Mirror Mountain Film Festival promises to bring attendees “the best in independent, alternative and underground cinema to Canada’s capital” and this year’s festival won’t disappoint. The festival has an intensely local mission statement, while keeping one eye on the global underground of movie-making. You’ll also catch a lot of festival premieres.
Ottawa-Gatineau locals dominate both behind the camera and on-screen. While a few of the films are full-length features, like Visitor, co-presented by the Ottawa Film Society, most of the fare are anthologies of short films. In other words, you’ll be seeing a lot of great cinema the weekend of July 24 and 25.
Highlights of the Mirror Mountain Film Festival include Live Performance: Kimberly Sunstrum x Hingman Leung, billed as “an original live music and film collaboration” between musician Sunstrum and filmmaker (and frequent Apt613 contributor) Leung—whose short film Curbside Pickup is being screened as part of the Local Heroes series. Local Heroes offers a pan-Canadian series of short films, including one on Ottawa’s own China Doll.
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s live music + film performance will be performed by Ottawa singer-songwriter @KmbrlySnstrm w/ live cinematic visuals by local filmmaker @HingmanLeung. Live-streamed Sat. July 24 @ 7pm, co-presented by @GirlsRockOttawa. https://t.co/cuF0sXUTfU
— Mirror Mountain FF (@MirrorMtnFilm) June 9, 2021
Strange Hours bills itself as “a late-night assortment of the exceptionally weird, unusual and unique,” co-presented by the Canadian Film Institute. Here you’ll find solo adventures into the desert, an “absurdist take on the concept of re-wilding,” and a short drama by Ottawa local Livia Belcea. Moving Images offers viewers a series of moving dramas, while The Land of Milk and Honey is this year’s interactive media piece.
Grateful to be part of #MMFF2021 and looking forward to watching the entire lineup of films! https://t.co/NzHuoYwzXY
— Livia Belcea (@LiviaMBelcea) July 9, 2021
Watch the Mirror Mountain Festival’s 2021 trailer in the player below.
Mirror Mountain Film Festival is accessible online July 24–25. See the full lineup here, and buy festival passes here.
