SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 6, 3:00 PM
PROGRAM 5
The Christmas Tree That Changed The World
Canada | Animation | 3 min
Director: Veronica Popov
Writer: Beth Dessen Duffy
Producer: Beth Dessen Duffy
Meet a young evergreen tree named Spruce and puppy friend Holly. Learn how they start a new North Pole Tradition by adding ornaments to Spruce's branches after doing kind acts.
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Man-eating Plant
Canada | Drama | 12 min
Director/Writer: Alice Han
Producer: Xander Chai
Cast: Lucia Nie, Nian Chang, Stephanie Zheng
Haunted by the loss of her father, Qiaoyi chooses to stay in a city she does not like—Toronto—in order to accompany her boyfriend and seek a sense of security. However, their once stable relationship gradually begins to fracture, until the appearance of a mysterious flower. The flower seems to have the power to control her boyfriend’s behavior, which rekindles Qiaoyi’s hope.
Go for Gold
Taiwan | Drama | 8 min
Director/Writer: Niko Chu
Producer: Madeleine Yung
Cast: Aura Carcueva, Matthew Morales
A Filipina housekeeper starts her first day working for an injured Filipino-Canadian Track Star. In her attempt to connect with him culturally, secrets from his past in the Philippines unravel.
Pond Kings – Battle of the Championship
Canada | Animation | 1 min
Director: Shijin Wang
Pond Kings – Battle of the Championship is a fast-paced animated short that parodies martial arts showdowns with humor and heart. In this unexpected face-off, Frog Lee—the undisputed champion of the pond—takes on Papaya the Fly, a tiny challenger with big surprises. Packed with playful energy and stylized action, the film celebrates the underdog spirit in the most unlikely of heroes.
Fish Boy
Canada | Drama | 16 min
Director/Writer: JoAnne Fishburn
Cast: Carole Browne, Marcus Ngo
FISH BOY is a story about Jacky, a busy mid-50’s professional who comes to form an unlikely bond with 12-year-old Jack after he knocks on her door one day asking to borrow a bowl for his - he caught it at the lake and wants to take it home as a pet. Jack starts to visit often. Their connection grows, but he suddenly stops coming around. Jacky who has kept the friendship secret from Jack’s parents is unable to find him, leaving her to grapple with the bittersweet loss of their unexpected bond.
Wattleseed
Canada | Thriller | 12 min
Director: William Chai
Writer: William Chai, Cain Chai
Producer: William Chai, Edward Gao, Titus Tan
Cast: Daniel Guo, Titus Tan, Mitchell Hynes
Locked in a AI race against a rival university, two researchers realize that destroying "Wattleseed" won't stop the coming singularity. To halt the arms race, they devise a plan to stage a lethal incident.
Hockey Mom
Canada | Comedy | 6 min
Director: Mikaela Lily Davies
Writer: Clara Altimas
Producer: Monica Rodriguez Knox, Katrina Peralta, Mikaela Lily Davies
Cast: Monica Rodriguez Knox, Ana Araujo, Paul Braunstein
Melissa, a perpetually distracted working mom, shows up to her 14 year old daughter Ava’s hockey game having forgotten the one thing that matters most: Ava’s goalie stick. With the game about to start and her daughter already humiliated, Melissa has to find a way to make it right - before she loses more than just the game.
Neko Neko Night
Canada | Animation | 2 min
Director/Writer: Fanélie Ollivier, Éline Bellon-Curutchet, Lorena Lopez Ospina
A cute animal host is presenting a TV commercial, selling a bottle of liquid supplement that could cure anything and anyone, but it sounds too good to be true...
Apple Blossom
Canada | Drama | 13 min
Director/Writer: Daniel Yekymov
Producer: Chris Morsby, Daniel Yekymov
Cast: Orest Kuzma, Olivia St. Louis, Gia Maria Brobonea
Apple Blossom is a psychological drama about a father who spends the night with his terminally ill child and experiences an internal conflict between pain and his creative nature.
Lighten Up
Canada | Drama | 16 min
Director/Writer: Brielle Robillard
Producer: Josie Dietl
Cast: Yatharth Bhatt, , Tomaso Sanelli, Brielle Robillard