Short Session 7
Until Further Notice
By Tiffany Hsiung
It’s Friday at 4:50 p.m., five months into lockdown. “Zoom” has become a verb, as millions continue to socially distance and self-isolate. Unemployed top Toronto chef Luke Donato logs into Zoom 10 minutes early to prepare for the weekly interactive cooking class he teaches.
When a state of emergency was declared in Ontario in March 2020, non-essential businesses started locking up — and that included dine-in restaurants. Across Canada, an estimated 800,000 food service jobs were lost or had their hours reduced to zero between March and April 2020. More than 300,000 of those jobs were in Ontario alone. And around 50 per cent of independent restaurants don’t expect to survive the COVID-19 pandemic if they don’t receive continued government assistance .
For over 18 years Donato’s identity has been shaped by the bustling restaurant industry. But what happens when what you know and identify with is suddenly taken away? Who are you then? With all the uncertainty, layoffs and the possibility of half of Canada’s restaurant industry disappearing, he questions where and how to find meaning again.
Until Further Notice is a story about identity, purpose and the power of our collective experience, told by Donato and his amateur chefs — friends, family and strangers from different time zones and cultural backgrounds. Some have never used a whisk before, and others still don’t know how to mute themselves on Zoom. But many are there to find a sense of normalcy, a routine and connection.
Through Chef Luke’s love for cooking, we explore the memories elicited by food and the solace it brings us during this time. Until Further Notice documents a unique moment, when we are collectively experiencing a sense of loss. And yet, though his students are following the same recipe at the same time, taught by the same chef, each dish comes out slightly different.
Bundini
By Patrick Green
Drew “Bundini” Brown was the source of Muhammad Ali’s spirit who stood by the champ during his triumphs, trials and tribulations both inside and outside the ring. "Bundini" is the first ever documentary on Ali’s beloved trainer/Svengali that explores the extraordinary life of the man whom Ali said made him “The Greatest” through archival footage, family photos, and narration by “Bundini” biographer Todd Snyder and Bundini’s only son, Drew III.
Eight Steps
By Masina Taule'alo
It is about Masina Taule’alo, an autistic university student who talks about his experience in the Australian education system. His parents are also there too, and they talk about the challenges they came across with Masina’s schooling, because of how the system responded to his autism spectrum.
What About Our Future
Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos & Claudio Cruz
An observational documentary that chronicles a group of youth environmental activists who organized the biggest climate strike in Vancouver's history.
The FBI's Secret War
By David Reppond
Since 1956, the FBI has conducted an illegal surveillance program called “COINTELPRO” (Counterintelligence Program). The FBI’s Secret War focuses on the VVAW (Vietnam Veterans Against the War), one of the many organizations that have been infiltrated and disrupted throughout this program. The film captures one man's story as he returns from the Vietnam war to fight another battle...against his government.
Deepfake Therapy
By Roshan Nejal
This documentary shows the very first experiment ever done in the process of grief in which bereaved family members are having an artificial video conversation with their deceased loved ones through the use of new digital techniques and under the guidance of a renowned grief therapist.
The bereaved are recalling precious memories, asking burning questions and confronting unfinished business from the past.
Although the technique sometimes struggles to keep up the illusion, it does not seem to matter to the bereaved family members. The suspension of disbelief is stronger than the shortcomings of the technique.
Short Session 7
Until Further Notice
By Tiffany Hsiung
It’s Friday at 4:50 p.m., five months into lockdown. “Zoom” has become a verb, as millions continue to socially distance and self-isolate. Unemployed top Toronto chef Luke Donato logs into Zoom 10 minutes early to prepare for the weekly interactive cooking class he teaches.
When a state of emergency was declared in Ontario in March 2020, non-essential businesses started locking up — and that included dine-in restaurants. Across Canada, an estimated 800,000 food service jobs were lost or had their hours reduced to zero between March and April 2020. More than 300,000 of those jobs were in Ontario alone. And around 50 per cent of independent restaurants don’t expect to survive the COVID-19 pandemic if they don’t receive continued government assistance .
For over 18 years Donato’s identity has been shaped by the bustling restaurant industry. But what happens when what you know and identify with is suddenly taken away? Who are you then? With all the uncertainty, layoffs and the possibility of half of Canada’s restaurant industry disappearing, he questions where and how to find meaning again.
Until Further Notice is a story about identity, purpose and the power of our collective experience, told by Donato and his amateur chefs — friends, family and strangers from different time zones and cultural backgrounds. Some have never used a whisk before, and others still don’t know how to mute themselves on Zoom. But many are there to find a sense of normalcy, a routine and connection.
Through Chef Luke’s love for cooking, we explore the memories elicited by food and the solace it brings us during this time. Until Further Notice documents a unique moment, when we are collectively experiencing a sense of loss. And yet, though his students are following the same recipe at the same time, taught by the same chef, each dish comes out slightly different.
Bundini
By Patrick Green
Drew “Bundini” Brown was the source of Muhammad Ali’s spirit who stood by the champ during his triumphs, trials and tribulations both inside and outside the ring. "Bundini" is the first ever documentary on Ali’s beloved trainer/Svengali that explores the extraordinary life of the man whom Ali said made him “The Greatest” through archival footage, family photos, and narration by “Bundini” biographer Todd Snyder and Bundini’s only son, Drew III.
Eight Steps
By Masina Taule'alo
It is about Masina Taule’alo, an autistic university student who talks about his experience in the Australian education system. His parents are also there too, and they talk about the challenges they came across with Masina’s schooling, because of how the system responded to his autism spectrum.
What About Our Future
Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos & Claudio Cruz
An observational documentary that chronicles a group of youth environmental activists who organized the biggest climate strike in Vancouver's history.
The FBI's Secret War
By David Reppond
Since 1956, the FBI has conducted an illegal surveillance program called “COINTELPRO” (Counterintelligence Program). The FBI’s Secret War focuses on the VVAW (Vietnam Veterans Against the War), one of the many organizations that have been infiltrated and disrupted throughout this program. The film captures one man's story as he returns from the Vietnam war to fight another battle...against his government.
Deepfake Therapy
By Roshan Nejal
This documentary shows the very first experiment ever done in the process of grief in which bereaved family members are having an artificial video conversation with their deceased loved ones through the use of new digital techniques and under the guidance of a renowned grief therapist.
The bereaved are recalling precious memories, asking burning questions and confronting unfinished business from the past.
Although the technique sometimes struggles to keep up the illusion, it does not seem to matter to the bereaved family members. The suspension of disbelief is stronger than the shortcomings of the technique.