Nicola Hawkins

A chance meeting of an art activist and a pompous Sunday painter at a public statue of Winston Churchill turns into a public event of insults in this political satire.

An old hermit, living with his ducks in the woods, is kidnapped for not conforming by the state's children's army. In prison the old man undergoes a torturous re-education by fierce classical musicians. A courageous fellow prisoner heals him with love and they attempt an escape.

Circle of Truth is a short film without dialogue set to an original score. On the island of Newfoundland, Canada, a man alone in his rural home awaits the spring thaw with the arrival of hardy plants, insects and birds. The film tracks his daily labour though the seasons as he builds, tends and harvests a circular garden enriched by the bounty of seaweed and fish that he gathers from the island's shore. His dedication to the earth that feeds him and his intimacy with his natural surroundings reveals a portrait of an unadorned purposeful life.

Each spring Newfoundland farmers in my community take their sheep by open boat to a predator free island for sustainable grazing. The herd grazes on lush grass, drinks from freshwater springs; and exists without human intervention. The seasonal consumption of the grass along with the manure has maintained a yearly supply of lush organic pasture. Before the winter freeze the sheep are collected along with their healthy new born lambs. This joy filled, sustainable tradition has been practiced for generations.

On Hold, by choreographer and visual artist Nicola Hawkins of Admiral's Cove, Newfoundland is a striking movement piece that distills tenderness, honesty, and grief. The performers, actor John Moyes and his daughter, dancer-storyteller Louise Moyes, commissioned the film in their 80th and 52nd years. Cinematographer and editor Lisa Porter. Composer Adam Foran. Shot at the Ferryland lighthouse, Newfoundland.