Behind the Façade: Ten Award Winning Short Films to Air on Knowledge Network

Behind the Façade, a collection of award-winning shorts by diverse directors, airs on Knowledge Network June 3, 2021. Produced by Lantern Films, the series includes the work of acclaimed directors Banchi Hanuse, Baljit Sangra, Joella Cabalu, Lyana Patrick, Dave Rodden-Shortt, and Rosemary Georgeson.

Behind the Façade

Celebrate the strong, diverse communities that make up British Columbia’s history.

From a whirlwind day at a radio station that is empowering Nuxalk language and nationhood, to a secret gathering space for gay men in 1950s Vancouver, and the oldest Sikh Temple in North America, these films offer a nuanced look at BC’s history and the structures that persist.

Films in the series include Nuxalk Radio (Dir. Banchi Hanuse, Hot Docs, imagineNATIVE, VIFF 2020 Sea to Sky Award Winner), The Train Station (Dir. Lyana Patrick, Hot Docs, Telefilm Clermont-Ferrand, Short Film Market, VIFF), Happytime Social Club (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt, VIFF), Ode to a Seafaring People (Dir. Joella Cabalu, Seattle Asian American Film Festival, DisORIENT Asian American Film Festival), and Have You Forgotten Me? (Dir. Baljit Sangra, DOXA, SAAFF).

Ten Award Winning Short Films

The Golden Sheaf nominated Behind the Façade series gets to the heart of historic buildings and neighbourhood touchstones, to share stories of resiliency from diverse communities. 

In the emotionally compelling Have You Forgotten Me? (Dir. Baljit Sangra), Nash and Rajinder Gill shine light on the Gur Sikh Temple, North American’s oldest running gurdwara, and the struggle that it represents. 

In the beautifully animated The Train Station, director Lyana Patrick narrates her family’s powerful story of love and survival at Lejac Indian Residential School. 

Casa Mia: The Headlines (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt) uses newspaper headlines to reveal the historic connections between rum running and some of Vancouver’s most iconic landmarks. 

The fine line between kitsch and caricature is examined in The Tomahawk (Dir. Lyana Patrick), where Skwxwú7mesh Elder and renowned carver Robert Yelton and restaurant owner Chuck Chamberlain share stories of the oldest family run restaurant in British Columbia. 

Ode to a Seafaring People, directed by Joella Cabalu and featuring spoken word artist Sol Diana, poetically reveals the often-hidden world of Filipino seafarers, and in doing so celebrates the resiliency of the Filipino community. 

Happytime Social Club (Dir. Dave Rodden-Shortt) provides us with a rare glimpse into life as a gay man in Vancouver in the 1950s. 

A Place to Belong (Dir. Lyana Patrick and Rosemary Georgeson) celebrates Christmas at the very first Friendship Centre, located in East Vancouver, and reveals the story behind the Friendship Centre movement. 

You can access Behind the Façade on the Knowledge Network starting June 3rd, through your local television provider, or online anytime through the website or Knowledge App.

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