After the tragic loss of her husband, single mother Beverly-Jean (Olunike Adeliyi, Akilla’s Escape) struggles to bridge the emotional gap between herself and her teenage children. Once a professional dancer, and now a caretaker on the verge of a second eviction, she’s losing patience with her son Tristin (Micah Mensah-Jatoe), and is worried about the panic attacks her daughter Tamika (Zahra Bentham) hides from her. Desperate to shelter her children from a surge of gun violence in Toronto, Jean takes it upon herself to cleanse the blood from crime scenes in their neighbourhood. This transformative experience impels her to examine the hidden wounds in her family’s own painful past.
Based on her award-winning short film Measure, writer-director Karen Chapman’s feature debut blends social realism with compelling psychological portraiture, making confident use of flashbacks to capture the associative nature of emotionally charged memories. Village Keeper traces a mother’s valiant efforts to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma, and her heartwarming quest to rediscover what brings her joy in life.
Sept 27 & 28: Q&A with director Karen Chapman and producer Enrique Baniqued
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Olunike Adeliyi, Zahra Bentham, Micah Mensah-Jatoe, Maxine Simpson, Oyin Oladejo
Canada
2024
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Christina Piovesan, Floyd Kane, Jordan Oram, Susana Ferreira, Taj Critchlow, Molly McGlynn, Lora Campbell, Dbi Young Anitafrika
Producer
Enrique Miguel Baniqued, Karen Chapman
Screenwriter
Karen Chapman
Cinematography
Jordan Oram
Editor
Christopher Minns, Xi Feng, Jordan Hayles
Production Design
June Charles
Original Music
Dalton Tennant
Karen Chapman
Award-winning filmmaker Karen Chapman strives to centre work that is grounded in storytelling and impact. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University, she is an alumnus of programs like Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre Director’s Lab and TIFF Talent Lab. Chapman is a recipient of the 2023 Micki Moore Fellowship and her short film, Measure, premiered at TIFF 2019, winning several awards. Her short documentary Quiet Minds Silent Streets premiered at TIFF 2022 and garnered multiple awards, including at the Canadian Film Festival and Yorkton Film Festival. Village Keeper is her feature film debut.
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The 39 Steps
In our new film studies series, FRAMEWORK, film scholar Michael van den Bos explores the work of Alfred Hitchcock, across four monochrome masterworks. This week: The 39 Steps (1935), a witty and fast-moving spy thriller from Hitchcock's English period.
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
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.
The History of Concrete
After attending a workshop on pitching saccharine Hallmark movies, John Wilson tries to apply all the same best practices to his documentary about concrete. Frequently absurd and endlessly entertaining detours, asides, and digressions ensue.
The Great McGinty
Preston Sturges' first film as writer-director is an omnivorous satire on endemic political corruption, the tale of a tramp who gets his entry into politics by casting 37 votes for mayor at $2 a pop. Eventually he'll be on the ticket himself...
To Be Or Not To Be
Strange but true: one of the greatest comedies of Hollywood's golden era was inspired by Hitler's annexation of Poland in 1938. Jack Benny is the renowned theatre actor whose performance of Hamlet is interrupted by the Germans.