Gurdeep Singh Bains

Haida Modern

2019

In the 50 years since he carved his first totem pole, Robert Davidson has come to be regarded as one of the world’s foremost modern artists. Charles Wilkinson (Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World) brings his trademark inquisitiveness and craftsmanship to this revealing portrait of an unassuming living legend. Weaving together engaging interviews with the artist, his offspring, and a host of admirers, Haida Modern extols the sweeping impact of both Davidson’s artwork and the legions it’s inspired.

I am Agha

2010

Lahore, Pakistan. During a whole day, we follow Agha, a little boy who, to survive, collects waste in the street without caring about the world which surrounds him. He makes us share his moods and his vision of the life.

The Haida in Canada

2022 · ★ 7

Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the west coast of Canada, is home to Skil Jaadee and her family. They live in harmony with nature and have made it their mission to save their language and preserve their history.

Spellbound

2002 · ★ 7.4

This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.

Memories of Earth

2002 · ★ 9

Set against the unforgettable beauty of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), Memories of Earth takes viewers on a journey guided by traces of the past. The film records the meeting of two artistic worlds: that of the Haida, an indigenous people whose cultural life and mythology bespeak their belief in a tangible link between the real and the imaginary, and that of Frédéric Back, a master of animated film and committed humanist, whose works is an appeal to respect all things created. Through the magic of animation, the documentary casts fresh light on the legends and spirituality of the Haida.

Out of the Interior: Survival of the small-town cinema in British Columbia

The hard-working cinema owners and operators of the small towns found in BC's southern interior are doing more than showing movies and selling popcorn––they are bringing their communities together.

Under the water

A daily life in Korogocho, Kenya, one of the world’s poorest slums.

Pick up the Wind

2021 · ★ 6

A short film following Anthony, a young child from the small, rural town of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. We see him in different moments of his daily life as he interacts with different forms of environmental, familial, and social influences. While Anthony displays contradictory traits of creativity, destruction, rigidity, and tenderness as he interacts with his external and internal worlds, we see a story built from the the multidimensionality of Anthony's layered personality as a young man.

Video Toy Chest

1990

Promotional video that came from local Child World/Children's Palace toy store chains in a box that included a bag of Krunchers potato chips. The video features a mild plot involving mostly all children who are running a video production studio. It also includes a curly haired rapping man named "Robo-T". The video is a giant commercial with live skits in between as a fun bit until the next commercial.

Nomoto: A BC Tragedy

2022

The injustice of the Japanese internment is explored through the story of Kyuichi Nomoto, one of the first Japanese Canadians to graduate from UBC, who suffered a breakdown deep in the BC Interior.

Box of Treasures

1983 · ★ 9

In 1921 the Kwakiut'l people of Alert Bay, British Columbia, held their last secret potlatch. In 1980 at Alert Bay, the U'mista Cultural Centre (U'mista means "something of great value that has come back") opened its doors to receive and house the cultural treasures which were seized decades earlier and only then returned to the people. The center also took up activities such as recording stories told by elders so that some part of the past would always be alive and teaching children about their heritage in order to make them feel connected to their ancestors. This film documents the cultural significance of these events for today's Kwakiut'l people. It is an eloquent testimony to the persistence and complexity of Kwakiut'l society and to the struggle for redefining cultural identity for them.

This Is Not a Fiction

2019

An attempt to understand climate change through the production of human food; a few drawings to describe our world. This animation is the result of a workshop held with 15 children from the Limette School in Brussels during the festival Filming for the Climate.