2013 Doc Fest hits the big screen

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Fanshawe's Advanced Filmmaking Program students have been hard at work throughout the year, creating a number of short documentaries on various subjects. These films examine a variety of topics, from what it's like to be a transgender person to live action role playing. You can check them out at the 2013 Doc Fest on February 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wolf Performance Hall in the Central Library (251 Dundas St.) Admission is by donation.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VALLEY
Directed by Michael Seguin
Michael Seguin attended East Elgin Secondary School, where a young boy named Josh Field was killed in a car accident and, almost immediately, became a martyr, with tears shed for him by people who previously barely knew him, if at all. Initially embittered by what he viewed as gross insincerity, Seguin sought to understand exactly why Field's death was treated as such, and thus began a journey of self-disclosure and ultimately, closure, in this documentary.

L.A.R.P.
Directed by Peter Antonakos
A lighthearted look at the Live Action Roleplaying scene, LARP follows the adventures of Joel Kuehn and his friends as they fight with foam swords in a public park. While mostly following Joel and company, the documentary also examines the LARPing culture, and the people who participate in it, featuring some elaborate and not-so elaborate (read: beer box) costumes and weapons. For Joel and his friends, though, LARPing mostly means having the opportunity to have fun by beating each other up with foam weapons.

LOVE AFTER LOSS
Directed by Katie Dawson
Shakespeare said that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. How do the people who've experienced that loss feel? Love After Loss interviews those who have been made widowers and widows after long years of marriage. The subjects of the interviews reflect on their time spent with their significant other, as well as finding solace, hope and perhaps even new companionship in others.

THE MILL OF ARVA
Directed by Bill Willcocks A historical documentary, The Mill of Arva tells the story of Canada's oldest standing water-run flour mill, founded in 1819 by the Scott family, who owns it to this day. The film tell of mill manager Bill Felner's efforts in raising money and helping to maintain this relic of time. The film looks beyond the history of the mill and delves into the process of making flour with this old-fashioned method, as well as what lies in the mill's future.

HOME WITH A HEART
Directed by Jawin Laverde
While HIV no longer carries the death sentence it once did, the repercussions a sufferer feels from society has not changed all that much. Home With a Heart examines the attitudes towards HIV victims by interviewing some themselves. Viewers are given a closer look at the life of a HIV hospice dweller, and will learn about the history of HIV's rise and current downward trend.

SAFE HAVEN
Directed by Andrew Pemchuk
Safe Haven is a simple documentary with powerful backing, following the toiling process of building a Habitat for Humanity home. Habitat for Humanity is a charity dedicated to providing people with a liveable dwelling. If a family meets the requirements, Habitat for Humanity provides them with a home. Safe Haven documents the charity's work in London, Ontario.

SMALL TOWN GLOBAL
Directed by Drew McLean
"Progress" is often used as a term of praise, but sometimes, how good is the way of the future? The last of Chatham's manufacturing plants, an auto factory, is the focus of this documentary. The various closings of Chatham's plants have had an obviously negative impact on thousands of people and put a squeeze on Chatham's community. The progress made by globalization and the moving of production facilities by corporations to foreign locations as a money-saving means has led to the economic death of blue-collar communities. Small Town Global documents the struggles the people of Chatham face.

DOWN THERE
Directed by Madison Paquin
We all have our labels — 'boy', 'girl' — based on what we have 'down there.' But is whatever that's down there really what defines what we truly are? Down There approaches this important question of gender identity with a light-hearted tone. A majority of Down There comprises of interviews of various Fanshawe students who identify as straight, gay, bisexual and/or transgender. This diverse cast of interviewees will offer an interesting and rarely seen insight on the world of human sexuality.

THE DREAM GATE
Directed by Zhengwei Chen
The 'Canadian Dream' may not be a common expression, but it is very much alive and pursued by many, including Chinese exchange students. More than 4,000 Chinese exchange students attend post-secondary education in Canada, but many have given up on this dream. The Dream Gate is specifically about Hu, a Chinese exchange student, and his universal struggles. Be it the feelings of initial isolation, or sudden destitution due to family issues, many exchange students will find the documentary relatable, and domestic students will understand the difficulties some exchange students face in their educational career.

GETTING MARRIED
Directed by Michael Down
Getting Married takes a look into what makes the marriages of today. Interviewing young couples, the documentary looks into the whys of marriage. The documentary also includes a history of marriage, from its use to bonding kingdoms and securing alliances to its modern use of bonding couples and securing lives.

THE FARM LIFE
Directed by Jared Hutchinson
The Farm Life is less a narrative, and more a visual piece following the farm cycle, from the planting of crops and the rearing of livestock to their sale at the grocery store. The Farm Life's story told silently, substituting narration for imagery.

READ ME
Directed By Brad Bangsboll
When it boils down to frank conversation, our actions betray our words. Read Me is all about this betrayal, at the hands of our own involuntary body language. With the expertise of ex-constable and security firm director John McDonald, Read Me showcases how and why we react to uncomfortable questions and propositions. The documentary grills several college students with questions ranging from moral dilemmas to prying into their personal lives. John's deductions of the body language displayed by the subjects' bodily responses will allow the viewer to better understand the body's various involuntary cues.

BROS WHO LIKE PONIES
Directed by Steffanie Salo
One of the newest emerging Internet fandoms, Bronies are, simply put, adult men who love the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The documentary follows several bronies as they explain their fandom, and even features artwork by Fanshawe Fine Art student Charles Colling.