World Premiere
In the days following the death of her grandmother, Hope witnesses her mother and uncle clash over cultural protocols surrounding the burial, while processing her own grief.
Leenah Robinson, Jennifer Podemski, Michael Greyeyes, Renae Morriseau, Michael Podemski-Bedard, Bruce Crawford
Canada
2026
English
This short is featured in:
Short Forum 4: Immanence: A Life
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Faith Sparrow-Crawford, Scarlett Sparrow-Felix, Johnna Sparrow-Crawford
Producer
Mik Narciso, Dallas Soonias, Willian Leung
Screenwriter
Faith Sparrow-Crawford
Cinematography
Ben Dawson
Editor
Nathan Young
Production Design
Victor Razi
Original Music
Justin Delorme
Faith Sparrow-Crawford
Faith Sparrow-Crawford is a Musqueam writer, director, and producer based in Vancouver, BC. Raised by generations of storytellers, she studied Indigenous new media at UBC before co-founding Salish Locations Inc. and Host Consulting Inc., ventures advancing Indigenous representation across film and public art. Sparrow-Crawford has been developing film and television projects since 2017 and is devoted to advancing Indigenous representation and telling stories that carry her people forward in film.
Scarlett Sparrow-Felix
Scarlett Sparrow-Felix is Musqueam, raised on-reserve in Vancouver, BC, with a deep pride in her culture and a passion for telling stories rooted in it. Her love of film took shape in high school and led her to Capilano University’s MOPA program, where she trained on independently funded shorts across the Lower Mainland. Sparrow-Felix aims to tell dynamic, nuanced stories about Indigenous peoples, cultures, and histories.
VIFF Short Forum
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Short Forum 1: The Scarier One
The return of scary: fear in all its chilling, suspenseful, and unsettling shades.
Short Forum 2: Anthropomaxx
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Short Forum 3: Workers of the World
The grind of the working class in a system that betrays its promises.
Short Forum 4: Immanence: A Life
You don’t have to look far; life is beautiful!
Short Forum 5: Somewhere Else
If space and time are pure perception, let’s build them differently.
Short Forum 6: Archive Lives!
Before anything becomes archival, it’s lived.
Short Forum 7: War at Home
Truly, no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Short Forum 8: Sticky & Wet
No matter the age, things can always get sticky and wet.
Short Forum 9: Big Time Sensuality
Explorations of desire and intimacy serve both pain and pleasure.
Short Forum 10: Are the Kids Alright?
The future kinda depends on it.