Ball Lightning follows the story of Gusta, a refugee who fled Soviet run East Germany after the end of WWII and immigrated to the United States in the 1960s. The story is told through the eyes of the surrogate daughter that she raised after she was forced to give away her own infant daughter as the iron curtain rose. Gusta serves as an example of survival, kindness and the fortitude of human resilience. The film is dedicated to her lost daughter, Esther, a reminder that the children separated from families because of war are never forgotten by those who love them.
Catriona Trina Baker
USA
2024
English
Violence
Open to youth
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Catriona Trina Baker
Screenwriter
Catriona Trina Baker
ANIM
Trina Baker, Aimee Ham, Hanah Cincotta, Serena Bartlett
Editor
Trina Baker
Catriona Trina Baker
Catriona Baker is an Associate Professor of Animation & VFX at Lesley University’s College of Art and Design. She is an animator, book artist, and painter. Her work predominantly discusses themes of social justice, specifically: sexual assault and domestic violence awareness, female empowerment, and immigration. Her animations explore the visual juxtapositions between traditional mediums and digital processes. She holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, a B.F.A. from Maine College of Art, and an M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied both animation and painting. She has been awarded several grants, and her work has been shown nationally in galleries, and in both private and corporate collections. Her animations have received national and international accolades, including an International Platinum Pixie award and two International CINDY (Cinema in Industry) awards.
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.