The programme has now ended, but you can still watch an interview with filmmaker Barri Cohen and Merrill Matthews’ film Love Letter below.

Email us with your comments and feedback.Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children. Barri Cohen. Canada. 2022.1hr 28m. UK Premiere. In English with English captions available. F. D. Filmmaker Barri Cohen leads part detective story, part social history in Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children as she uncovers the truth about Alfie and Louis, her two long-dead half-brothers. They were institutionalized at the Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia in the 1950s, with one brother unceremoniously buried in secret in an unmarked grave as a small child. Their lives were cut short, but their story stands as a microcosm of the immense tragedy of the Western World’s 20th-century disastrous treatment of intellectually disabled children and youth. Through the interwoven narratives of a POV family story with critical institution survivors, a question preoccupies the film: how do we allow ourselves to dehumanize the most vulnerable people in our care?

Together! 2012 Chair Julie Newman interviews filmmaker Barri Cohen about her work.

Changer: A Hand Telling. Howie Seago. USA. 67m. 2021. In ASL with English voice over and captions. FF, DDD. In association with SuperFest. Changer: A Hand Telling is an innovative Deaf-centric and Native-centric filmed performance with Deaf Native storytellers performing the Coast Salish myth of Changer in Native and artistic sign language, following mythic characters into a future transformed by tribes exercising sovereign treaty rights.

The Love Letter. Merrill Matthews. Canada. 2021. 1hr 11m. Festival Premiere. In English with English captions. D. 10 years. 8 shows. A whole lotta love. The Love Letter celebrates the 10 year anniversary of I Can Dream Theatre (www.icandreamtheatre.com). Hear from current and past cast members, about how the group has changed their lives, and how the focus has always been on ability. Based in Montréal, Quebec. The Love Letter is a funny and touching look back at how magic can happen. Watch The Love Letter here.

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