Presented by The Documentary Media Society, a Vancouver-based non-profit and charitable society devoted to presenting independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences, the 23rd annual DOXA Documentary Film Festival is taking place between May 2-12, 2024. DOXA is a curated and juried festival comprised of public screenings, panel discussions, public forums, and education programs. Each year, DOXA provides audiences with a better understanding of the complexity of our times through documentary media as an art form.
This year, DOXA’s programming includes 8 films from British Columbia, including the opening gala screening of ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE. Here are 4 of the documentaries you can watch:
Image from ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE
Inventive and whimsical, ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE is the true story of Alan St-Georges—a mascot-maker and artist in rural Illinois—and the ornate castle he built by hand with his beloved wife Adrianne prior to her passing in 2006. Since Adrianne’s death, Alan has continued to put finishing touches on Havencrest Castle, which now stands as a “temple” dedicated to the couple’s transcendent love. The film will be followed by a Q&A with the film director Shannon Walsh, Ina Fichman (producer), Pablo Alvarez-Mesa (DOP) and Rohit Joseph.
Taking its name from the Iranian youth gang active in North Vancouver during the early ’90s, Persian Pride recalls the hybrid fiction/documentary cinema of Iranian directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. With a focus on adapting memory and story for the screen, Joudaki touches on threads of community, stereotypes, history and systemic violence.
Image from SUGARCANE
“You’re going to goddamn well be accountable and you’re going to start now.” The words of residential school survivor Charlene Belleau echo across this powerful film, winner of the Grand Jury award for Directing (US Documentary) at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. With unflinching courage and heart-felt empathy, Sugarcane delves into the harrowing realities of residential schools in North America, demanding answers, acknowledgement, and decisive action. St. Joseph’s Mission school near Williams Lake becomes the focal point of a riveting and layered narrative that blends a relentless pursuit for justice with uplifting moments of levity and cultural heritage. Most importantly, the film is a conduit for healing, inviting survivors to share long-held experiences that shed light on their painful histories and giving them a chance to embark on a journey of collective catharsis.
BETWEEN PICTURES: THE LENS OF TAMIO WAKAYAMA
Whether capturing the white-hot intensity of the civil rights movement in the mid-1960s or chronicling decades of Japanese-Canadian cultural identity at Vancouver’s Powell Street Festival, Tamio Wakayama’s camera immortalized simple acts of courage and indomitable spirits. His photographs humanized headlines, imbuing them with a “purposeful sense of joy” (as a former colleague eloquently describes them in this uplifting film).
Here are the other 4 B.C. films screening this year:
Learn more about the festival and read the full program on the DOXA website.
