Freelance Film Programming + Curation
what is
a mother
**education purposes only**
Each video is either a trailer or the full film
This programme looks at what it means to be a mother and the circumstances that uproot the perceived perfect image of being one. Here we look at the bonds between a mother and child through their conversations, how they cope when motherhood doesn't reach expectations and how there is no single definition of BEING a mother.
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BEING - Wolf Children (w/ Q&A) + Mommy + The Body Beautiful/How Does Life Live?/How Was Your Day?
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Content warning: these films contain references to drug/alcohol abuse, domestic violence, racism + miscarriage including scenes showing blood
Wolf Children + Q&A collective screening
Dir. Mamoru Hosoda // 2012
Hana marries a wolf man and raises their two children alone after he dies. They move to the countryside and the children have adventures in the woods and at school. This anime film is a heartwarming story about the challenges of being a single mother in an unforgiving modern world.
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We will be hosting an online communal screening of this film followed by a Q&A discussion with Laura Godfrey-Isaacs; an artist, midwife and author of the blog Birth, Art & Culture.
Mommy
Dir. Xavier Dolan // 2014
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Diane, a 46-year-old single widowed mother, struggles to cope with her teenage son's violent behaviour. However, she finds hope when a mysterious neighbour inserts herself into their household. Mommy is an ode to the strength of working class mothers and mother-son relationships
The Body Beautiful
Dir. Ngozi Onwurah // 1991
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This bold, stunning exploration of a white mother who undergoes a radical mastectomy and her Black daughter who embarks on a modeling career reveals the profound effects of body image and the strain of racial and sexual identity on their charged, intensely loving bond.
How Does Life Live?
Dir. Kelly O'Brien // 2018
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Kids are endlessly curious and ask about how life works, the ineffable mystery of it, all the time. Their questions reflect that time between innocence and experience as they try to figure out who they are in relation to the world around them. This short film looks at this innocence through a conversation between mother and daughter.
How Was Your Day?
Dir. Damien O'Donnell // 2015
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A woman is excited about raising her first child. This SXSW Grand Jury prize winner from writer/director Damien O’Donnell centers on the emotional struggle as a woman struggles with motherhood when it doesn't match her expectations.