Our Main Building and galleries will not be open to the public for Nuit Blanche. Access to “Hopes and Fears Assembly” will be on the northwest side of the Main Building.

August 6, 2023

Shorts Night

Films

Ontario

Join us for a spot away from the bustle with short films from the National Film Board spotlighting Caribbean stories. 

Shorts night

Joe, 2002 National Film Board of Canada, All rights reserved

Overview

Sit with us, take a breather. We are delighted to welcome you to a spot of quiet away from the bustle, screening an array of short independent films telling tales and highlighting noteworthy stories hailing from the Caribbean. The short independent films include Joe by Jill Haras, Mind Me Good Now! By Chris Cormier and Derek Cummings, MacPherson by Martine Chartrand, Christopher Changes His Name by Cilia Sawadogo, and Patty vs Patty by Chris Strikes. Don’t be discouraged if you miss a film as we will be screening each short more than once in our Studio Theatre. 

Joe

Length: 8 mins

Director Jill Haras 

Producer George Johnson 

Animation Tami Knight, Martin Rose, Amanda Forbis, Sherann E. Johnson, Tracy Lewis 

This animated short tells the story of Seraphim “Joe” Fortes, one of Vancouver’s most beloved citizens. Born in the West Indies, Joe Fortes swam in English Bay for over 30 years. A self-appointed lifeguard at first, he became so famous that the city of Vancouver finally rewarded him with a salary for doing what he loved best. He taught thousands of people to swim and saved over a hundred lives. Yet some did not respect him because of his skin colour. Through his determination, kindness and love for children, Joe helped shift attitudes. 

Mind Me Good Now!

Length: 8 mins

Director Chris Cormier and Derek Cummings 

Producer Michael Scott 

Animation Chris Cormier 

In this animated short, two children, Tina and Dalby, disobey their mama with almost tragic consequences. Having strayed away from home, they run afoul of a local “cocoya,” a wicked spirit that loves to eat little boys! But through Tina’s resourcefulness and cunning, the cocoya is defeated, and the children run back to mama’s forgiving arms. 

MacPherson

Length: 10 mins

Director and Animator Martine Chartrand  

Producer Marcel Jean and Marc Bertrand 

This animated film by Martine Chartrand (Black Soul) recounts the friendship between a young Félix Leclerc and Frank Randolph Macpherson, a Jamaican chemical engineer and university graduate who worked for a pulp and paper company. An inveterate jazz fan, Macpherson inspired Leclerc, who wrote a song about the long drives and entitled it “MacPherson” in honour of his friend. 

Christopher Changes His Name

Length: 6 mins

Director and Animator Cilia Sawadogo  

Producer Tamara Lynch 

This animated short for children tells the story of Christopher, a little boy who didn’t want to be called Christopher anymore. Such a common name! When Aunty Gail from Trinidad tells him a story about a Tiger, Christopher changes his name to Tiger. But then he finds a better name. When he has trouble cashing a birthday cheque, he realizes he should stick with his original name…or maybe not? Part of the Talespinners collection, which uses vibrant animation to bring popular children’s stories from a wide range of cultural communities to the screen. 

Patty VS Patty

Length: 19 mins

Director and Writer Chris Strikes 

Producer Chris Strikes, Maya Annik Bedward, Kate Fraser 

The story of Toronto’s bizarre 1985 “patty wars,” when Jamaican-Canadian bakers went head-to-head with the federal government over the name of their beloved beef patty. 

Dates & Times

August 6
5pm – 9:30pm

Venue

Studio Theatre

235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON

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Keywords All AgesFilmFree Event