Hey, Happy!

An idyllic childhood with her mooshum and kookum, or grandparents, in her community of Peguis First Nation dissipates as Aberdeen’s hard-partying and absentee parents distances her from that haven. Now an adult, sleeping on public benches, Winnipeg-based Aberdeen is in survival mode. The last remaining stable parts of her life begin slipping away — her reliable brother Boyd is ill and gives up Aberdeen’s grandkids to the foster care system. Then she loses her ID.

Interviews with Guy Maddin and his pals are included in this documentary about the Canadian film-maker's life and movies. Features clips from most of Maddin's films up to Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, including Careful and Archangel.

Sailors in repose on an island paradise seemingly have no worries of war or danger — until a playful gesture is interpreted as an act of wilful aggression. Soon, the innocent act of slight slapping becomes a relentless and unforgiving orgy of open-palmed face-smacking.

The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 is recast as a slapstick silent set in a bathhouse.

A deceased filmmaker experiences a posthumous dream in which he attempts to reunite with his wife. (Homage to Italian film director Federico Fellini in the year of the centennial celebration of his birth.)

The film follows a 14-year-old arsonist in Winnipeg who becomes involved in a turf war between the Indian Posse and the Asian Bomb Squad (a now defunct Filipino gang). He is known only as Stryker, a slang term for a prospective gang member.

To Russia with Love examines human rights through the lens of LGBT athletes, with American athlete and commentator Johnny Weir serving as the viewers' guide.

Good Citizen: Betty Baker is a tongue-in-cheek mystery, full of unexpected twists. It features Betty, a civic-minded housewife who inhabits a cartoonish, 2-D, 1950s-inspired world, replete with narrow-minded peril. The story begins when Prince Philip goes missing and Betty finds a clue that leads her on a thrilling chase from her neighbour’s trash, to a strangely exciting all-girls bar, to the local chapter of 100% Women. Accompanied by the musical stylings of Marilyn Lerner, this frolicking satire irreverently unravels right-wing family values.

Revisit the pivotal moments and courageous actions that ignited Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ movement. From early struggles to landmark victories, this powerful reminder of how quickly rights can be taken away highlights the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

A fascinating exploration of the mythologies surrounding the hundred-year-old statue The Golden Boy. Incorporating dance, animation, and re-enactments, the film, directed by queer filmmakers and artists, imagines the lost identities of the models used for Parisian sculptor Georges Gardet​’s work Eternal Youth. From hermetic Greco-Roman cult to two-spirited heritage, this film, told from the filmmakers’ point of view, offers a unique perspective on Winnipeg’s famous mascot as seen from a rent-controlled building.

During the Purge, queers were surveilled, with a desire for non-heteronormative bodies seen as dangerous. This ballet explores the tension between conformity and the yearning for freedom of sexual expression. In an immersive video installation, viewers navigate veiled screens revealing the ballet’s movements. The story includes a lesbian recruit, an ambassador accused of espionage, men seeking anonymous encounters, and an Investigator thwarted by a Decoy. In the final chapter, the recruit demands rank and honor, symbolizing resistance to federal policies under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The explosive story of how a stubborn band of independent filmmakers started a film co-operative that became the most highly respected and mythologized film centre in Canada. Tales outlines the tremendous importance and impact of Winnipeg on the national filmmaking scene. Packed with rare archival footage, dynamic film excerpts, and hilarious interviews, this documentary traces the history of the legendary Winnipeg Film Group. We hear candid behind the scenes stories that illuminate the storied rise of acclaimed filmmakers like John Paizs (Crime Wave), Guy Maddin (Tales From The Gimli Hospital, My Winnipeg) Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan (We’re Talking Vulva, Good Citizen, Betty Baker) and Caroline Monnet (Ikwe). Often mired in controversy, the Film Group has been acclaimed at film festivals around the world – attested to by several Toronto film luminaries in the film – for subversive, original filmmaking. This documentary continues that tradition of bold, exuberant work.

Always remember to play, says Leslee Silverman, the visionary force behind the Manitoba Theatre for Young People.

Commissioned by Stephen Kent Jusick of MIX - NY, premiered at Anthology Film Archives. Deco Dawson and I drove to Regina for our first taste of optical printing at Sask Film Pool. The guitar player on the right is Serge LaCroix, a shaman friend whose been semi-conscious in a coma for a few years now. He complained a lot when I shaved his chest for the shoot, but I'm glad he's preserved on film. -Noam Gonick