Aaron Munson

A documentary about the psychological costs of working in Alberta's oil sands and the mental health crisis that's been ignored for a decade.

CREE CODE TALKER reveals the role of Canadian Cree code talker Charles 'Checker' Tomkins during the Second World War. Digging deep into the US archives it depicts the true story of Charles' involvement with the US Air Force and the development of the code talkers communication system, which was used to transmit crucial military communications, using the Cree language as a vital secret weapon in combat.

After marrying a settler, Mary Two-Axe Earley lost her legal status as a First Nations woman. Dedicating her life to activism, she campaigned to have First Nations women's rights restored and coordinated a movement that continues to this day. Kahnawake filmmaker Courtney Montour honours this inspiring leader while drawing attention to contemporary injustices that remain in this era of truth and reconciliation.

Snow Warrior is a love letter to the splendour of winter. It captures the beauty of a northern city through the eyes of a bicycle courier named Mariah.

The short is another adaptation of E.A.Poe's infamous tale and follows the descent into madness for the meticulous butler Manfred, whose sole focus in life is the care and comfort of his Master. When perfectionism turns into obsession, he pleads for understanding that he acts not out of madness, but through his most grievous fault. The story of redemption leads into the depths of a troubled soul for whom madness is just a matter of perspective.

Follows an unnamed protagonist as he returns to his childhood home following the tragic death of his brother. He struggles with loss as fall gives way to winter and he reluctantly assumes responsibility for the dying family farm where his mother and sister still live. This quiet and intimate work draws the viewer into a meditative rural space as the man attempts to reconcile his past and present.

Three intrepid women battle for Indigenous women's treaty rights.

Worldwide, Arab men are depicted by the mainstream media as terrorists, suicide bombers, or at best, extremists. In Things Arab Men Say, Egyptian-born filmmaker Nisreen Baker paints a very different picture. Join Jay, Ghassan, and their friends as they gather at Jamal’s Eden Barber Shop for a haircut, a shave, and a lively discussion on politics, religion and identity. Although located in St. Albert, an Edmonton suburb, Jamal’s shop could be anywhere, serving as a microcosm of the Arab community. At times serious, but laced with deft humour, the film follows the group as they debate the issues at hand and express often-surprising views that bring us closer to changing the narrative surrounding their community.

Trevor tries to have his photo taken with his father.

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Far away, inexplicable forces shape matter into form. And so life begins: people arise from dust and are drawn to each other by the magical frequency of 2,750 Hz. Captivating, beautiful and stirring, the short film 2.57k allows us to see and hear the extraordinary.

Frances Ward, a self-professed “Seaweed Nerd” and adventurer, is about to give up everything she’s built in her life to start a kelp farm off  the west coast of Canada. SEND KELP! follows Frances on an odyssey that brings her into the vast oceans of the Pacific where she intends to build one of the first farms of its kind in British Columbia.  But to coax a crop from the wild Pacific, she’ll need help from scientists, wild harvesters, and entrepreneurs who know the challenges and astonishing potential of this miraculous organism. And along the way, she’ll find a glimmer of the hope that seaweed might provide not only for our planet, but for her, too.

This documentary digs into the stories of Indigenous women and families to reclaim their Indian Status through their fight for the elimination of sex-discrimination in the Indian Act. It highlights the impacts of the law on individuals, families and communities. Since the passing of Bill S-3 and its amendments, thousands of Indigenous people are now eligible for Indian Status.

When a spiritual crisis spurs him to leave the constraints of the conservatory, pianist and filmmaker James Carson embarks on a journey of evolution, discovering new connections between music and the natural world. His travels culminate in a cabin he builds in the Canadian wild where his experiences meld into a new form. A lyrical, genre-defying feast for the senses, Cabin Music is a testament to the twin transcendent powers of music and nature.

“When you don’t know your language or your culture, you don’t know who you are,” says 69-year-old Armand McArthur, one of the last fluent Nakota speakers in Pheasant Rump First Nation, Treaty 4 territory, in southern Saskatchewan. Through the wisdom of his words, Armand is committed to revitalizing his language and culture for his community and future generations.

As one in a series of short experimental films exploring depression, "Deceiver" sends quiet, granular washes of white through deep maroon fields that feel alternately like moonscapes and deserts, galaxies and microscope samples. Even as the white spreads, seeming to move at will through the black, the instrumentation falls out, leaving only that original organ howl, which by the end sounds resigned in its victory. A wave of black overwhelms the frame.

A macro exploration of the expanding and contracting nature of the universe underpinned by the belief that the path to a sustainable and healthy future lies in our ability to change minds through shifts in the perspectives that connect us. Through multimedia explorations of extreme environments, mental illness, memory, and the conscious mind, Munson aims to encourage mindfulness and play a role in constructing that path.

An experimental documentary which explores an old friend's 8 year struggle with mental and physical health. Collapsing into a seizure on a soccer field almost a decade ago, a young man recounts how his life was changed forever.

A young man recounts his experience with mental illness and how it has impacted life as he knew it. An abstract journey through the fabric of the brain, revealing the fragile elements of self that are contained within.

An apocalypse in ink, soap and 35mm film, shot in high definition video.