Starting From Where We Are
As part of the festival’s ongoing commitment to Canadian filmmakers, choreographers and dancers we’re thrilled to present a collection of stunning new dance/media collisions from across Canada.
These works are technically diverse, but thematically they all address the universal search for a sense of belonging and strength. How do we find our true selves in a world of confusion? Must we look back? Or just keep going forward, stumbling, dancing towards understanding? Perhaps we do both at the same time? Good thing we have dancers to show us the way.
The eternal matriarchs in Pidikwe (directed by Caroline Monnet) and performer Gerry Trentham’s multilayered identity quest in Valley of Shadows (directed by William Yong) demonstrate that history is part of our being. We can move on from it, but it is always there. The Migration Project’s latest, Landed is sited in Genoa, a new home to many at the heart of an ancient trade route. Carole Prieur’s soulful solo rummaging outside New York’s Hotel Chelsea (directed by Stephen O’Connell of bluemouth inc.), and Blue bird’s channeling of Charles Bukowski’s poetry (directed by Shako) take inspiration from words, and the ghosts of culture.
Individually and together, the artists who made and performed in these works reveal what’s new in Canadian screendance in an engaging and provocative 60 minutes.
– Kathleen Smith,
Arts Encounters dancefilm programmer
Pidikwe (Rumble)
Credits + Bios
Director: Caroline Monnet
Writer: Caroline Monnet
Cast: Joséphine Bacon, Aïcha Bastien N’Diaye, Catherine Boivin, Catherine Dagenais-Savard, Emilie Monnet, Caroline Monnet
Director Of Production: Nicolas Canniccioni
Editor: Marc Boucrot
Sound: Ilyaa Ghafouri
Set Designer: Caroline Monnet
Music: Alessandro Cortini
Producers: Chantier Monnet & Coop Vidéo de Montréal
The Pidikwe creation benefited from a creation and shooting residency at USINE C with the support of the Conseil des Arts de Montréal.
Caroline Monnet
Caroline Monnet is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist based in Montréal. Her work has been programmed extensively in Festivals and Museums around the world, including The Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, Berlinale, Göteborg and Rotterdam, as well as the Whitney Biennale, Frankfurt Kunsthalle, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Canada. She was selected for the Cannes Festival’s Cinéfondation residency in Paris. She received the Sundance Institute’s Merata Mita Fellowship and was named compagne des Arts et des Lettres du Québec.
Blue Bird
Credits + Bios
Director: Shako
Writer: Charles Bukowski
Producer: Shako
Key Cast, Choreographer & Performer: Christopher Petersen
Voice: Harry Dean Stanton
Director of Production: Shako
Sound: Caroline Regnaud
Colorist: Anthony Wegner
Grip: Jennifer Laiwint
Shako
Shako is an India-born, Toronto-based filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose practice moves between dance, film, photography, and animation. His interest in dance film emerged when he was introduced to contemporary dance, which transformed the way he understood movement, emotion, and cinematic expression. Drawn to the tactile and expressive qualities of analog cinema, he works primarily with 16mm film to create poetic visual narratives. He creates immersive works that reflect his personal perspective on the world.
Landed
Photo Credits: Mattia Octaviani & Marzio Mirabella
The most recent production from filmmaker Marlene Millar an choreographer Sandy Silva, LANDED travels from the historical Port of Genoa, through the rugged Ligurian mountains, to an industrial site in Turin now reimagined as a community park. LANDED traces a poetic journey across landscapes steeped in history and shaped by change. As the performers traverse these spaces, they becomes a collective vessel of memory and a compass of renewal, navigating the terrain between loss and hope, displacement and belonging.
Featuring dance artists, musicians and community members from Italy, Germany, Greece and Canada, this intergenerational, multidisciplinary ensemble bring their practices into the project. Through their shared exploration, they invite viewers into a cinematic dialogue that transcends borders, illuminating the deep human need for connection and acceptance.
