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After being rescued from a forest fire that tore through an isolated conversion therapy camp, a group of young men reflect back on a summer of adversity - and all the beauty they wielded in protest.

Drama | 1 season

Alter Boys

Families living in Winnipeg's North End face daily food insecurity as they struggle with transportation, economics, and the lack of a full-scale grocery store.

Current Affairs | 13 min

Winnipeg's North End: A Food Desert

A no-holds barred standup comedy festival - but don't take our word for it - take theirs!

Comedy | 6 seasons

Winnipeg Comedy Festival

A phone conversation sets the diasporic table as a disembodied figure prepares Qahwah Arabi / Arabic Coffee. Here, the contradictions inherent in Google Translate’s instant camera feature are made visible through glitched mistranslations. Using these flaws as a prompt, the communication between a mother and a daughter considers ambiguity as a source of embodied knowledge.

Drama | 5 min

Don't Forget the Water

In the early 1920s in St. Antoine, Montreal, train porters Junior Massey and Zeke Garret, and their families, colleagues, and community pursue diverging paths to a better life (Inspired by history).

The Porter

It started with short skits to entertain friends and family. Before long, the Bighetty brothers had gone viral, with tens of thousands of video views on social media and requests to perform from communities across Western Canada. Their show? Four puppets - Marcel, Baptiste, Michel and The Chief - each with their own personality. They might remind you of the renowned Muppet or Sesame Street franchises, but with one distinct difference: these puppets are clearly Indigenous. And they seem to have minds of their own. The hilarious antics of these little dudes revolve around everyday occurrences in their community, their wit and charm on display as they slide back and forth between English and Cree. When they aren’t hamming it up in front of a cell phone camera for an online video, they’re getting a smile-a-second from kids at school performances. When the brothers take their show on the road, they’re treated like rock stars: the puppets are mobbed by children and elders stop to talk to the Bighetty brothers, engaging with their puppet alter egos. Most have never seen a puppet that looks like an Indigenous person before. The Bighetty brothers were born with the gift of humour. Led by Russell, the eldest brother, they created characters based on what they saw around them in their own community. It wasn’t long when they realized that having the puppets speak Cree would be a fun way to help engage children in learning the language. Tragically, Russell passed away in the spring of 2018. In this documentary, brothers Ken, Andrew, Kelsey, Dan and Russell explore the deep wound of Russell’s death, but also their determination to keep the joy of their performances alive. Rather than sadness, the surviving brothers choose a legacy of love and laughter while passing on their language. One of the most overlooked things in Canadian society is how joyful and fun-loving Indigenous culture is. This story shows how the infectious power of laughter can change lives.

Biography | 22 min

Bighetty & Bighetty

High school students today have to balance heavy workloads at school with increasing pressure to succeed. Fourth Period Burnout pools the creative energies of three youth - Juliette (16), Daniel (18) and Theresa (15) - and their mentor, Madison Thomas, to create a short documentary about their day-to-day experiences with stress and burnout. Juliette dances five days a week while working towards becoming an actor and pushing herself to do well in school. Daniel is a high school senior with a goal of going into film studies. He's a bit nervous about university. Theresa is a first-generation Canadian whose parents immigrated from the Philippines. She feels the pressure to do well in school, but also loves the arts and just hanging out with her friends. The idea for the documentary took shape when director Madison Thomas started teaching in an after-school program for creative teens in Winnipeg. “When one student shared her weekly school, homework, extra-curricular and part-time work schedule with me, I was floored by how much was being expected of this 16 year-old,” says Thomas. Fourth Period Burnout features the collaborative voice of the students alongside artistic recreations of the situations that hint at the emotional and psychological states of youth heading towards a burnout from being overworked at school. Through their work, the voices of the teen creators encourage other youth to practise self-care and not put so much pressure on themselves. With behind-the-scenes footage documenting the writing process and the narrative components that the students bring to life, the documentary explores how high school students are overworked and some of the ways they can manage their stress.

Documentary | 15 min

Fourth Period Burnout

In 1967 ten Indigenous athletes ran the Pan Am Games torch from Minneapolis to Winnipeg. Just before they entered the opening ceremonies, the torch was handed to a white athlete.

Documentary | 19 min

Run as One: The Journey of the Front Runners

J.J. Neepin is a female Indigenous filmmaker. With the help of photographer Nadya Kwandibens, J.J. plans to recreate her great-grandfather’s portrait. The headdress is a powerful symbol with great meaning in First Nations communities. Headdress is the start of an ongoing conversation about tradition and cultural appropriation.

Documentary | 6 min

Headdress

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