Updated:May 27, 2021, 3:00 P.M.
Vancouver, BC:
Behind the Façade, a collection of award-winning shorts by acclaimed directors, airs on Knowledge Network June 3, 2021.
Acclaimed directors: Banchi Hanuse, Baljit Sangra, Joella Cabalu, Lyana Patrick, Dave Rodden-Shortt and Rosemary Georgeson celebrate the strong, diverse communities that make up British Columbia’s history. From a whirlwind day at a radio station that is empowering Nuxalk language and nationhood, to a secret gathering space for gay men in 1950s Vancouver, and the oldest Sikh Temple in North America, these films offer a nuanced look at BC’s history and the structures that persist.
Films in the series include Nuxalk Radio (Dir. Banchi Hanuse, Hot Docs, imagineNATIVE, VIFF 2020 Sea to Sky Award Winner), The Train Station (Dir. Lyana Patrick, Hot Docs, Telefilm Clermont-Ferrand, Short Film Market, VIFF), Happytime Social Club (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt, VIFF), Ode to a Seafaring People (Dir. Joella Cabalu, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, DisORIENT Asian American Film Festival) and Have You Forgotten Me? (Dir. Baljit Sangra, DOXA, SAAFF).
Behind the Façade gets to the heart of historic buildings and neighbourhood touchstones, to share stories of resiliency from diverse communities.
Short Synopsis:
Ode to a Seafaring People, directed by Joella Cabalu and featuring spoken word artist Sol Diana, poetically reveals the often-hidden world of Filipino seafarers, and in doing so celebrates the resiliency of the Filipino community. Seattle Asian American Film Festival, Disorient Film Festival.
Nuxalk Radio (Dir. Banchi Hanuse ), set in the Nuxalk Village of Q’umk’uts‘, uses a verité style to follow radio hosts Anuximana Violet Tallio, Qwaxw Spencer Siwallace, Q’xta Rolland Mack, Nuhawhawta Sheldon Tallio, and Snxakila Clyde Tallio for a whirlwind day in the life of 91.1 FM, Nuxalk Radio, a station built to help keep the Nuxalkmc language alive, broadcasting the laws of the lands and waters. Winner of the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival Sea to Sky Award. Hot Docs, opening gala film at imagineNATIVE, Available Light Film Festival, Victoria Film Festival, DOXA, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Santa Fe International Film Festival, Guelph Film Festival, Māoriland Film Festival, BIRRARANGGA Film Festival, imagineNATIVE tour 2021.
In the emotionally compelling Have You Forgotten Me? (Dir. Baljit Sangra), Nash and Rajinder Gill shine light on the Gur Sikh Temple, North American’s oldest running gurdwara, and the struggle that it represents. DOXA, Seattle Asian American Film Festival.
In the beautifully animated The Train Station, director Lyana Patrick narrates her family’s powerful story of love and survival at Lejac Indian Residential School. Hot Docs, Official Telefilm selection for the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market Not Short on Talent Program, Vancouver International Film Festival.
Casa Mia: The Headlines (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt) uses newspaper headlines to reveal the historic connections between rum running and some of Vancouver’s most iconic landmarks.
The fine line between kitsch and caricature is examined in The Tomahawk (Dir. Lyana Patrick), where Skwxwú7mesh Elder and renowned carver Robert Yelton and restaurant owner Chuck Chamberlain share stories of the oldest family run restaurant in British Columbia. Skoden Indigenous Film Festival, DOXA.
Happytime Social Club (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt) provides us with a rare glimpse into life as a gay man in Vancouver in the 1950s. Vancouver International Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Sardinia Queer Film Festival, New Zealand Vision Feast, Love Story Film Festival.
A Place to Belong (Dir. Lyana Patrick and Rosemary Georgeson) celebrates Christmas at the very first Friendship Centre, located in East Vancouver, and reveals the story behind the Friendship Centre movement. Vancouver International Film Festival, Skoden Indigenous Film Festival.
jessica@lanternfilms.ca (778) 928-5377
Breaking:
Joella Cabalu’s firstphotohere has been recognized as The Webby Awards Honoree in the Social Content Series & Campaigns Diversity & Inclusion category!
A huge thanks to the 100s of people who submitted and shared stories behind their #FirstPhotoHereinCanada 
I am humbled that you trusted us with featuring your story of courage, bittersweet loss, trepidation, and excitement. Check out the collection of stories on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/firstphotohere/