Engaging – funny – moving – the first ever SING! Aca-Film Festival presents a trilogy of short film that explore stories of resilience on June 1 at 8 pm at The Concert Hall, 888 Yonge Street.  Film producers, actors, and directors will be on hand for a Q and A along with a live a cappella performance by one of the SING! ensembles. Films cross artistic genres, including animation, live-action, spoken word, and dance, all with original a cappella a cappella scores by award-winning composer Aaron Jensen co-produced with Countermeasure Music.  “Overgrown” is a fantasy short film by writer-director Cailleah Scott-Grimes, with June Garber in the lead role. It tells the story of Margo, an elderly hoarder facing eviction, who is desperate to salvage the broken pieces of her life. With dream-like animation sequences and a haunting score,” Overgrown” features the voices of Tyva Kyzy, the first all-female group of Tuvan throat singers. It is a tale that inspires us to stay connected to ourselves, and to find hope and dignity in the face of loss. 

“Be Inspired” is based on the famous painting “Mt. Lefroy” by Group of Seven Canadian artist Lawren Harris and the story of renowned Canadian para-athlete Peter Eager.  The film shows an animated version of Eager and the daunting challenges of climbing Mt. Lefroy in Lake Louise, with a cappella vocal textures that shift and intermingle with the wind, the crunch of footsteps in the snow, and the sounds of physical exertion. There is a comic element played by renowned actor Colin Mochrie. The story is by Mark Northwood, with storyboard and design by Bekky On’Neill and animation by O’Neill and Keith Del Principe.

“Long Road to Freedom” is based on the composition “Long Road to Freedom” by Jensen, which was commissioned for the 100th anniversary celebration for Nelson Mandela at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington.  Through original music, dance by Linette Doherty, and spoken word by Dwayne Morgan, the four-minute film narrates the struggles racialized people face, imprisoned alone in an effort to do the right thing, struggling through those times, and then emerging to a world made better by difficult choices. We experience new-found healing and resilience through social activism and humanitarianism. The film is directed and edited by Cameron Walker.

We acknowledge the support of Canada Council For the Arts and patrons PHILIP HÉBERT and VICTORIA LEE.