Skip to main content
Wildhood film image; people dancing on beach

Wildhood

This event has passed

Stuck in a Nova Scotia trailer park and going nowhere fast, Link (Phillip Lewitski) is always on the run, fleeing local cops, dodging his abusive dad, and denying his Two-Spirit nature. When he discovers that, contrary to his dad’s claims, his Mi’kmaw mother may still be alive, he and his half-brother Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony) finally have purpose. On the road to Mi’kma’ki, they pick up Pasmay (Joshua Odjick), a gregarious drifter and pow wow dancer who represents Link’s best chance at locating his mom and finally experiencing a sense of acceptance.

In their first feature film, Bretten Hannam crafts a road movie in which both the journey and destination offer opportunities for self-discovery. The slow burn romance between Link and Pasmay proves both carnal and catalytic, with the sparks that fly igniting Link’s interest in his heritage and willingness to fully embrace his true nature. Hannam’s persuasive coming-of-age tale reminds us how empowerment often comes courtesy of intimacy and tenderness.

Having grown up in rural Northern Ontario, Wildwood immediately felt familiar to me, both in terms of its landscape, but also its gay narrative. Director Bretten Hannam works wonders in crafting this beautifully delicate and heartfelt journey.

Corey Payette, Guest Curator

 

Free admission to Indigenous-identifying patrons

 

The emotions are heavy and the sense of vulnerability unshakable in this open wound of a film about broken lineage, generational trauma and the yearning to find community.

Radheyan Simonpillai, NOW Toronto

Enlivened by elegant handheld cinematography and a galvanizing breakout performance from Phillip Lewitski, Wildhood is a beautiful testament to the power of authentic storytelling.

Jude Dry, Indiewire

This is a moving tale about finding one’s culture, one’s family and one’s place in the world. It’s got humour and heart to spare.

Chris Knight, National Post

Director

Bretten Hannam

Cast

Phillip Lewitski, Joshua Odjick, Michael Greyeyes, Joel Thomas Hynes, Steve Lund, Avery Winters-Anthony

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2021

Language

In English and Mi’kmaq with English subtitles

Content Warning

Coarse language, sexually suggestive scene, violence, nudity

PG

Open to youth!

108 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Executive Producer

Damon D’Oliveira

Producer

Bretten Hannam, Gharrett Patrick Paon, Julie Baldassi

Screenwriter

Bretten Hannam

Cinematography

Guy Godfree

Editor

Shawn Rykiss

Original Music

Neil Haverty

Also Playing

The Life of Chuck

Dir. Mike Flanagan
111 min

The winner of the coveted Audience Award at TIFF last year, The Life of Chuck keeps us guessing about what it's up to and where it's going... Trust us, it's a keeper.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Graduate

Dir. Mike Nichols
106 min

In The Graduate Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman, 30 playing 20 with masterly understatement) comes home from college and is surprised to be seduced by the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft).

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

blur: To the End

Dir. Toby L.
108 min

Now in their late 50s, Britpopsters blur (of Song 2 fame) do a celebratory lap of Great Britain culminating in their first ever Wembley Stadium show in this appealing observational doc. A companion piece to the concert film Live at Wembley Stadium.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Midnight Cowboy

Dir. John Schlesinger
113 min

Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are street hustlers on different ends of the innocence / experience spectrum who establish something more than a business partnership in the seedy world of late 60s New York City in John Schlesinger's New Hollywood classic.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema