Film Screening + Live ASL Interpreted Artist Talkback facilitated by Aria Evans

F-O-R-M’s Commissioning Fund Program is the heart of the festival. The 2021 Commissioned Artists are each exploring their own approaches to merging the body in motion with film, utilizing the medium as a way to connect to their individual identities and experiences. Approached with vulnerability, care, and authenticity, their journeys overlap and unearth a larger sense of community, inviting human connection through the screen.

This year brings together our largest group of Commissioned Artists ever, which was made possible by the support of Co-Commissioning Partners Co.ERASGA and Tara Cheyenne Performance, Company 605, New Works, and Wild Mint Arts. Read about all 2021 Commissioned Artists here.

Friday is the first of two screenings from F-O-R-M’s 2021 Commissioned Artists.

This screening contains partial nudity and explicit language.

Featured

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

Wide Stance Dance

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

Amanda Sum + Justin Calvadores
DURATION: 4:00
CO-COMMISSIONING PARTNER: Company 605
MENTOR: Nancy Lee

2 Asian-Canadians confront their internalized smallness, and finally learn to take up space through humour, dance, and wide stances.

CREDITS
Directors: Amanda Sum and Justin Calvadores
Choreographers: Amanda Sum and Justin Calvadores
Dancers: Amanda Sum and Justin Calvadores
Cinematographer: Jo Hirabayashi
Editor: Jo Hirabayashi
Music: Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi
Colourist: So Young Park
Crew: Dan Loan

THANK YOU
Sarah Wong and Linda Sum

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

VANCOUVER

Emerging Category, World Premiere

Booty Freedom

VANCOUVER

Emerging Category, World Premiere

Sebastian Hill-Esbrand
DURATION: 2:45

This film contains booty overload, slight nudity and explicit language.

BOOTY FREEDOM is a dance community that celebrates self-expression through booty movement and dance. We follow the journey of Rozelle, a BOOTY FREEDOM frequentist, who must navigate through the rooms of the Booty House to discover her authentic self. The film is told with an inclusive and intersectional lens that decentralizes the male gaze; resulting in an empowered and liberated portrayal of the womxn within the community.

CREDITS
Director: Sebastian Hill-Esbrand
Choreographer: Nargis Dhirani
Assistant Choreographer: Miya Henrikson
Producers: Sebastian Hill-Esbrand, Nargis Gushy, Maisie Thomas
Editor: Coline Debray
Production Assistant: Koby Cobb-Violet
Director of Photography: Avery Holliday
1st Assistant Camera: Dianna Parry
Production Designer: Samantha Lam
Art Director: Kallista Dittrick-Katevatis
Art Assist: Roohi Kamal
Gaffer: Austin Kwok
Key Grip: Gabe Chan
Best Boy Electrics: Sam Lin
Best Boy Grip: Jamie Mitri
Color: Sam Gilling
Assistant Editor: Kelsey McGowan
Lead: Rozelle Callangan
Dancers in the house: Miya Henrikson, Lissy Allen, Jessica Li, Mariana Trujillo, Janice Callangan, Diego Pacheco, Lily Napier Machek, Erin Bodin, Jessa St. Pierre, Helena Zhang, Avelina Stanier Cruz
Dancers Outside: Coline Debray, Lee Ann Tolentino, Lisa Wakeham, Mikela Gnyp, Sabryna Ranger, Blue Feldman, Alexandria Weatherbee, Anna Pang, Maria-José Araujo, Artemis Walden, Travis Clifford

THANK YOU
Wouldn't have been possible without the support of Nargis Gushy. A heightened appreciation and gratitude to Nargis Gushy. I'd like to acknowledge her outstanding efforts and dedication in the choreography, conceptualization and production processes throughout this project.

Thank you to Tamar and Sophia for their trust, support, patience and understanding throughout the creative process of this commissioned project.

VANCOUVER

Emerging Category, World Premiere

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

Shouldering Intervals of Desire

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

Danielle Mackenzie Long
DURATION: 9:30
CO-COMMISSIONING PARTNER: New Works
MENTORS: Justine A. Chambers + Sammy Chien

Universally sharing the exact sensation of time passing is impossible. Days of extreme chaos may seem to exist for a mere second, while a single moment of stillness can feel bottomless, never ending.

Be content with moments of quietness. Allow yourself to observe the mundanity you see for the minutes that pass over you. Slowly, SHOULDERING INTERVALS OF DESIRE reveals itself as a visual vault depicting the accumulation of my many aspirations, which have all been influenced by the relationship I hold between time and life. As circumstances in my life change, my relationship to time shifts drastically, as do my ambitions and desires. Some have become irrelevant because that desire’s lifespan has run out. Either I have simply outgrown the idea of it, or I convinced myself it is no longer of interest to me since I care too deeply about it to bear the thought of not being able to reach it.

