World Premiere
Interspersing interviews with archival footage, Union Street documents the history of Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, the formerly Black neighbourhood which was destroyed by the construction of the Georgia viaduct in the 1970s. This local history speaks to systemic racial injustice towards Vancouver’s Black community that has continued to this day. Revelatory conversations are had in the film surrounding the erasure of Black history in Canada, and the proliferation of hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan which had chapters in Vancouver. Histories of now-closed Black-owned businesses in Hogan’s Alley such as Vie’s Chicken and Steakhouse have inspired a new generation of Black business owners in the neighbourhood, and the Black Lives Matter movement has reinvigorated discussion surrounding the destruction, as well as the history and memory of Hogan’s Alley. Beautifully filmed, this visual portrait speaks to the legacies of the past, as well as the present moment.
October 2 & 7: Q&A with director Jamila Pomeroy & crew
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
About Relaxed Screenings
The October 4 screening of Union Street is a relaxed screening.
Relaxed screenings are open to ANYONE who would benefit from a less restrictive and sensory-friendly experience including (but not limited to) people living with dementia; Autistic people; people with learning difficulties; people with a sensory or communication disorder; parents with young babies; and anyone who feels they would benefit from a more supportive and inclusive experience.
How much are tickets? That’s up to you! Pay what you can for tickets to relaxed screenings. We do not want the cost of tickets to hinder your ability to attend. Click on “Book Tickets” and select the amount ($0, $7, $15, $20) you can pay per ticket.
At a relaxed screening you can expect:
- The lights to be up so it is not too dark
- The film sound levels to be lowered
- No trailers before the film
- Fewer tickets sold so folks can choose where they want to sit
- Audience noise and movement during the show
- Freedom to enter and exit the cinema
- A chill out space
- Sound reduction headphones
- Extra staff and volunteers on site to answer questions
Relaxed Screenings Presented by
Canada
2022
Northern Lights
In English and Swahili with English subtitles
Depictions of Racism, Coarse Language
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Jamila Pomeroy, Mack Stannard
Producer
Mack Stannard
Screenwriter
Jamila Pomeroy
Cinematography
Liam Mitchell
Editor
Coline Debray
Original Music
Amine Bouzaher
Director
Jamila Pomeroy
Jamila Pomeroy is a Kenyan-Canadian WGC screenwriter and TWUC internationally-published writer with experience spanning print, new media and film. Her work often champions historically underrepresented people and narratives, while generating both accessible, intellectually-charged and comedic storylines. She has created scripted and factual work for networks and publications like CBC, BBC, Telus Originals, Network Entertainment, Quibi, and Showtime. Union Street is her first feature-length documentary as a director.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Kikuyu Land
Kikuyu Land follows Mr. Mungai’s struggle to reclaim family land taken during the colonial era. Through personal stories and archival research, the film explores the enduring impact of land dispossession in Kenya.
Crocodile
In Crocodile, a group of young, self-taught filmmakers turn Kaduna's streets, homes, and residents into the raw materials of sci-fi cinema. This Tribeca Viewpoints winner examines filmmaking as a means to overcome a city's constraints.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
A career thief’s circumstances grow desperate when he fences valuable merchandise stolen from a vengeful crime family. John Turturro is exquisite as a wiseacre who is typically one step ahead of everyone but now finds himself behind the eight ball.
Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird)
Winner of the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at this year's Berlinale, Anna Fitch and Banker White’s exuberant documentary combines vérité interviews with a playful mix of puppetry, collage, and insect actors to memorialize a friend.
Image: © Mirabel Pictures
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.
No Good Men
Naru, the sole camerawoman at a major Kabul newsroom, is convinced that there are “no good men” left in Afghanistan. But partnered with the station’s star reporter in the leadup to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, her outlook starts to shift.