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Social distancing stories that bring us closer together

  • Employing a range of cinematic techniques, three directors craft stylish and thoughtful reflections on the COVID-19 experience.

  • Animated bedtime stories for budding rebels in the post-COVID world.

  • Inspiring, insightful and wildly inventive, these works explore the physical and emotional aspects of pandemic isolation.

  • These creators defy clichéd representations of their communities while navigating the uncharted waters of a global health emergency.

  • Distinct voices, speaking from different points on the COVID-19 map, enhance our understanding of the pandemic experience.

  • What new knowledge does COVID reveal? As old systems and attitudes crumble, artists muse on the impact and creative potential of disruption.

  • Made in the Beyond the Curve documentary lab, these seven short films capture their creators’ perspectives on the pandemic’s multifaceted impacts in Quebec.

The Curve

The Curve is the pulse of our nation, beating in its own time during this unprecedented time. Our creators, with their talent and creativity, are bringing to life the voice of Canadians touched by Covid-19, both near and far.

The Curve is an online destination where these experiences will be expressed in animation, documentary and digital storytelling formats.

Explore

Bruno Moynié

Bruno Moynié
Bruno Moynié is a seasoned television director, trained in the ethnographic film school, with nearly 20 years of practice in the production of documentary and institutional films. His background and training in film production gives him unique abilities to immerse himself in different places and capture the human experience.

Georges Hannan

Georges Hannan
Georges Hannan has been a sound recordist for some thirty years. He has travelled the world in search of the best sound environments. A proud resident of New Brunswick, he began directing a few years ago with his first documentary, Mordu d’éplan. Georges is passionate about conversations and people. His documentary style is at once unassuming and candid.

Cole Forrest

Cole Forrest
My name is Cole Forrest and I am an Ojibwe filmmaker based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally from Nipissing First Nation, I strive for acceptance within the arts. I’ve created both digital projects and films, and my work is mainly experimental, with splashes of genre and drama. I create work based on and influenced by my relationships with my friends and family, both broken and mended, and my relationship to my community. I aspire to create work that reflects and represents what it means to be a Nipissing person, weaved with my own personal experiences and curiosity about my culture. I am proud to be from my community, and I’m grateful to be able to create work on my traditional territory.

Nadine Pequeneza *Cole Forrest’s mentor on Nbissiing.

Nadine Pequeneza *Cole Forrest’s mentor on Nbissiing.
Nadine Pequeneza* has earned acclaim for her incisive social-justice documentaries as a writer/director/producer. A two-time Donald Brittain award nominee, for The Invisible Heart and 15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story, she earned a Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in 2016. She is founder and president of HitPlay Productions, and sits on the boards of Hot Docs and the Documentary Organization of Canada.
*Nadine was Cole Forrest’s mentor for Nbissiing.

Olivia Coombs

Olivia Coombs
Hey! My name is Olivia Coombs, but please, call me Ollie. As a biracial and genderqueer person, I’m no stranger to contemplating identity and what makes us, us. Film can be a powerful resource for representation, and my hope is to make films that define the queer experience as positive, something I lacked growing up. I like to make home video-esque documentary shorts, rooted in what my experience in this world looks and feels like. Life appears black and white, but I exist in the grey, and I want to show that complexity and nuance in my work.

Min Sook Lee *Olivia Coombs’ mentor on Back To School.

Min Sook Lee *Olivia Coombs’ mentor on Back To School.
Min Sook Lee* has directed numerous acclaimed documentaries, including the Donald Brittain Geminiwinner Tiger Spirit ,, Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature winner Hogtown, and Canadian Screen Award winner The Real Inglorious Bastards. Her recent feature, Migrant Dreams, was awarded Best Labour Documentary by the Canadian Journalists Association and received the Canadian Hillman Prize. Recipient of the Alanis Obomsawin Award for Commitment to Community and Resistance and other honours, she is an associate professor at OCAD.
*Min Sook was Olivia Coombs’ mentor for Back To School.

Ajahnis Charley

Ajahnis Charley
My name is Ajahnis Charley and I am a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Geomatics program. I’ve worked as a Geomatics Specialist for almost two years, both for the Government of Ontario and the Netherlands. I have also written and performed several solo sketch comedy shows for Toronto Sketch Fest and Montreal Sketchfest.

Alison Duke *Ajahnis Charley’s mentor on I Am Gay.

Alison Duke *Ajahnis Charley’s mentor on I Am Gay.
An activist filmmaker “committed to boldly telling stories of resistance and change,” Alison Duke* is co-founder of Oya Media Group, a Black women-led production company whose credits include Mr. Jane and Finch, winner of the 2020 Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary. She’s the 2019 recipient of the WIFT Crystal Award for Mentorship in recognition of her pioneering work with Black Youth! Pathway2Industry.
*Alison was Ajahnis Charley’s mentor on I Am Gay.

Lina Li

Lina Li
Lina Li is a storyteller who cares deeply about authentic human connections and the exploring of vulnerability through heart-to-heart dialogues. Currently, she is a member of the programming committee at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. In fall 2020, she will be attending the University of Southern California as a Film & Television Production student. She hopes to further explore her Chinese-Canadian identity by creating films that shatter cultural stereotypes and contribute to the normalization of Asian representation in mainstream media.

Aeyliya Husain *Lina Li’s mentor on Have You Eaten?

Aeyliya Husain *Lina Li’s mentor on Have You Eaten?
Aeyliya Husain* is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on issues of representation, images of war and their interpretation, women and photography. She has exhibited at festivals both nationally and internationally, including the Tribeca Film Festival, San Francisco Docfest, Glasgow Short Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival. Her work has been broadcast around the world.
*Aeyliya was Lina Li’s mentor for Have You Eaten?