Happy Feet + Melodies Sweet: Shorts Program

Happy Feet + Melodies Sweet features nine exciting short films from Canada, France, the UK, Argentina, Brazil and India, compiled together to form a moving viewing experience that will put a spring in your step and a song in your heart. TRAILER

Lullaby- dir.Irène-Kimberley Valin-Awashish/3:55/Canada/2022 Lullaby is a documentary essay about coming of age and the power of the unconscious. In the continuity of “Sweatlodge song”, this short film is a message of courage and hope.

Not Three Not Four- dir. Renée Wong/8:26/Canada/2023 Nate travels between imaginations, dreams and realities as they attempt to transition away from their mother — someone who feels most inescapable. Each night they dream of spiders, cockroaches, and centipedes. One thing becomes clear: the insects represent aspects of their mother and the arguments they have. Nate is forced to tackle their fear, this very transformative period of their life, right here, right now.

Unseen Dancer-dir. Kevin Corbeil Palma/6:24/Canada/2023 Luca performs for the first time in a queer ballroom and is interrupted on the dance floor by his mother, even though she has already passed away.

Private Flowers- dir. Haui/7:00/Canada/2023  In 1832, a Canadian Infantryman was hanged for making love with another man. The victim’s rank was Private, and his name was Flowers. Private Flowers is part of a series of art projects by Black, Indigenous and artists of colour, operating under the principles of anti-oppression, anti-colonialism and anti-racism and is part of the City’s efforts to address anti-Black racism. Filmmaker in Attendance.

Outside the Safehouse- dir. Nisha Luthra/18:22/ India/2023 Jai wants to learn Bharatnatyam which is a form of dance originated in the South of India and prevalent all over the world but his father cannot accept the fact that his son was getting the exhilaration from the rhythm of the ghungroos which his elder sister presented him while he was pushed out of the house.

A Bird Called Memory- dir. Leonardo Martinelli/15:00/Brazil/2023 A Bird Called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua, a trans woman, tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.

Youssou & Malek – dir. Simon Frenay/27:34/France/2023  Youssou and Malek are in love but they now have to say goodbye. Tomorrow, Youssou is flying off to the other side of the world, leaving Malek and their neighborhood behind. They promised each other to meet at the top of the hill for their last sunset together.

The Dance Off – dir. Nicolás Keller Sarmiento/13:00/USA/Argentina/2023 By a quiet gas station in a rural town, a young queer kid, Ernesto, confesses to his friend that he wants to be a dancer when he grows up. But in the patriarchal flatlands of Argentina, dancing isn’t really an option. After being harassed, Ernesto hides in the bathroom where he magically runs into a broken-hearted drag queen, Ruby. Charmingly mischievous, Ruby challenges Ernesto to a fateful dance-off; one that will ultimately encourage him to follow his dancing dreams.

Johnny Barnes – dir. Alex Etchart/11:06/UK/2023 Inspired by one of the oldest surviving LGBTQ+ Irish folk songs, JOHNNY BARNES is a post-modern gender-blending storytelling project encompassing music and narrative that tells the story of a repressed lord who becomes infatuated with a common sailor and questions his own gender identity in the process.

Haui is an award-winning mixed-media artist who defies categorization. Haui’s work explores themes of race, gender, and orientation, shedding light on stories often relegated to the peripheries of history while blurring lines between theatrical mediums. To date, Haui has worked as a director, designer, and deviser of new work for theatre, film, opera, and visual arts working for Canada’s leading arts organizations, including the Canadian Opera Company, Stratford Festival, National Arts Centre, Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Luminato Festival, Black Theatre Workshop, and more.

Community Sponsors: Kingston School of Dance