Toby Gillies

Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying is a short meditation on love, grief, and imagination. The hand-drawn animated documentary was created through a collaboration between mother, elder and narrator Edith Almadi and filmmakers Natalie Baird and Toby Gillies. This poetic piece celebrates life and the transformative ability of art to elevate and transcend us. Through vivid drawings and Edith’s simple yet magical words, the film explores our enduring bond with loved ones who have passed. In honouring her son’s life within the cosmos, Edith’s artworks embody colours, shapes and metaphors that remind us of the timeless power of love, gravity, and grace until our final breaths.

A study of urban prairie plant-life living between the cracks – thistles, burdock, plantain, etc – that spent the summer flourishing in surface parking lots and burned out demolition sites. A looping and constant push forward creates interconnecting cycles of growth and death of these creatures and spaces.