Raine Mateo, Simon Baker, Christian Sloan, Emmett Hanly
Canada
2022
In English and Ojibwe with English subtitles
Graphic Violence
Featured in:
VIFF Short Forum: Program 5
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
NAZA
NAZA is a codeword euphemistically used by Israeli intelligence to indicate the number of civilians it expects will be killed in an airstrike. This chilling documentary exposes the policy and process of state-sanctioned mass killings.
The Best Years of Our Lives
One of the finest films to come out of WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives sympathetically conveys the difficulties returning veterans faced in readjusting to life at home. It won 7 of the top Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director and Actor.
Ray Gunn (Special Advance Screening with Brad Bird)
In an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star (Scarlett Johansson). Followed by a moderated discussion with director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille).
The Bloodettes
In this early Afro-futurist shlocker from Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo (made in 2005 and set in 2025), two sex workers try to dispose of the body of a high profile politician who's died on the job (theirs, not his).
La Bola Negra
A big, old-school historical melodrama gets a thrillingly modern, queer makeover from Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who artfully juggle three gay protagonists across stories set in 1932, 1937, and 2017. Winner: Best Director, Cannes. Screening on 35mm.
Akashi
In Mayumi Yoshida’s tender drama, struggling artist Kana journeys to Tokyo to attend her grandmother’s funeral. While there, she reconnects with her childhood love and stumbles across a family secret that prompts her to reconsider her place in the world.
Credits
Executive Producer
Erin Mussolum, Paul Armstrong, Tailai Sun
Producer
PoChun Chen
Screenwriter
Kenny Welsh
Cinematography
Hongyin Zhu
Editor
Diego De La Torre
Production Design
V Wen
Original Music
Eva Pekarova
Director
Kenny Welsh
Kenny Welsh is an Indigenous filmmaker based in Vancouver. Having grown up in the Yukon, he draws inspiration from the isolating winters to tell stories of human connection and communication. Since graduating with a Bachelor’s in Film from Emily Carr University, he has been reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage through filmmaking.



