Beauty

It begins with the faces of children outside a toy store window at Christmas--but then the war toys appear and we realize that some games are played for keeps. This film has no commentary, but it is easy to see what it aims to show: war toys do not necessarily make warriors, but it is possible that they give a false glamor to the deadly pursuit. With toys that keep up with the times, this film creates a battle that is all too real and frightening.

"The past is never dead. It's not even past." - William Faulkner In the new feature documentary Unarchived, co-directors Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok highlight community archives across British Columbia to reveal some of what has been erased from the official record. The people and places left out of traditional archives and museums are often determined by the dominant power, but as UBC's Dr. Henry Yu states, "the process of silencing makes a lot of noise." Local knowledge keepers are undoing these omissions and hand-fashioning a more inclusive history through family photos, newspaper articles and scratchy old VHS tapes. Ron Dutton started the BC Gay and Lesbian Archive by collecting protest pamphlets, posters and even cabaret sets from the earliest days of Vancouver's gay community. In the tiny mill town of Paldi, on Vancouver Island, a remarkable intercultural community was captured on Super 8 and 16-millimetre film by the founders and their families. On the landscape, anthropologist Dr. Imogene Lim points out how plants serve as reminders of Asian communities long gone. These different archives tell stories of people building connection through work, play, protest, family and tradition. In so doing, they challenge larger institutions to re-examine and address older narratives that no longer reflect the totality of our shared experience. At the Trans Archive at the University of Victoria, a hidden past is documented and preserved. At the Royal BC Museum, staff work tirelessly to right historical wrongs and find a new path towards restorative justice for Indigenous people. Through a collage of personal interviews, archival images and footage, and deeply rooted memories, the past, present and future come together, fighting for a space where everyone is seen and everyone belong. History is what we all make of it.

Snow. A wintry wind. In a thatched cottage that is home to a family of teddy bears, the young cub Ludovic dreams of tobogganing with his friends. 'No,' his parents tell him, 'you're too little.' Ludovic feels a bit lonely. But his dreams and imaginings are powerful: he invents wonderful games to share with his new best friend, a doll that has miraculously come to life. Wrapped in the music of Daniel Lavoie, this charming, tender tale by Co Hoedeman evokes the cosy relationship between a child and a favourite toy, offering a glimpse into the magic and mystery of childhood.