Emerging Experimental
This compelling collection of shorts by Latin-Canadian filmmakers invites the viewer into a contemplative space where internal worlds meet external realities. The program navigates the intricate relationship between memory, identity, and place, often through the lens of migration and introspection. From the delicate flight patterns of a hummingbird hand-coloured onto film to the stark inner dialogue of an immigrant’s journey, these works explore moments of profound transition and the nuanced ways we perceive and interact with our environments.
Through diverse experimental approaches—including eco-processed celluloid, autobiographical dance, and fragmented narratives—these films offer intimate glimpses into the human condition. They collectively speak to the impermanence of existence, the lingering reverberations of where we call home, and the silent architectures of the mind. Each film is a synesthetic exploration of our senses, unraveling the intricate ways we perceive the world around us, challenging and expanding our understanding of what it means to see, hear, and feel.
Running time: 53 min
Content warning: Flashing lights
Guests in attendance
Seeds
Dir. Francisca Rojas, Esteban Powell, Ruben Chavez Munoz | Canada | 10 min
“Semillas” is a dual-screen documentary of three “1.5” generation Latine individuals (Veronica, Francisca and Josue). Through their voices, likenesses, memories, and interlaced experiences Semillas explores their stages of transplantation.
Francisca Rojas (she/they) is a Chilean-Canadian documentary filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. With a background in history and Latin American studies, they depict collective historical traumas in their community through an autoethnographic and testimonial lens. She strives to portray community-based, decentralized healing that collectivizes and politicizes mental health struggles.
Esteban Powell Suárez (he/him) is a Mexican-Canadian artist based in Scarborough, ON. Often platforming and exploring Latinx cultural experiences, his work focuses on the Gothic, delving into spiritual and folkloric aspects of our inner dark. Through painting, writing, and filmmaking, he believes in casting a light on the often unseen, to better understand ourselves and each other.
Ruben Dario Chavez-Munoz (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. With roots in Guatemala/Honduras, Ruben’s work explores the relationship between mark-making and identity. Focusing in lens based mediums has allowed him to explore his diaspora through traditional photography, filmmaking, and experimental processes that mix textiles and visuals.
Catching Yawns From One Another
Dir. Tadeo Rios | Canada | 8 min
Two sibilings go to the fair and tell each other dreams. In them they glimpse at same wish of belonging, just in different places.
Tadeo Ríos-Dávila is an Argentinian-Canadian installation filmmaker from Buenos Aires currently residing in Vancouver, BC.
How To Build A Pipe Bomb
Dir. Goran Arenas, Siobhan Heritage, and Ryan McEachern | Canada | 6 min
The Posada Ruiz family began calling Montreal home two decades ago, leaving everything they knew back in Colombia. Navigating their memories, the family retraces their journey, their relationship to the city, and the challenges that arise when trying to find a new home.
Goran, Siobhan, and Ryan are three filmmakers from Vancouver. They met at the Simon Fraser University film school where they collaborated on multiple projects together.
Light For One Night
Dir. Ximena Baeza | Canada | 9 min
A radio voice narrates the history of water policies between Chihuahua and the U.S. Different layers of drought are explored in the region.
Ximena Baeza is a Mexican filmmaker currently finishing her degree at SFU School of Contemporary Arts. She is interested in field recordings, land, identity and Latin American literature. Her previous films include “Sin Velos” (2023), “Realm of Eyes” (2023), “… And my Face Blooms into the Sun” (2024), “Para el Personaje Real” (2024), “Donde se Double la Luz” (2025).
Mateo and la Yaya
Dir. Marcela Echevarría García | Canada |
It’s the last day of vacation, and Mateo is enjoying the comfort of his home when he begins to fear coming back to school. That night, he decides to escape into a dream where he will be carried through the playful depths of his imagination. Leaving us the question of whether he will find the courage to come back.
Marcela Echevarría is a Mexican filmmaker graduated from SFU School of Contemporary arts. She is interested in exploring the interplay between painting, animation and film both in experimental and narrative films. Her past work Todavía no sé quien soy (2024), Second door to the right (2024), Carta a Tatiana (2024), Donde se Dobla la Luz (2025).
The Mirror Has No Ink
Dir. Adolfo Bermudez Fernandez | Canada | 17 min
Vicente is a newly arrived migrant to Vancouver. Connections are hard to make, and home still seems too close to let go. In a new world, a new identity must arise.
Adolfo Bermudez (2002) was born and raised in Durango, Mexico. Since 2019, he has been living in So-called Vancouver, where he works as a server and studies film and curatorial practices. His poetry has been published in the journals CasaPaís and DigoPalabra. He is a recipient of the Buschlen Mowatt Nichol Foundation award and two BC Arts Council Scholarships.
CRUISING
Dir. Adrián Hernández Hoz | Canada | 14 min
Adrián Hernández Hoz is a Mexican actor, writer, and filmmaker based in Vancouver. Graduated from Film + Screen Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, his work moves between performance, memory, migration, and quiet emotional intensity. He is drawn to intimate stories, Latin American cinema, and characters shaped by tenderness, restlessness, and transformation.