Short film with this feature:
FASTBALL, 10:43 min, Director: Jeremy McCracken, Canadian Premiere.
Short film with this feature:
PERSONAL ASSISTANTS, 9:34 min, Canada, Co-directors: Noah Aiken-Klar and Matt Hilliard-Forde.
A successful businessman, Danie du Toit, answers his doorbell in the middle of a rainy night to find a slender rain-soaked figure – his stepdaughter that he hasn’t seen in years. Then she lifts the gun… “It’s me, Anna” is about the sexual abuse of Anna Bruwer by her stepfather over a period of eight years. Silent Anna, she called herself because she could not tell anyone what had happened between her and her stepfather. The story takes the viewer into the child’s twilight world of shame, threats and silence. A film based on Anchien Troskie’s two top-selling novels, Dis ek, Anna and Die Staat teen Anna Bruwer.
Short film with this feature:
MY HAPPINESS, 3 min, Ethiopia, Director: Semagngeta Aychiluhem, Canadian Premiere.
Off the coast of the small town of Warrnambool, Australia, lies Middle Island, a sanctuary once home to thousands of tiny fairy penguins – until foxes crossed the channel to the island and penguins starting disappearing. If the penguins’ population falls below ten, all will be lost. The sanctuary will shut down and park ranger, Emily Marsh will be out of a job – a turn of events that will threaten the penguins and Emily’s family, including her eccentric chicken-farmer father, Swampy (Shane Jacobson) and her 9-year-old daughter, Olivia. This is the true story of the chicken farmer who, with the help of his granddaughter, trains his mischievous dog, Oddball to protect a wild penguin sanctuary from fox attacks and in the process tries to reunite his family and save their seaside town.
Short films with this feature:
THE VOLCANO, 4:50 min, U.S.A., Director: Marie Cheng, Canadian Premiere.
THE ADVENTURE OF KEVIN, 2:46 min, India, Director: Priyanshu Jadon, Canadian Premiere.
A panel discussion on bipolar disorder and mental health will follow this film.
Short films with this feature:
THE GIFT, 4:14 min, Australia, Director: Steve Bastoni, Canadian Premiere.
PHOBIA, 2:10 min, Canada (Sheridan College), Director: Tymur Markunin.
Frieda, a fashion-commercial photographer trying to find her own art, gathers her closest girlfriends to travel to Goa for a surprise announcement: she’s getting married! Thus begins an impromptu bachelorette party that lasts a full week—a riotous roller-coaster ride in a sumptuous setting. Through the fun and frenzy, heartbreak and heartache, passion and obsession, youth and innocence, secrets tumble out, tensions emerge, bonds are formed and emotions run high. Soon events will take a more serious turn, but for the moment these women are determined to seize the day.
A panel discussion on violence against women in Asian communities will follow this film.
Short film with this feature:
THE RESCUE, 1:04 min, Canada (Sheridan College), Director: Anna Starkova, World Premiere.
At the Oakville Festivals of Film and Art we’re ramping up with preparations for the June 24–26, 2016 festival and this year we’re extra excited. Why? Because of our wonderful new title sponsor, Willson International Ltd. Peter Willson and his family are active members of the Oakville community, with a long track record of supporting important initiatives in health care, education, and the arts. Peter, a big movie lover, is a natural fit for our festival family of independent film fanatics! We’re honoured and pleased as punch to have Willson International on board.
Let’s hear Peter’s story:
Article by Nancy Fornasiero
Nancy Fornasiero, a huge indie-film fan, is an Oakville-based writer, editor, and communications specialist.
Video by Cathleen MacDonald, Motion Picture Enterprises
Filmmaker, Cathleen MacDonald, creates media content for entertainment, education, and communications.
Quiz by Nancy Fornasiero
Nancy Fornasiero, a huge indie-film fan, is an Oakville-based writer, editor, and communications specialist.