Credits + Bios
Director: Marlene Millar
Choreographer: Sandy Silva
Writers: Marlene Millar + Sandy Silva
Director of Photography: Marzio Mirabella
Music: Sandy Silva, Jean Fréchette, Giorgio Li Calzi, Stefano Risso
Editor: Jules de Niverville
Producers: Marlene Millar, Sandy Silva
Executive Producers: Marco Longo, Lucia Carolina De Rienzo, Elena Maria Melloncelli
Creative Producer: Jules de Niverville
Production Manager: Valeria Palma
Cast: Eugenia Amisano, Ilaria Bagarolo, Drew Bathory, Valeria Chan, Beatrice Di Mario, Issac Endo, Marina Giardina, Ilaria Laruccia, Sarah Lasaki, Caterina Montanari, Simona Olivieri, Yiota Peklari, Fabio Poggi, Mathilde K. Richer, Kimberly Robin, Sandy Silva, Bobby Thompson, Claudia Tura, Erika Zur Nedden
Singers: Lapsus Lumine – Alice Isnardi, Erika Sofia Sollo, Alessandra Soro
Musicians: Ilaria Laruccia, Lorenzo Fanciulli, Matteo Ferracuti, Mattia Parenti
Poet: Chandra Candiani
Marlene Millar
With a background in contemporary dance and design, filmmaker Marlene Millar has created screen dance, documentaries, and experimental media productions since 1991. With a BFA in Cinema, Millar pursued graduate filmmaking studies at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, and received a Dance Media Fellowship at the University of California (Los Angeles). Millar’s expansive career was honoured at her solo exhibition, a retrospective of her 30-year practice, at Threshold Artspace, UK (2019). Millar is currently celebrating 25 years of dance media co-creation with Philip Szporer and their collective Créations Mouvement Perpétuel with recent retrospectives in Bremen, Wuppertal, Hong Kong, Montreal and Barcelona, where they received the Choreoscope 2025 Screendance Award.
Founded in 2014, the MIGRATION DANCE FILM PROJECT is a series of films (Lay Me Low, Pilgrimage, Move, Traverse, Navigation,Offering, Landed) produced/directed by Millar and produced/choreographed by Sandy Silva, and has garnered over 30 awards internationally, including Best Canadian Short Film at the 39th th Festival International du Film sur l’Art (Navigation). The duo have created works in France, Italy, Ireland, Korea, and Portugal and are currently in production on a Québec-based project.
Millar’s work is known for its sensitivity to movement, landscape, and human connection, blending cinematic language with choreographic insight. Beyond her own productions, she is deeply committed to nurturing independent filmmaking, mentoring emerging artists, and fostering global creative exchange. Since 1995, she has led workshops, seminars, and mentorship programs worldwide, inspiring the next generation of filmmakers and artists. Her career reflects a sustained dedication to collaboration, innovation, and the exploration of dance through the moving image.
Hotel Chelsea
Inspired by the life and writings of iconic American singer Patti Smith and her memoir Just Kids, the film evokes the spirit of New York’s legendary Chelsea Hotel, a sanctuary for artists, dreamers, and lovers. Through the movements of dancer Carol Prieur, Hotel Chelsea becomes a poetic meditation on transformation — a reflection on the inevitability of change and the fragile beauty of creative beginnings.
Credits + Bios
Director: Stephen O’Connell
Performer and Writer: Carol Prieur
Camera: Tony Chong
Music: Deanna Choi
Stephen O’Connell
Stephen O’Connell is a core and founding member of the Toronto-based performance collective bluemouth inc. His work spans film, performance, dance, and emerging technologies. He has collaborated with notable companies across the U.S. and Canada, including Radix Theatre in Vancouver and The Wooster Group in New York. He was the co-founder of FREE FALL, a biennial performance festival in Toronto, and PROJET PROJO in Montreal.
Stephen co-created and toured bluemouth’s internationally acclaimed production DANCE MARATHON, as well as CAFE SARAJEVO, an immersive performance integrating live radio podcasting and 360-degree video technology. His most recent work, GAME OF LIFE, won a Dora Award for Outstanding Innovative Experience. It includes two parts: LUCY AI, an interactive audiovisual installation that invites audiences into a deeply personal encounter with memory, mortality, and machine learning; and ELEPHANT, an immersive performance where audience members become participants in games and discussions about the value of community and the challenges of letting go.
Stephen holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Simon Fraser University and a BFA in Dance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Valley of Shadows
Valley of Shadows’ follows a man as he travels back to the landscape of his childhood, the Badlands of Alberta, Canada, a place characterised by layers – geological, historical and, personal. The strange beauty and vulnerability of the Drumheller Valley converge with the nature of his queerness and the gentle toughness he has embraced to survive it. The film tugs at the heart of identity, resilience, and the enduring connection between a person and his birthplace.
