By: Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer
It’s that time of the year again school is out for summer and the DOXA film festival is back! DOXA is a “Vancouver based non-profit charitable society” which prides itself on showcasing independent films. Many of the films center around resilience and overcoming personal obstacles in politically challenging environments.
After two years of online-only programming, films are being screened through a hybrid model for this year’s 21st annual DOXA festival from May 5–15. In-person films are available at the following locations: The Vancouver Playhouse, The Cinematheque, the Vancouver International Film Festival Centre, and SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Seniors, low income individuals, and students that present ID receive a $2 discount on tickets for in-person and online showings. Masks are mandatory and available at the in-person screenings. Online viewers are geo-blocked to Canada and have access to watch their selected film once within 48 hours of pressing play.
Here’s our must-watch documentaries from this year’s festival.
Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence (2022)
Length: 98 minutes
Watch the world-premiere of a documentary that took 27 years to make.The documentary centers the Sinixt Nation from the Arrow Lakes region, referred colonially as British Columbia. Filmmaker Ali Kazimi has been invited and immersed in the autonomous Sinixt Nation’s community building practices and their fight to gain recognition from the Canadian government since 1995. The documentary reveals that the Canadian government continues to declare them as extinct. Known for presenting “work that deals with race, social justice, history and memory,” Kazimi’s new release is guaranteed to hold power.
Length: 66 minutes
Unpack the journey of a Tibetan Buddhist nun living in India who has to return home to help assist her mother with a local birth. Metok embarks “through an achingly beautiful landscape,” but tense geopolitical environment to reunite with her family and grapple with the emotions that follow.
You can watch the trailer for this piece here.
We Don’t Dance for Nothing (2022)
Length: 86 minutes
Follow one domestic worker’s yearning to strive for “independence, love, and motherhood” during the 2019 Hong Kong Protests. Described as a “photo-montage love letter to Fillipina domestic workers of Hong Kong,” We Don’t Dance for Nothing touches on the struggle of workers’ rights, a “changing political landscape,” and the joy that dance can bring even in turbulent times.
You can watch the trailer for this piece here.
Length: 78 minutes
Witness the journey of an outspoken, queer, women Lebanese death-metal band. Their two members, Lilas and Shery, deal with “mounting personal tension” while their band is on the “verge of success.” Sirens follows the duo’s “ups and downs, both personal and musical,” with a front row seat to the inner workings of their lives and relationship.
You can watch the trailer for this piece here.
For more information on DOXA 2022 programming and to purchase tickets for both in-person and online screenings, check out their website.
