Rachel's Picks

Rachel's Picks

Growing up I loved films about friendship like Now and Then, Stand By Me, The Big Chill, and St Elmo's Fire, and I still have a strong inclination towards films that highlight these relationships and confirm friendship’s importance and the significant role it plays in people’s lives.

As I grew older I was drawn more to stories about women and girls, those specific friendship dynamics, and also the unique journeys they went through. After watching Cleo de 5 a 7 in film school and being captivated by Cleo’s story as well as how Agnes Varda highlights the city of Paris beautifully, I was introduced to another one my favourite aspects of film which is the way revealing a city contributes to the story, whether it stands alone as a character itself or how it plays a role in shaping the individuals on screen.

These are among the many entry points that have contributed to my love for film and the ways it can expose me to new worlds, while also allowing me to feel less alone, and more connected. I hope my picks allow you to feel the same!

Rachel's Picks
  • About Rachel's Picks

    Growing up I loved films about friendship like Now and Then, Stand By Me, The Big Chill, and St Elmo's Fire, and I still have a strong inclination towards films that highlight these relationships and confirm friendship’s importance and the significant role it plays in people’s lives.

    As I grew ...

  • Film Festival Film

    Berlin International Film Festival

    Fanon is an ambitious young Black African filmmaker attending the Durban International Film Festival. Directors Mpumelelo Mcata and Perivi Katjavivi convey how she tries desperately to find a producer to fund her debut feature film. The film accurately portrays...

  • Second Star On The Right

    "Second Star on the Right winningly captures our varying levels of maturation and individualism, with beauty and style." Film Inquiry

    Palm Springs International Film Festival
    Inside Out LGBT Film Festival

    Emilia is a 30-something bisexual woman who teaches acting classes to children, but is tr...

  • A Dog Barking at the Moon

    Berlinale Film Festival
    Hong Kong International Film Festival

    Director, Lisa Zi Xiang’s Chinese family saga, A Dog Barking At The Moon, winner of the Teddy prize at Berlinale for LGBT-themed features, is told through different periods of time, often exploring pivotal moments in a family's histo...

  • Unarmed Verses

    "There's a quiet, discreet magic at work with Charles Officer's latest documentary, Unarmed Verses." The Globe and Mail

    Winner Hot Docs Film Festival
    Seattle International Film Festival
    Winner Vancouver Film Festival

    A thoughtful and vivid portrait of a community facing imposed relocation. At ...

  • Americano

    "Writer-director Kevin Noland effectively utilizes his fine young cast and the natural beauty and rich culture of northern Spain in amiably posing a timeless question of youth." - The Los Angeles Times

    Palm Springs International Film Festival
    Seattle International Film Festival

    Chris McKinley, ...

  • Dhalinyaro (Youth)

    Lulu Ali Ismail's directorial debut pens the beautiful and poetic coming of age story of Hibo, Asma, and Deka, three girls navigating their final high school semester. The blossoming young women question what it means to be educated in Djibouti and where class separates them as they select school...