The Rendezvous With Madness Festival (RWM) is back for its 32nd year, kicking things off with an opening night screening of the documentary WaaPaKe, by director Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin.
The largest and longest-running arts festival in the world dedicated to the intersection of mental health and artistic expression, this year’s festival theme, Shine; Together, is represented across ten features and three short film programs. Also returning this year are the thought-provoking Q&A and curated panel discussions held after most screenings, a hallmark of the annual event.
“Art provides a means of shining light onto challenging situations in our lives, especially for anyone living with mental health and/or addictions,” says Workman Arts Executive Artistic Director Amadeo Ventura. “This year’s festival theme, ‘Shine ; Together’ brings stories into the light as a clarion call to build a more equitable society where compassion and empathy can shine through the darkness. We hope you’ll join us to talk through these creations together and shine together too.”
Two of That Shelf’’s very own staff, Managing Editor Emma Badame and Senior Critic Victor Stiff, are film programmers for this year’s festival.
RWM kicks off on October 25th at the CAMH Auditorium in Toronto, as Cree writer and filmmaker Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin discusses her profoundly personal documentary WaaKaPe. A member of the Attawapiskat First Nation, Koostachin’s film asks the difficult question, ‘Who are we without our pain?’ as she explores her own family history with the residential school system.
Celebrating Canadian filmmakers, other notable screenings at this year’s festival include Michael Clowater’s New Brunswick-set Drive Back Home starring Alan Cumming, Hot Docs Festival favourite My Dad’s Tapes from local director Kurtis Watson, and the NFB documentary A Man Imagined by Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky.
With films touching on a host of difficult issues including suicide, addiction, schizophrenia, identity, trauma, and the complex nuances of everyday life, Rendezvous With Madness will also host the Canadian premiere of Sundance selection Malu from Brazilian filmmaker Pedro Freire and the rock and roll documentary about musician Pete Doherty’s persistent attempts to overcome addiction is chronicled in Pete Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin.
The festival’s shorts programme, If You Ask Me, returns for its eight year alongside short films from their partners at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival.
There are a number of art exhibitions and showcases appearing alongside the 2024 film slate, like visual art exhibit The Looms We Resemble, a curated group exhibition featuring textile works by six artists exploring topics of belonging, the body, healing, and ancestry. As well, there are special performance presentations including live showcases Public Speaking Through Comedy and Nicole Decsey Dance Projects’ We Lost You A Long Time Ago, which will showcase directly before the screening of Pete Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin. On November 2, join Rendezvous for Rhythm of the Night, a night of music, dancing and a mini-night market at the Tranzac Club.
Tickets for Rendezvous With Madness events are available online now, and you can also purchase them by walking up at all festival venues (open 1 hour before show times). All tickets are pay-what-you-wish and can be reserved in advance on the festival website with a credit card.
For complete listings, including short films screening with features and post-screening panels and Q&As, visit www.workmanarts.com.
