Groove, Slam, Work It Back

Groove, Slam, Work It Back gives a glimpse into Sayla and Ishi's grief, as they meet at Sayla's mother's for the new year. They prepare to watch the sunset by dressing in colourful outfits, having a dance party and poking fun at each other. However, when comes the time to talk about Sayla's late sister, simultaneously Ishi's late girlfriend, they have conflicting approaches. As Sayla continuously withholds information, Ishi prods to know more about the sisters' mystery tradition.

When everything comes to a head, who decides the best way to grieve? Through their interactions, Ishi and Sayla learn to be more patient with each other and look ahead to this journey of mixed memories and shared joy.

  • Amélia Simard
    Director
  • Amélia Simard
    Writer
  • Amélia Simard
    Producer
  • Paiton Pires
    Key Cast
    "Sayla"
  • Nazem Elias
    Key Cast
    "Ishi"
  • Alfredo Arroyo Barra
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Experimental, Dance
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    September 4, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,832 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.88:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Simon Fraser University
Director Biography - Amélia Simard

Amélia is an emerging French-Canadian filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist from the traditional and unceded territories of the Lekwungen and Songhees peoples (Victoria, BC). Now based in so-called Vancouver, they have completed their BFA in Film at Simon Fraser University where they have written, shot and directed short narrative dramas and documentary films. Their works have been featured in Vancouver Island Short Film Festival and the Small File Media Festival. They are also a theatre-maker, with the debut of their co-written and co-performed piece "Cracking The Nonbinary Code" as a part of Ignite! 2023. In their practice, Amélia explores themes of queerness, language through metaphors based in memory, nostalgia and the fantastical.

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Director Statement

We dance to remember. We dance for nostalgia and for all the tears we can’t cry. I find that I also sing for similar reasons. Music is healing and hurting, a call for help turns into a party.
That is the philosophy behind Groove, Slam, Work It Back. Memory was always contained in sound much longer than it was in image.

What better way to understand the dearly departed, than to listen to their old tapes, their old vinyls and share their joy?

Music is the apparatus. Dancing is how I grieve, how I travel through time.