Festival Online Cinema

Subjects:  Challenge & Change, English, Equity Diversity & Social Justice, Gender Studies, Politics, World Cultures, World History, World Issues, World Religions

Afghan Star, Afghanistan's answer to American Idol, is a raging success. For 13 straight seasons, the show has featured exclusively male winners—until the historic year of 2019. When Zahra threw her hat into the ring, she dreamed of emulating the success of her singing coach and Afghan Star judge Aryana Sayeed. A household name in Afghanistan, controversial and bold Aryana has paved the way for success in a country where entertainment is risky business for women. And Still I Sing follows Aryana and her protégée Zahra as she emerges as a favourite in the final episodes of the 14th season, right up to the American military withdrawal and Taliban takeover in 2021. Through their story, the film reminds us that for over half a century now, the right of Afghan women to artistic expression has never been a given and continues to be contested. 

 

Subjects:  Business, Civics, English, Equity Diversity & Social Justice, Gender Studies, Media Studies, Computer Sciences

Shalini Kantayya is back with her latest documentary, TikTok, Boom. Diving headfirst into the origin story of the world's most downloaded app, Kantayya takes us through its Chinese ownership, geopolitical concerns and, most importantly, user experience. While the app lures in most users with fun dance trends and cute cat videos, creators speak of their successes and questionable declines when posting political opinions and sharing criticism about the app itself. Some stories are more concerning, as certain creators become muted while others are pushed to the top of public pages. With murky terms of service and a confusing privacy policy, maybe the app is not all it's made out to be. 

 

Subjects:  English, Media Studies, Equity Diversity & Social Justice, Politics, World Issues

In August 2020 while on a plane travelling from Siberia to Moscow, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent implicated in attacks on other opponents of the Russian government. As his wife urgently attempts to get Navalny out of Russia and to safety in Germany, the attention of the world becomes focused on this bold, outspoken politician and his mission to shine a light on corruption at the highest levels of Russian leadership and offer an alternative to decades of authoritarian rule. In this taut political thriller, Canadian filmmaker Daniel Roher captures incredible footage of Navalny partnering with journalists and international news organizations (including data journalism pioneer Christo Grozev of Bellingcat) to investigate his attempted assassination and find proof of the Kremlin's involvement. As the poisoning plot is unraveled before the camera, we see not only how intricately planned it was, but how far the Kremlin is willing to go to maintain its vice-like grip on power. 

Navalny is a doc-thriller — one that aids in throwing light on the mindset of Putin.

Subjects:   Challenge and Change, Civics, English, Equity Studies, Leadership and Peer Support,  Music, Politics in Action

Meet the four talented, autistic members of the ASD Band: piano prodigy Ron, with an impeccable memory for reciting the correct day of the week for any date in history; lead singer Rawan, who uses makeup to express herself and can hit an impressively high pitch; Spenser, an energetic drummer with an affinity for punk rock music; and guitarist Jackson, who loves all things 1950s. Their love of music brings them together to form one kick-ass garage band. After releasing a number of covers, the band is now embarking upon the challenging journey of writing their first album of original music. With the guidance of Maury, their musical director, the band's garage sessions segue to the recording studio, where for the first time each member shares their own compositions. Will they be able to pull it off and celebrate the launch with their first-ever public show? 

Subjects:  Challenge & Change, Civics, English, Equity Diversity & Social Justice, Health and Physical Education, Intro AP&S, Law
 

Streetball is as much about attitude and self-expression as it is about dropping buckets. During an NBA-sponsored outdoor tournament in 2001, an exceptional group of racially diverse teens from Vancouver's suburbs caught a lot of attention with their individual skills and undeniable swagger. Their approach to the game set them at odds with coaches and rigid team structures. For those who didn't witness their abilities in person, VHS mixtapes circulated, bringing them global attention in the early aughts. Two decades later, the two white teens who shot and distributed those original cassettes get the crew back together and take a hard look at the issues of race, trauma and rejection that set the group against the status quo. Archival footage of their jaw-dropping moves is as impressive as ever, but it's the contemporary look back at the power dynamics, prejudice and outsider perspective that really provide unflinching honesty and openness, giving the Notic crew the props they deserve.

The doc is so much more than a b-ball story.  Promise this will have students jumping out of their seats.