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Starlight Sojourn

Starlight Sojourn is a collaborative animation project by artists Darcy Tara McDiarmid and Chantal Rousseau. It is inspired by ancient Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices, and features fish, birds, and animals majestically traversing a dreamlike night-time landscape in the Yukon under starlight. At times the animals convey a sorrowful transition between our world and the spirit world, which reflects upon the current state of species diversity risk and loss.

  • Chantal Rousseau
    Director
  • Darcy Tara McDiarmid
    Director
  • Chantal Rousseau
    Writer
  • Darcy Tara McDiarmid
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Animation
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 27, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Dawson City International Short Film Festival
    Dawson City
    Canada
    April 8, 2024
    North American Premiere (audio version)
  • 32e Édition vidéos de femmes dans le parc - Le Groupe Intervention Vidéo
    Montreal
    Canada
    October 8, 2023
  • imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    October 18, 2023
    Ontario premier
  • North Bay Film Festival
    North Bay
    Canada
    November 18, 2023
  • (s)hiver Arts Festival
    Dawson City
    Canada
    February 4, 2023
  • Toronto Queer Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    March 15, 2024
  • REGARD International Short Film Festival
    Saguenay
    Canada
    March 19, 2024
  • Skoden Indigenous Film Festival
    Victoria
    Canada
    April 7, 2024
  • Reel to Real International Film Festival for Youth
    Vancouver
    Canada
    April 8, 2024
  • Images Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    April 13, 2024
  • Montreal Underground Film Festival
    Montreal
    Canada
    May 17, 2024
  • Yukon Riverside Arts Festival
    Dawson City
    Canada
    June 13, 2024
  • IFI Family Festival 2024
    Dublin
    Ireland
    August 24, 2024
    International Premiere
  • WNDX Festival of Moving Image
    Winnipeg
    Canada
    October 6, 2024
Distribution Information
  • VideoPool
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
Director Biography - Chantal Rousseau, Darcy Tara McDiarmid

Darcy Tara McDiarmid is a Hän and Northern Tutchone artist from the crow clan. Darcy draws inspiration from nature, trying to capture the pristine beauty of our natural world. She believes in honouring her ancestors by devoting her art to heritage and culture and the reclamation of traditional practices. She is a carver, painter, illustrator, storyteller and filmmaker. She lives on Tr'ondëk Hwëtch'in territory in the Yukon in Canada.


Chantal Rousseau is a queer settler artist from French Canadian and Ukrainian ancestry. Her work uses embodied experience and research to learn about specific ecosystems. She is curious about points of connection between humans and non-humans, species diversity, conservation initiatives, and exploring a personal relationship to the natural world. She is a painter, animator, and sound and installation artist. She is a guest on Tr'ondëk Hwëtch'in territory in the Yukon in Canada.

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