| | t November 29, 2024 Stratford Times Stratford Film Festival presents Holiday Shorts including a public screening of It’ S a Wonderful Life LISA CHESTER Times Correspondent After the successful introduction of the Stratford Film Festival (SFF) in Novem- ber, where approximately 450 people at- tended the four screenings, December brings Holiday Shorts in partnership with Lights On Stratford and their theme of Re-Imagine. The Holiday Shorts will be the major highlight of a weekend of screenings be- fore Christmas beginning Friday, Dec. 20 to Sunday, Dec. 22. While the full pro- gramming has yet to be revealed, there will be two films to look forward to from the Stratford Festival film-production arm. “There will be some animation, come- dy, drama; it will be family friendly, say about age eight-plus,” said SFF director Megan Smith-Harris. “We will be includ- ing two pieces that were shot in Stratford with very strong Stratford connections. One of the films will be The Understudy and we are hoping to have a panel discus- sion. We have confirmed writer-director Peter Pasyk, producer Genna Dixon and acclaimed local actor Andre Sills.” The Understudy has not been public- y screened in Canada yet; it is currently in its film-festival run with the Canadian eae at the Hamilton Film Festival, so this will be the second time it has been viewed in Canada. It will be released on StratFest at Home in the spring of 2025. “This is a rare opportunity for audiences to get a sneak peek at this fabulous short film that is a story unique to the theatre. It deals with the experience of the un- derstudy which most people don’t know about. The premise of the film is the lead in a major Shakespearean play can’t go on so the understudy played by Tom Rooney finally has his moment. It’s a journey worth watching,” said Smith-Harris. “Of special mention is Mia SwamiNathan. The young | actress ee plays the role of the an actress HOLIDAY SHORTS (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) Stratford Festival actor Tom Rooney appears in The Understudy to be included in the Holi- and I expect to see a lot more of her not only in television but around the world.” Also coming from the Stratford Festival is the first chapter of a six-chapter anthol- ogy called Just Short of Reality. “Tt is a dance-movement piece with no dialogue. Some of the scenes in Stratford will be familiar to the audience. This was made during COVID, which is why there’s single actors and movement. It has been shown at festivals and we are delighted to show the first chapter,” said Smith-Harris. Not many can say they have seen the film, It's a Wonderful Life, in the theatre as a community so SFF is offering that chance. Gather family and friends to experience this newly remastered, spe- cial-colourized version of the holiday fa- vourite Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. at the city hall auditorium. The film will be introduced with a mini-masterclass presented by SFF co- founder and general manager Bill Harris. Harris was a professor of film and tele- vision and is very knowledgeable about the golden age of Hollywood and clas- day Shorts programming curated as part of the Stratford Film Festival this December. sic films. For example, Cary Grant was the first choice to play the lead but when Frank Capra came on board, he cast Jim- my Stewart. Although not successful at the box office when it opened, it is one of Capra’s favourite films. “Everyone thinks of It's a Wonderful Life as a holiday film and a happy family film, and there are elements of that to be sure, but it also touches on several serious themes that affect our own city of Strat- ford in addition to the town of Bedford Falls. People are struggling with the cost of housing, food prices are high, home- lessness, addiction and despair. Those are other themes in addition to the warm, fuzzy, family holiday vibes that we get from it. They parallel some of the realities of 2024,” said Smith-Harris. The Holiday Shorts will be screened Dec. 20 at 4p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The evening screenings will have panel dis- cussions with Dixon, Pasyk, Sills and Rooney with the potential for more guests. Dec. 21 will feature Holiday Shorts screenings at 4 and 6 p.m. ahead of the sereening. of It'sa Wonderful Life at 8 p.m. D will feature Holiday Shorts Pie De at wre 6, and 8 p.m. All screen- ings are a pay-what-you-can model and will be hosting donation drives for three local charities. Bring a donation for one of the three charities listed below as the price of admission. Founded in 1989 and located in Strat- ford, the Emily Murphy Centre is a sec- ond-stage housing facility for abused women with or without children, serving the Perth County and surrounding area. They are most in need of diapers, hygiene supplies (Tampons, pads, full-size sham- poo, conditioner and body-wash) school supplies, new books and toys, new linens and towels, grocery gift cards, Walmart gift cards and Canadian Tire gift cards. Stratford House of Blessing provides emergency support for people in their immediate time of need, and host multi- ple programs including their food bank, fresh start, community meals and special- ized programs for babies, kids and adults. Items~in-need include crackers, cook- ies, boxed side dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese), canned soup, canned ham, chicken, or salmon, peanut butter, canned vegetables, kids school snacks (nut-free granola bars, apple sauce, fruit roll-ups), pasta and pasta sauce. Shelterlink Youth Services has been of homelessness since 1991 through pre- vention, advocacy, shelter and communi- cation connection services. Select Items from their wish list include deodorant, men's underwear, Kleenex/tissues, Tam- pons, gift cards from McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Staples and grocery stores (Sobey's, Food Basics, Representatives of the three charities will be on hand to receive donations, share information and answer any questions at- tendees may have. University of Guelph and United Way partner to research enhanced services for 2SLGBTQ+ communities ALEX HUNT Times Correspondent The United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research and Planning Council and the ~ University of Guelph (UoG) are exploring opportunities to develop services for local 2SLGBTQ+ communities. The first step was to launch a community survey to gauge what is currently missing in the community. That survey closed on Nov. 29, after this paper’s publication date. “The partnership was the result of a num- ber of different community conversations through different partnership tables and social planning groups that United Way is involved in,” said Kristin Crane, director of community impact and research at United Way Perth-Huron. “We have heard of increased incidents of discrimination and exclusion toward 2SLGBTQ+ members and alongside that, we have just completed our quality-of-life research where we discovered there re was a lack of i among our community.” Crane says that based on advice from community advisors, future accommoda- tions should provide a healthy space for people to share their experience of being 2SLGBTQ+ in the Perth-Huron community. There will also be conversations taking place among United Way, UoG and com- munity advisors on current, available ser- vices that are succeeding so they can elab- orate on what a safe space looks like and to gain insight for future development-care opportunities generated by the ongoing re- search. “This really solidified the need to do this research in the community. There are a lot of different sensitivities with doing this research,” said Crane. “Through our in- vestigation, we realized we had a moral re- sponsibility to do no harm with conducting further research so we thought it would be excellent to partner with a post-secondary institution that possesses the knowledge of non-invasive study methods to ensure all is taken into consideration.” Cane says the survey was only the first step of a larger development process. hg next stage will involve focus groups interviews to gather ea ee ae will then be transferred int expected to be released = the pO this June. “The best response to discrimination and hate is to build inclusivity and belonging. The research will provide us with an oppor- tunity for us to provide these resources to those in need. We need to make it known that discrimination is happening in our community,” said Crane. “This is an under- served population and without that research to build this case on why these services are needed, it will be difficult to get that sup- port for individuals facing discrimination.” United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Re- search and Planning Council consists of volunteers who dedicate their time and peers: to ecving the quality of life fac ation housing saci and other social-j aba Pe issues eae collected re- and data analysi