Fire experiment with urban and natural environments as a way to work through layered feelings. Looking inwards, the films Therapy Fragments Body Language, Fuck, Romberg’s Sign and The Space Without use self-documentation to explore vulnerability, growth, and resilience. While, the films Disability Video, The Beats, and Melody prove
the power of nature, music and narrative.

BODY LANGUAGE (Tara Clews | 2019 | 2 min)

DISABILITY VIDEO (Sirene Koser Qureshi | 2021 | 2 min)

FUCK (Emily Schooley | 2021 | 3 min)

ICE INTO FIRE (Anja Sagan | 2020 | 12 min)

ICE ON THE WINDOW LIKE A THOUSAND SMALL BEES (Catherine Jones | 2020 | 3 min)

MELODY (John Perera | 2021 | 3 min)

ROMBERG’S SIGN (Laura Shintani | 2021 | 2 min)

THE BEAST (Amy Ness | 2021 | 10 min)

THERAPY FRAGMENTS (Blanca Lopez | 2021 | 13 min)

THE SPACE WITHOUT (Emily Sweet | 2019 | 3 min)

TROUBLED AMPLITUDE (Jan Swinburne | 2018 | 9 min)

Keywords: Artists | Experimentation | Healing | Music | Resilience

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
FILMMAKERS Q&A
Join the filmmakers for an in-person and virtual Q&A ; moderated by filmmaker James Buffin

Nocturne is the story of a family. The documentary follows Seong-ho, a young piano virtuoso living with autism. With an extraordinary talent in music, his mother and primary caretaker dedicates her whole life building a career for her son as a professional musician. In contrast, Seong-ho’s younger brother, Gun-ki is relegated to a world of video games and television. Gun-ki’s resentment slowly begins to grow when he is forced to give up his own interest in music to maintain Seong-ho’s spotlight. Moreover, Gun-ki feels like he has been neglected by his mother, who spends most of her time taking care of Seong-ho and trying to advance his career. When the two brothers embark on an independent European trip, the already contentious brotherly relationship crashes into chaos. It also poses some difficult questions: what will happen to Seong-ho if his mother is no longer there? Will Gun-ki have his back, or will his music legacy crumble?

Screening with

Animal Calling
Candice Dixon | 2020 | Canada | English | 6 minutes | Ontario Premiere

A short documentary following a recently-graduated, young veterinarian as she enjoys a rare, relaxing morning in her serene country home. As she reflects on the mental health crisis currently impacting veterinary medicine, we’re intermittently transported to her place of work and shown the emotional and psychological challenges faced by those working in animal care.

Sibling dynamics are unique by nature; sometimes, it swings from moments of companionship to moments of competition. In the case of the family in Nocturne, the subject of autism adds another layer of relational negotiation as they seek to understand how to manage acts of care and responsibility. What are some of the realities that individuals on the autism spectrum face when they navigate the world independently and what pressures and expectations do their core support networks face? Join moderator Kat Singer and panelists Azed Majeed and Aidan Lee as they dive deeper into how these complexities are presented in Nocturne.

Wildly popular singer-songwriter Michael Hutchence created a new sensation as the enigmatic frontman of the Australian band INXS, but what do we really know about this shining star who left the world far too soon? Peeling away the myths surrounding the singer’s untimely suicide, director Richard Lowenstein unravels how a life-altering brain injury led Hutchence on a tragic downward spiral into depression. Weaving together home movies and interviews with loved ones, including ex-girlfriends Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen, this Hot Docs ‘19 selection is a deeply poignant tribute to one of music’s most misunderstood showmen.

Followed by a Q&A with special guests and subject matter experts.

In partnership with Bell Let’s Talk and Hot Docs, we’re showcasing a series of free docs-and-conversations about mental health leading up to and on the 10th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day. Join the conversation to break the stigma around mental illness and help create positive change. Each doc will feature a post-screening Q&A with special guests and experts.

In recognition of the potentially triggering content of the participating films, supportive listeners will be present at each screening.

Tickets: FREE (maximum of two per person). Available as of Tuesday, January 7.

Hair is just keratin protein and dead skin cells. Yet beauty standards today and historically have made hair and its appearance a signifier of status. When you are dissatisfied with the state of your hair, each hair care advertisement is a microaggression advocating anything but otherness.

Foxy is a spunky film that debunks the social stigma surrounding alopecia universalis by interweaving a scripted memoir of director Trista Suke’s personal story with direct-to-camera interviews highlighting people from the community who are also living with hair loss. In flirty fashion, the fictional character Penny Todd tracks a journey of ultimate self acceptance and what it’s like to live as a beautifully bald woman.

Screening with

Consent Is… The Freedom to Choose
Lucy Drumonde | 2019 | Canada | 1 min | Canadian Premiere

In public or private the ethics of informed consent acknowledges the human right to choose.

Isolation by Ann Bekooy
Ann Bekooy | 2019 | Canada | 8 mins | Toronto Premiere

Through a dreamscape of surreal images, artist Ann Bekooy poetically narrates the universal but somehow alienating condition of existence.

Animating Artists’ Health (Shorts Program)
Canada | 19 mins

Animating Artists’ Health features short animations exploring artists’ health and wellbeing. This program is a product of Artist Health Alliance’s Creating Artists’ Health initiative. Featuring shorts by M.C Cruz, Shelton Deverell, Nikole Hidalgo McGregor, Ess Joelle Okemow, Raoul Olou, David Rendall, and Tommy Truong.

Animating Artists’ Health is co-presented with Toronto Animation Society, OCAD Art & Social Change, and OCAD Health and Wellness Centre. 

Sharing your story through film

We will be welcoming the range of filmmakers who are showing work as part of this screening to celebrate and reflect on the power of sharing their stories through film. What is it about the medium of film that has called each of these artists to create these works and how has it empowered them to reveal their vulnerable depths to themselves, audiences and each other?