Surrounded by an abundance of options, the extreme ambition to pursue many paths, and the overwhelming reality of having to make decision after decision I shift between existing in reality with my thoughts to the courtroom of my mind

Trying to wait. No rushing.
Debating between ideal scenarios
Negotiating among myself
Confronting my wildest aspirations
Pursuing it unapologetically

There will be many turning points to come in my life. SHOULDERING INTERVALS OF DESIRE is merely how I am navigating the current moment of great change and decision I face.

CREDITS
Director: Danielle Mackenzie Long
Cinematographer: Max Berkowitz
Performers: Danielle Mackenzie Long and Alder Sherwood
Choreographer: Danielle Mackenzie Long
Sound Designer: Miya Kosowick
Editor: Danielle Mackenzie Long
Wardrobe: Alder Sherwood and Allie Shiff

THANK YOU
Without the generous support from Ellie Bishop, Kate Franklin, Nelson Kumar, David McIntosh, Hannah Richard, Ben Ross, Nikki Schenk, and Allie Shiff this film would not be possible. Thank you all for your various contributions throughout the process.

VANCOUVER

Youth Category, World Premiere

TORONTO

Emerging Category, World Premiere

Mountain Duets

TORONTO

Emerging Category, World Premiere

Sophie Dow
DURATION: 14:49
CO-COMMISSIONING PARTNER: Wild Mint Arts
MENTORS: Aria Evans + Wild Mint Arts

MOUNTAIN DUETS is a circular ritual illustrated through movement. We follow an individual that falls into a chaotic haze, losing sight of balance and stillness. This solo mover is a symbol of both independent and collective consciousness. They’re a representation of all we go through on micro and macro scales; testament to the cycles of the building, tearing down and rebuilding of humanity. From the dark place, the individual calls upon ancestral archetypes and wisdom of Turtle Island to journey together - a moving alliance, between human and internal mountain - reminding us of our deeply rooted strength, resilience and reciprocity to each other and Mother Earth.

CREDITS
Director: Sophie Dow
Choreography: Sophie Dow in collaboration with interpreters
Videographer & Editor: Connie Oreamuno
Interpreters: Maria Lucia Llano, Paige Sayles, Tyra Temple-Smith, Sophie Dow
Sound & Text: Sophie Dow & Deya Dova
Costumes: Clayton Lormand & Sophie Dow
Mentors: Aria Evans, Jessica McMann (Wild Mint Arts), Brian Solomon, Karen Kaeja

Support & Residencies:
This film was commissioned by
-F-O-R-M and Wild Mint Arts as part of the 2021 Commissioning Funds
-Produced under a F-O-R-M Festival Charles Street Video Artist in Residence Program
-The Paprika Festival - 2 year Indigenous Arts Program
-Kaeja d’Dance & New Blue Emerging Dance Creative Risk Residency
-Residency program of Peggy Baker Dance Projects and Canada’s National Ballet School
-Chimera Dance Theatre Company B Lab Sponsorship

THANK YOU
-Linda Rose - Cultural Consultant
-Jay Northcott - Paprika Indigenous Arts Program Coordinator & support
-PJ Prudat - Paprika Year 2 Facilitator
-Cliff Cardinal - Paprika Year 1 Facilitator
-Past & contributing interpreters: Shannon Flaicher, Angela Xu, Maisie Ryan, McKenzie Foy

With infinite gratitude, Mountain Duets moved from a 2018 dream and vision to a present realization, with deep love and generous commitment from:

Connie Oreamuno, Jay Northcott, Maria Lucia Llano, Paige Sayles, Tyra Temple-Smith, Linda Rose, Aria Evans, Karen Kaeja, Brian Solomon, PJ Prudat, Tamar Tabori, Sophia Wolfe, The Paprika Festival, Wild Mint Arts and all previous interpreters. From the bottom of my heart - Marsii!

TORONTO

Emerging Category, World Premiere

Accessibility

Film Screening

This event will be live-streamed via Vimeo. Films that include spoken words will have subtitles in English.

Live Artist Talk

The live portion of this event will have live auto transcription as well as ASL interpretation. An edited copy of the transcript will be available for passholders between 12-48 hours after the event ends.

If you identify as Deaf or hard of hearing and are planning on attending, please email Kayla DeVos, Associate Producer, at kayla@f-o-r-m.ca so we can connect you with our interpreters, so they may best match their interpreting to your specific language use.

Learn more about accessibility at F-O-R-M 2021 here.

BUY ALL ACCESS PASS

2021 Events

Commissioned Artists' World Premieres - Friday Screening

Accessibility

Film Screening

Live Artist Talk