The 18th Annual Vox Popular Media Arts Festival took place from Sept. 8-11
The event was held at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The festival will featured films of all genres from Northwestern Ontario, Canada and Internationally. There was concerts, performance art, and a visual art exhibition, a workshop, Q&As and discussions with the artists to share knowledge, ideas, and experiences.
Select films and performances are available online Sept. 12-16th for accessibility and for all who were unable to make it to the in-person screenings only on ResearchTV!
Our festival is a Not-For-Profit.
Donations & Sales go towards funding our 2023 festival.
Contact Traces
Directed by Kevin Obsatz
An intimate, wordless portrait of a couple riding out the pandemic in a small cabin in the woods.
Ancestral Land
Directed by Gabriel Bissonnette
A young traveler thrives on the forest that surrounds him until, by chance, he spots an evil ax that makes him greedy.
The Marshmallow Mystery Tour
Directed by Jeff & Matthew Beals,
After landing a gig at a marshmallow theme park, a cameraman uncovers the shocking truth about America’s candyland and his own sugarcoated childhood.
Modo Island
Directed by Haeryun Kang
Human bodies are trapped on an erotic sculpture park on a Korean island, perpetually longing for flight.
Wrought
Directed by Joel Penner
A visual exploration of decay begs questions about our relationships with other species.
Wherever You Are, Wherever I Am
Directed by Kay Chan
The film follows two Metis-Chinese people as they ceremoniously work together on hide-tanning; while their surroundings change between industrial and natural landscapes. The film poetically stitches together connections to spirituality, multiculturalism, and honoring ancestors of the past, present and future. Wherever You Are, Wherever I Am is a reminder of belonging, no matter the space that you are in
The Terrible
Directed by Jack Güler
At the end of the 19th century wrestling was not only the most popular sports but also one of the biggest events in show business. Legendary wrestlers like Hackenschmidt, Sabes, Sandow, Gotch fought for the title of ‘the strongest man in the world’. But there was a mysterious one whose name still instills fear. This is the story of a man who is the embodiment of power and always considered as a myth. A wrestler who hit the opponents to the ground just in 4 seconds. A champion who has never been defeated in his life… This is the unbelievable true story of Youssouf Ishmaelo who became The Terrible Turk!
Toxic Neighbour
Directed by Colin Scheyen
A sheep farmer laments on his complex relationship with his neighbour, the world’s largest nuclear complex.
Resonance
Directed by Sam Wood
Sam was 23 when he found an old photo album belonging to his father with photos taken of him at the exact same age. In the interview about the photo album that followed, Sam and his father discuss family history and their personal differences. This serves as a launching point to investigate larger themes of memory: what is preserved in our histories, what is discarded, and how complicated ‘memories’ really are.
Only
Director: Abel Brown
Only follows Lucy Porter (Stephanie Meredith), a British civilian carrying for her ailing father in the countryside during the Blitz of World War Two. When her father, Edward Porter (Dennis Dubinski) discovers an RAF pilot unconscious in the river, she faces a choice, either send for help and risk her father due to conscription or let the pilot die. In the end, someone must serve.
Grief
Directed by Simone Kitchen
When Robin’s cat is killed by wolves, he is forced to grapple with the loss under the watchful eye of his roommate.
The Bridge
Director: Rodrigue Hammal
The Bridge is about two strangers who meet on a bridge in an unprecedented situation. The events go completely different from their expectations.
Eureka
Director: Miidu Chu
A young indentured Chinese prostitute must overcome her toxic dependency on the brothel madam on the eve of the 1885 anti-Chinese riot in Eureka, California.
Hot Dog Guy
Directed by Sara Bulloch
A woman in a club has an anxiety attack and is comforted by a man with a hot dog cart outside
“MAUR” (original) “ANT” (translated to English)
Directed by Mateo Røssevold Christensen
An animalistic man discovers something precious, but to obtain it he must face his greatest and smallest foe.
NDNs on the Airwaves
Directed by Janet Marie Rogers
The story of a struggling Rez radio station and the cast of characters who scheme and reach towards all the wrong solutions to keep the station’s signal buzzing.
Eyeball – I.R.Idiot
Directed by Alyssa Kusik
A stop-motion music video made during the first few weeks of quarantine 2020.
The Recess
Director: Navid Nikkhah Azad (نوید نیکخواه آزاد)
17-year-old Sahar is determined to watch her favorite soccer team play for the league championship. Barred from attending sports events as a woman, Sahar disguises herself as a boy with the help of her friends. Things take a tragic turn when Sahar’s disguise is uncovered
Supper Club
Directed by Matthew Koshmrl
Co-owners Paul David Marturano and Rob Russo of the Iron Range Supper Club Valentini’s Supper Club reflect on their contrasting immigrant heritage from Italy and Vietnam, and the roles that their mothers have played in their culinary careers.
Journey to Our Homeland
Directed by Adrien Harpelle & Tommy Yellowhead
Take me with Endless Repetition
Directed by Peter Collins
A stand against machines, a small act of intervention, a brief encounter with an environmentally clumsy reformation loop.
