Doors Open Toronto 2018

Daniels Building Auditorium

1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto

Reelworld Film Festival presents: Urban Challenges

Toronto is a beautiful but complex urban centre. Many Torontonians face daily challenges when navigating the city. Reelworld is pleased to showcase 8 of our outstanding alumni. These Torontonians address the Urban Challenges of the city in their work.

Showcase:

Dandelions | Duration - 5:23 minutes

Director - Dawn Wilkinson

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Synopsis - The filmmaker wonders out loud in her first film: 'How do I make myself at home in a landscape made foreign to me?' What kind of relationship to the land can she have in a place where she sees herself but where others constantly ask: Where are you from?

A Better Man (Select scenes) | Duration - 29:15 minutes

Director - Attiya Khan & Lawrence Jackman

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Synopsis - Filmmaker Attiya Khan documents her meeting with an abusive ex-boyfriend to show the healing and revelation that can happen for everyone involved when men take responsibility for their abuse.

Room For Her | Duration - 13:26 minutes

Director - Farah Merani

Synopsis - Two middle-aged women share their experiences with living with mental health issues and poverty in Toronto, and the community arts group that gave them hope.

The Skin We're In (Select scenes) | Duration - 15:30 minutes

Director - Charles Officer

Synopsis - “The Skin We’re In” is a heartfelt and provocative look at systemic racism, an issue that many Canadians have yet to acknowledge. Writer and activist Desmond Cole’s journey is not just toward discovery, but toward the unveiling of a desperate, hidden truth: the truth about the skin he’s in. And the Canada we thought we knew.

Wilderness | Duration - 12:13 minutes

Director - Dawn Wilkinson

Synopsis - Wilderness is about the enormous suffering experienced by those who stand alongside the people they love and care about, who struggle with severe mental illness.

Spoke | Duration - 14:55 minutes

Director - Lulu Wei

Synopsis - Spoke examines cycling as a viable form of transportation while addressing the infrastructure enhancements needed to improve Toronto’s quality of life. It asks the question: Is it possible to change an entire city’s attitude toward transportation?

Entrain | Duration - 7:04 minutes

Director - Elaine Poon & Adrien Benson

Synopsis - A slice-of-life film about an impromptu jam session between a displaced French foreigner and an East-African djembe player on a crowded subway train.