CHRISTIE PITS PARK
Sunday, August 11, 2024

i like movies

With the short films EITR and Made in Palestine

Toronto-based filmmaker Chandler Levack presents a unique take on coming-of-age from the perspective of 17-year-old movie obsessed, albeit narcissistic and socially awkward, Lawrence in I Like Movies. Determined to attend NYU to study film, Lawrence takes a job at a video rental store in his hometown of Burlington, ON. Unexpectedly, he ends up forming a complicated relationship with his manager Alana, a disillusioned thirty-something who forces Lawrence to confront some harsh realities about show business and growing up. Returning to the scene of a part-time job that was formative for many young cinephiles seeking to share their passion (and take advantage of free rentals), Levack avoids sentimental nostalgia. Instead, she cleverly subverts expectations, drawing attention to the often unsavoury aspects of the film industry Lawrence holds in such high esteem, as well as his own antisocial tendencies. (Keep an eye out for a cameo appearance by Carleton University’s Film Studies program, the alma mater of TOPS’ founders!)

In an exploration of how places of work create formative and even empowering spaces, the shorts paired with I Like Movies both centre people finding ways to be themselves, connecting with like-minded peers, and celebrating cultural tradition in and through their work. Toronto-Palestinian filmmaker Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller tells the story of Mohamed as he works tirelessly at his late father’s desolate perfume store in the award winning short EITR. Mohamed grapples with masking his queerness from his overbearing mother, but he has an opportunity to see what his life could be like when he meets a customer who allows him to be his true self and turns the shop into an escape beyond his imagination. Made in Palestine, by Egyptian-Filipina documentary filmmaker Mariam Dwedar, intertwines traditional craftwork and resilience in the face of oppression. The family-owned Hirbawi textile factory in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, founded in 1961, is Palestine’s last remaining weavery still producing the culturally significant Palestinian kuffiyeh scarf. Once forced to close for five years due to competition from cheaply made synthetic knock-offs, the family has since successfully revived the business, and Dwedar’s camera underscores the care and dedication the Hirbawi family has sustained for over sixty years is a powerful form of cultural preservation that should be celebrated, now more than ever.

This screening will be presented with optional pre-recorded Audio Description available for blind, low vision, or visually impaired audience members. More information about this accessibility feature is available at TOpictureshow.com/audio. Other accessibility features available at TOPS events, including open captioning, are outlined at TOpictureshow.com/accessibility.