so thrilled to share that ‘to look, and to look again’ will screen at @viffest in october, as part of shorts program 7: ‘all day I dream about’. here's a short clip from the film 🌱
translation by mum, voiced by jaspreet kaur, with cinematography by yin mei, editing assistance by han pham and special thanks to kiran dhaliwal and ajay bhardwaj.
this project was developed with support from the polygon gallery in vancouver and mayworks festival in toronto. shot on location across two blueberry farms in surrey and the fraser valley.
reminiscing~
we watched Utahn Da Vela (A Time To Rise) together before my work in progress screening back in may, it's an incredible film about the formation of the bc farmworkers union (available for free via NFB), still so relevant today ❣️
Myth and memory intertwine as we trace what remains of Paldi, a logging community founded by Punjabi immigrants in the old-growth forests of Vancouver Island. Situated on unceded Cowichan territory near Duncan, B.C., the town has been memorialized and celebrated as a kind of multicultural utopia, concealing its long history of resource extraction. A closer look at the archives unsettles the fanaticism surrounding Paldi’s pioneers– asking us to reconsider what is remembered and what is forgotten.
It’s election year, and my dear friend Sacia Burton is running for Parks Board with COPE Vancouver. Sacia and I met years ago through community organizing, and I’ve had the privilege of watching her bring some truly incredible projects to life; advocating for good land stewardship, housing affordability and food security in this crazy expensive city. I love her so much, and I especially love how much she cares about parks and birds and people. Shes taught me a lot about what it means to be a generous and reliable friend, and that’s exactly the kind of energy we need in local politics.
Give Sacia a follow at @sb4pb and consider getting involved with @copevancouver . Elections are in October ~ this is going to be one hell of a campaign. 💐
Join Monica Cheema (@cc__mon ) for a work in progress screening of her latest film To Look, And To Look Again and a moderated discussion informed by excerpts from A Time To Rise (Utahn Da Vela) by Anand Patwardhan and Jim Monro, the story of the Canadian Farmworkers Union which came into existence in 1980.
📆 Friday, May 23
🕗 7 - 9 PM (TIME LISTED ON POSTER IS INCORRECT!)
📍Bachir Yerex (401 Richmond St W Suite 452)
This project was developed through Mayworks’ Labour Arts Catalyst and informed by migrant justice organizing and art-making including A Time To Rise.
Last weekend at DOXA will be incredible!
This Sunday, three powerful local short documentaries by DOC Northwest members are back on screen at The Cinematheque, May 11 at 5:15 PM—and tickets are selling fast! Don’t miss your chance to see them on the big screen and join us for a Q&A with the directors.
Featured Docs:
No Past To Long For by Monica Cheema @cc__mon
Myth and memory intertwine as this film traces what remains of Paldi, a once-bustling logging town founded by Punjabi immigrants on Vancouver Island.
qat̂sʔay by Jeremy Sean Williams & Trevor Mack @jeremyseanwilliams@trevor__mack
A moving portrait of the return of sacred root baskets to the Tŝilhqot’in people, challenging colonial institutions and reclaiming cultural memory.
Burcu’s Angels by Özgün Gündüz @ozzozgungun
More than a vintage boutique, Burcu’s Angels has been a sanctuary for Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community for 30 years. As matriarch Burcu Özdemir prepares to say goodbye to the shop’s latest location, this short documentary becomes a joyful tribute to resilience, chosen family, and belonging.
Tickets: @doxafestival link in bio 🎟️
#doxafestival #docnorthwest #burcusangels #qatshay #nopasttolongfor #vancouverfilm
this was such a sweet screening ~ the lineup of films that played before mine were so moving. i love short films! and my friends! second screening this sunday for those who couldn't make it 🌻
Hi friends! Fanny, Kelsie and I have a collective exhibition of student work up at Artspeak, on view until Saturday afternoon 🌿 We each led separate projects at different elementary schools, and this show brings all three together in conversation. We hosted a beautiful opening last night with students from all three schools present—come by before Saturday 3pm if you're in the neighborhood! Lots of love to AIRS for making this happen.🌾
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“Memory is a material” invited students at Henderson Elementary to engage in a quiet, imaginative dialogue with the land—beginning not with speaking, but with listening. Rooted in early archival photographs from pre-settlement times, students were first asked to sit in silence and consider what sounds might have once echoed in these now-static landscapes. From this stillness emerged hand-drawn sound maps—rich with birdsong, wind, and water—tracing the imagined natural soundscapes of the past. Layers of collage materials and archive images were animated using stop motion. And in the final phase, students brought their imagined soundscapes to life through Foley, crafting sounds from scratch with everyday materials. Some mimicked bird calls using only their hands, others carefully crumpled paper to capture the subtle crackle of fire, or tapped fingers rhythmically against wood to echo footsteps through forest undergrowth. These small, focused gestures became powerful acts of attention— transforming everyday materials into portals of memory, imagination, and presence. Emergent and process-driven, this project treated silence as a generative space and filmmaking as a way to feel through the layers of time. Through collage, sound, and stop-motion, students explored how we might give voice to what has long been unheard—and how we might reimagine our relationship to land, history, and each other.
