The (sur)Real Life of Hannah Maynard: Be Still at the 2021 VIFF

The (sur)Real Life of Hannah Maynard: Be Still at the 2021 VIFF

When you think of Surrealism, what do you picture? Dali’s melting clocks? A pipe that claims it isn’t a pipe? Maybe even a Neo-Dadaist-turned-Millennial-Meme video proclaiming “I’m still a piece of garbage,” as if it were a local television jingle. What you probably aren’t imagining is a middle-aged woman dressed in 19th-century mourning attire. In fact, it’s likely that you’ve never even heard of the acclaimed Canadian photographer Hannah Maynard.

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VIFF REVIEWS: MEMORIA & TAMING THE GARDEN

VIFF REVIEWS: MEMORIA & TAMING THE GARDEN

Another year of VIFF coming and going meant I could return to in-theatre screenings for the first time since the pandemic began. Naturally, my re-introduction was a little bit awkward. Despite this initial trepidation, I wanted to highlight two films that have stayed with me since my initial viewing. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that both of these films explore a sense of unbelonging and unravel some truths about our deep-rooted and chaotic connections to each other and the spaces we inhabit.

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