Loudly, Death Unties by Sheila and Nicholas Pye
Honestly, this film was the reason that I attended this screening. The husband and wife duo are darlings of the local art scene - for good reason, I might add - and the clip of footage I found on their website for this was more than a little intriguing. The full film did not disappoint at all. With an approach that will feel like home to fans of Lynch's Red Room days, this all about evoking an emotional, instinctive response through a series of stunning images. A man packs a woman's clothes into a suitcase, a small girl burrows into the back room of their shack and begins to wail, the woman appears and begins to levitate ... the imagery is haunting and frequently breath taking, the narrative surprisingly easy to follow for this sort of thing. Cinematography is simply stunning - DP Ryan Randall deserves to have Hollywood throwing buckets of money at his feet - and the on screen performances by the Pyes as the leads in their own film put an unusually human face on what is very much an abstract performance art piece. This comes with my highest possible recommendation. Sheila is reportedly developing her first feature now, expect the exceptional.
You'll find a clip here.

Dust Bowl Ha! Ha! by Sebastien Pilote
From the abstract to the painfully realistic, Pilote's multi-award winning short is the portrait of a blue collar man simply existing in a hollowed out industrial town following the closure of the factory that employed not only him, but the bulk of the town's working class. Pilote uses a hefty dose of voice over narration throughout, which I normally object to but it works here thanks to the way it frees us to simply watch his lead character drifting through a day that he can't help but break into work-shift chunks. Camera work is strong, the editing simple and evocative, the lead performer impressive.

Shooting Geronimo by Kent Monkman
What's this? A native film maker with the stones to make a film that takes the history of native exploitation seriously while also possessing a damn good sense of humor and impressive technical chops? Meet Kent Monkman. His Shooting Geronimo is a delicious throwback to the days of the silent serial, a sepia toned, little hand cranked gem about a white producer shooting a typical 20's cowboys and indians film with a pair of local Cree boys who play along for the payday they need to support their families. It all goes wrong, of course, with regular Monkman character Miss Chief Eagle Testickle churning the pot throughout. The period detail in the production is spot on and while it arguably runs a little long it comes off as a charming, funny, visually impressive piece of work that also has a little something to say.

I Have Seen The Future by Cam Christiansen
Calgary animator Christiansen may well be one of Canada's little undiscovered gems but if this is any indication of what he can do I wouldn't expect that to last long. Expect to see his distinctive 2D / 3D monochromatic animations in music videos and television spots everywhere soon. It's inevitable, the guy's too good and too distinctive to go overlooked for long. This one is a narrative song telling the story of a man in his twenties and his father being harangued by a trio of teens over a game of tennis. The wry, observational humor hits home in a big way and is augmented beautifully by the images.
You can find Christiansen's demo reels here.

Smile by Julia Kwan
The latest from the director of Eve and the Fire Horse is a simple household story well told about an immigrant family in the eighties preparing to have a group photo taken to send back to their family members in China. The two teenage daughters are informed, in no uncertain terms, that they must not smile in the picture. This would be rude as it would somehow suggest that they are enjoying their life more in Canada than they would in China. It's a story of relationships and appearances, simple but well told.

Found Objects by David Birnbaum
Another stunning piece of surrealist work here but while the Pyes fit more in the Lynch surrealism mold, David Birnbaum belongs more to the claustrophobic, lushly designed school of Olivier Smolders (Nuit Noire) and Delicatessen era Jeunet. A crumbling tenement block, seemingly in the forties, is subjected to aerial bombardment, its tenants blissfully ignoring that obvious fact as they huddle around the television and prepare their children for a musical recital, the entire block powered by a single old man riding a bicycle in the basement. The production values here are astounding, the cinematography dark and rich, every frame packed with compelling images. I'm not entirely sold on the slight tonal shift at the end of the piece but Birnbaum is clearly a major talent to watch.
You can find the trailer here.