World Premiere
In February 2020, Angels’ Atlas premiered onstage to rapturous reviews, but it soon became the National Ballet of Canada’s final show before the pandemic shutdown; fittingly, when the company returned in November 2021, this ballet was the first that was performed. Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas brilliantly captures crucial moments of the ballet’s rebirth, from tentative disbelief, to the joy of reunion, to intense rehearsal and refinement. The documentary is a remarkable record of the creative process; in the retrospective context of global loss, the project acquires a ghostly, prophetic quality. What occurs on stage is nothing short of extraordinary—the unearthly lighting, the evocative music, and especially the bodies of the dancers, straining and stricken in sorrow. In a bold decision, the performance of Angels’ Atlas is shown in its entirety in the second half of the film. Sublime, moving, cathartic in its pulsing grief and meditation on mortality and transience, this documentary is one of the most moving pieces of art to ever be captured on film.
Q&A Oct 2
Community Partner
Canada
2022
English
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Story of Documentary Film – The 2000s
The Story of Documentary Film – The 2000s enters a decade shaped by 9/11, war, fear, and politics. Through films such as The Cove and Grizzly Man, these chapters trace the documentary medium's encounter with modernity as it begins to unravel.
Image: © Iraq in Fragments, 2006, dir. James Longley, USA, Daylight Factory Typecast-Pictures
La Gradiva
Winner of the Grand Prize at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, Marine Atlan's feature debut follows a class of French high-school students on a trip to Naples. While learning about the ruins of Pompeii by day, a different kind of education takes place at night.
Image: © Films du poisson, Bibi Film TV, Arte France Cinema
Ceremony
Powerful and evocative, Ceremony follows the disappearance of the ooligan in Bella Coola, revealing a story of cultural survival, environmental stewardship, and the enduring relationship between the Nuxalk Nation and the land.
Yasha
Yasha follows Hana, a young teacher in desperate need of money for her son's life-saving operation. Sidestepping melodrama, Naghi Nemati offers a compelling portrait of a strong woman fighting against impossible odds.
Le Bonheur
Often called the most beautiful horror film, Le Bonheur contrasts stunning French summer beauty with emotional devastation. Beneath its idyllic surface lies betrayal and heartbreak, culminating in a shocking finale and powerful feminist commentary.
Everytime
Winner of this year’s prestigious Un Certain Regard award at Cannes, Sandra Wollner’s exquisite debut is a tender drama in which a mother is drawn closer to her youngest daughter and her late daughter’s boyfriend as they make sense of a shared tragedy.
Image: © The Barricades Panama Film, Gregory Oke
Credits
Executive Producer
Barry Hughson, Karen Kain, Hope Muir
Producer
Sean O’Neill
Cinematography
Maya Bankovic
Editor
Lindsay Allikas
Director
Photo by Luis Mora
Chelsea McMullan
Chelsea McMullan (they/their) is one of Canada’s leading filmmakers. They make documentary, experimental narrative, and hybrid films that explore the work of leading international artists. McMullan’s features, including My Prairie Home (2013), a musical documentary about the pioneering transgender musician Rae Spoon, have premiered at Sundance, Toronto, True/False, and other leading international festivals. They have directed episodes of the documentary series This is Pop (Netflix/Crave) and In the Making (CBC). McMullan has also made numerous short films about and in collaboration with international artists such as Eileen Myles, Zhang Huan, Isabelle Marant, and Ken Lum.
Filmography: My Prairie Home (2013); Michael Shannon Michael Shannon John (2015)