Producer: Fujiwara Dance Inventions
Co-Producer: lbs/sq” Performance
Director: William Yong
Writer: Gerry Trentham
Choreographers: Denise Fujiwara + Gerry Trentham
Cinematographer: William Yong
Editor: William Yong
Colourist: Oliver Salathiel
Sound Designer: Robert Bertola
Sound Editor: Sean Hackl
Sound Re-recording Mixer: Bruce Fleming @ Eggplant Picture & Sound
Film Production: W Zento Productions
Dramaturg: Denise Fujiwara
First Assistant Camera: Rachel Leung
Camera Operators: Rachel Leung & William Yong
Drone Camera Operator: Jordan Cutbill
Production Coordinator: Mayumi Lashbrook
Cast: Gerry Trentham, Aaron Krogman, Gabriel Schmidt, Mayumi Lashbrook
Music Director: William Yong
Child Singer: Gabriel Schmidt
Music – Composers
- Birds and Daisies – Racoon Racoon
- No Affection – Labelled Dead
- Life – Kevin Graham
- Royal Nature – Biosphere
- Amistad – Lunapool
- The Weight – KNEELIO
- Reversed Sleep – Jon Gegelman
- Why Do I Hide – Lone Wild
Artlist License No. 4237944
Funded with generous support from:
- Canada Council for the Arts
- Ontario Arts Council
- Toronto Arts Council
- Lindy Green & Sam Chaiton
- Bulmash-Siegel Foundation
Director’s Note
In the vast expanse of the Canadian Badlands lies a place where the earth tells stories older than time itself, where every layer of sediment whispers secrets of the past. It is within this rugged landscape, amidst the towering hoodoos and winding canyons of Drumheller Valley, that “Valley of Shadows” finds its soulful resonance. As the director of this film, I embarked on a journey not only through physical terrain but also through the depths of memory and identity. Our protagonist returns to his childhood home, seeking solace and understanding amidst the haunting beauty of the Badlands. Here, amidst the stark geological formations, he confronts not only the layers of his personal history but also the complexities of his queerness – a tender exploration of self-discovery and acceptance.
“Valley of Shadows” is more than just a visual odyssey through the stunning Canadian landscape; it is a poignant meditation on resilience and belonging. Through the lens of our protagonist’s journey, we delve into the enduring bond between a person and the place they call home, and the profound impact it has on shaping one’s sense of self. With each frame, we aimed to capture not only the grandeur of the Badlands but also the intimate moments of human connection and introspection. It is a film imbued with a deep sense of emotion and authenticity, celebrating both the resilience of the human spirit and the timeless beauty of the Canadian wilderness.
William Yong, Director of Valley of Shadows
Awards to date
- Cine Paris Film Festival – Best Cinematography – Winner
- Tokyo International Cinema Awards – Best Cinematographer – Winner
- Rotterdam Independent Film Festival – Best Cinematography – Winner
- Hong Kong Indie Film Festival – Best Cinematography in Short – Winner
- Dublin International Film Awards – Best Cinematography – Winner
- Reale Film Festival (Milan, Italy) – Best Cinematography – Winner
William Yong
Artistic Director and Founder of Zata Omm and W Zento Productions, William Yong has dedicated over two decades to breaking new ground by collaborating with artists, scientists, and engineers in visionary, technology-driven performance projects. William’s artistic journey began with music as a member of the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and later as the lead singer and songwriter for the band Fundamental, which was signed by a major record label in Hong Kong/Asia. His passion for the arts expanded into an illustrious 30-year career spanning dance, theatre, acting, directing and filmmaking. Trained at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and London Contemporary Dance School, William graduated with a master’s degree with distinction. He performed with some of the world’s most influential choreographers and companies, including Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance and Matthew Bourne’s Adventures in Motion Pictures, touring 76 cities across 15 countries. As a choreographer and director, William has created over 150 acclaimed works, including innovative productions such as vox:lumen, Steer, and Eden Planted. In 2024, he became the first Asian choreographer commissioned by the National Ballet of Canada for UtopiVerse, premiered at Toronto’s prestigious Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and toured at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France —a groundbreaking achievement in Canadian ballet. William’s contributions to the arts have earned him numerous accolades, including the “I love dance/J’aime la danse” Award for Innovation presented by Canada Dance Assembly and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for an ensemble performance. His stage works have garnered thirteen Dora nominations, most recently for Outstanding Original Choreography for UtopiVerse. In film, William’s work as a director, cinematographer and editor has received international recognition, winning awards for Best Cinematography, Award of Excellence, and Best Experimental Short at thirteen esteemed film festivals worldwide. With a passion for pushing artistic boundaries and a commitment to innovation, William Yong continues to redefine storytelling for the stage and screen in the technological age.
Banner photo still from Valley of Shadows by William Yong.