We’re Still Here: 50 Years of the Winnipeg Film Group Festival kicks off on Tuesday, September 23rd at 7:00 PM with the premiere of special commission short films with new works by filmmakers Charlene Moore and Oliver King, Rhayne Vermette, Ian Bawa, Bisong Taiwo and Danielle Sturk commissioned to honour the milestone, alongside a selection of historical commissioned work made for the WFG’s past anniversaries including films by Jaimz Asmundson, Cathy McInnes & Neil McInnes, Heidi Philips, and Darryl Nepinak. The evening will feature a Q&A followed by an opening night reception. This program is rated 18A.
The Phantom of the Cinematheque
Dir. Jaimz Asmundson
3:00 | Narrative, Fiction | Colour | 2008
Language: English
On the 25th anniversary of his employment, Dave Barber, the visionary-workaholic programmer of Winnipeg’s beloved Cinematheque, dies tragically in an avalanche of VHS tapes while working late to finish the programming calendar. His workaholic ghost returns to the land of the living to finish the calendar and haunt the Cinematheque by night.This film was commissioned by the WFGs Cinematheque for its 25th anniversary, Silverscope.
catalogue
Dir. Danielle Sturk
10:25 | Experimental | Colour, B & W | 2025
Language: English & French
CATALOGUE marks the Winnipeg Film Group’s 50th anniversary with a striking collage of 108 film titles by 82 women, non-binary filmmakers, and their collaborators, transforming five decades of the Distribution Catalogue (1974–2025) into a living cinematic archive celebrating the act of creation.
A visual poem that highlights the diversity, creativity, and resilience of filmmakers who have often been underrepresented in the broader film canon, the film is a testament to the collective imagination that has shaped local and national cinema for fifty years, and a reminder of the vital role community-based organizations like the Winnipeg Film Group play in fostering bold, independent storytelling.
This film was commissioned by the WFG for it’s 50th Anniversary.
Indian
Dir. Darryl Nepinak
2:00 | Narrative, Fiction, Comedy | Colour | 2008
Language: English
At the Canadian National Spelling Bee speller Darryl Nepinak stumbles upon a familiar word.
This film was commissioned by the WFGs Cinematheque for its 25th anniversary, Silverscope.
Peirasmos
Dir. Bisong Taiwo
11:00 | Narrative | Colour, B & W | 2025
Language: English
In Peirasmos, a dancer finds herself moving through a surreal dreamscape where Wrath, Greed, and Lust appear as living temptations. Through visceral choreography, she confronts each one, caught in the tension between surrender and self-control.
This film was commissioned by the WFG for it’s 50th Anniversary.
Between Grief & Glory
Dir. Ian Bawa
5:00 | Narrative | Colour | 2025
Language: English
On the steps of a cathedral, two worlds unfold in parallel: one reaching for triumph against impossible odds, the other surrendering to the weight of farewell.
This film was commissioned by the WFG for it’s 50th Anniversary.
A Black Screen Too
Dir. Rhayne Vermette
1:30 | Experimental | Colour |2025
Language: English
“After Black Rectangle was created, a racist joke was found to have been inscribed in Black Square, which revealed it was a direct reference to a comic by French artist Alphonse Allais.” – Joshua Minsoo Kim
The sequel to Black Rectangle. Acts of discipline in celebration of destruction.
This film was commissioned by the WFG for it’s 50th Anniversary.
Automoto
Dir. Cathy McInnes, Neil McInnes
5:00 | Animation | Colour | 2007
Language: English
A tour de force, stop-motion animation re-imagining of the filmmaking process, Automoto takes place inside the ornately mechanized cinematic workshop of a wooden skeleton. Shot entirely using stopmotion animation, the film follows the movie-making travails of the skeleton. When he runs into a bad case of writer’s block, only one of his factory workers can help him get back in touch with his muse.
This film was commissioned for the WFG’s 30th anniversary.
Discovering Composition in Art
Dir. Heidi Phillips
2:00 | Experimental | B & W | 2008
Language: English
Discovering Composition in Art uses found footage as source material for various darkroom experiments. These failed attempts to capture “good composition” race before the viewers’ eyes like flashing lights. “By using some of these guides we can create exciting art from the world around us.”
This film was commissioned by the WFG ’s Cinematheque for its 25th anniversary, Silverscope.
Confluence
Dir. Charlene Moore & ODMK (Oliver Darrius Merrick King)
10:44 | Documentary | Colour, B & W | 2025
Language: English
A world of lights plunged into the depths of a flooded city full of stories and myths converging together through the experiences of five storytellers. Weaving together lived experiences of creation and imaginations of prophecies come true. This ‘Winnipeg’ fever dream on Treaty 1 territory runs through the waves of narratives and histories living in the city’s streets. With a focus on a constellation of thoughts and visions from a diaspora of Indigenous artists, this short experimental documentary shot on hand processed 16mm film double exposes the simulations of our current reality.
This film was commissioned by the WFG for it’s 50th Anniversary.
