Student Film Showcase 2009

The sixth annual Student Film Showcase was held in Toronto on May 27, 2009, and featured thirteen shorts from across the country. TIFF programmers Magali Simard, Steve Gravestock and Alex Rogalski selected the films from hundreds of eligible titles, creating an impressive and diverse programme. All thirteen films are included on this DVD.

Industry professionals awarded two prizes as part of this year’s Showcase. Jurors Stephen Hegyes (Producer, Fifty Dead Men Walking), Laurie Lynd (Filmmaker, Breakfast with Scot) and Lia Rinaldo (Director, Atlantic Film Festival) awarded the Best Film (Live Action) prize to Mirek Hamet's S'oublier and the Best Film (Animated) to Yuriy Sivers's Humpty Dumpty Is Scrambled. The Best Film (Non-Animated) received 35mm DI Output provided by Technicolor, and the director of the Best Film (Animated) received a Wacom Tablet. Each participating filmmaker was invited to a special film workshop, and received one 400-foot roll of 16mm film stock courtesy of Kodak Canada. Directors of both winning films received a Sales & Industry pass to the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the opportunity for their films to screen for the public in several of the 184 Film Circuit communities across Canada.

Visit the website

Generously supported by:

The Films

  • 0 (ZERO)

    Jace Kim
    Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design

    Two samurai–one arrogant and experienced, the other seeking vengeance for his opponent’s crimes–face off against each other in this gorgeously animated piece.

  • THE ART OF DROWNING

    Diego Maclean
    Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design

    Fluid animation vividly illustrates an existential inquiry into a man’s last months under water. The film is based on Billy Collin’s poem “The Art of Drowning.”

  • AXEL

    Sarah Bogh Jensen
    Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design

    This restrained film essay explores solitude and memories through Axel and Karla’s correspondence about what they once shared and why they parted.

  • THE CREATIVE PROCESS

    Jeffrey Royiwsky
    Ontario College of Art & Design

    A student procrastinates on his film project in this wry, very funny self-reflexive piece, made all the more charming by the scruffy, deceptively simple animation techniques.

  • DAY ONE

    Sarah Siddons
    Ryerson University

    In this reflective study on the process of healing, a grown son moves in with his father after a tragic accident leaves the young man trying to make amends to those he has harmed.

  • THE FRESHWATER PLAGUE

    Jake Chirico
    Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

    This sharp, amusing and beautifully edited documentary focuses on the annual mayfly (or shadfly) invasion that takes place every summer in North Bay, blanketing the city in insects for a couple of weeks.

  • HOME INVASION 2007

    David Stewart
    Nova Scotia College of Art & Design

    Confined to their decaying apartment, a young couple attempts to keep an aggravated neighbor at bay while tensions in their relationship remain repressed.

  • HUMPTY DUMPTY IS SCRAMBLED

    Yuriy Sivers
    Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

    Humanity’s power trip of greed, war and world control bites back when its ultimate weapon decides to revolt in this stylish musical animation.

  • NANU

    Alex Donald
    Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

    A striking and luminous animation. Nanu depicts a red fox’s position in the food chain and its quest for survival in a frozen land.

  • THE NET

    Tim Clarke
    Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

    Joe’s insistence on keeping his beard freely flowing in his job as a cafeteria cook leads to awkward and comedic workplace tensions.

  • S’OUBLIER (FORGET MYSELF)

    Mirek Hamet
    Concordia University

    In this study of method acting, an actress plays the role of a hospitalized patient who in turn thinks of herself as an actress. The film is a clever and dynamic exploration of the levels of personal involvement in performing.

  • TOXIC INGREDIENTS

    Kristyna Balaban
    University of Toronto

    A model of concision, this brief, direct and very pointed piece –consisting only of titles and close-up of a young woman applying makeup –explores our ignorance of the toxic materials we put in and on our bodies.

  • WHATEVER THAT IS

    Inga Dievulyte
    York University

    This realistic multi-character study examines the individual experience of clandestine liaisons and the reality of secrecy among couples.