GIFF gold for Matthew Rankin, Noam Gonick
Told in complementary tones of voice and within shades of sandstone, Universal Language received Best of Fest honours from the grand jury and also earned Rankin the Alda Award, given to 'honour the cinematic and creative achievements of a filmmaker from Canada and the circumpolar nations.'
Rankin, who also acts in the film, was presented the Alda by festival founder Janis Johnson.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Matthew Rankin's already acclaimed Universal Language took top honours at the Gimli International Film Festival.
For her own efforts to usher the festival into existence 25 years ago, Johnson was presented by Gimli MLA Derek Johnson with the King Charles Coronation Medal at the opening reception.
Rankin is a longtime festival regular and Winnipeg Film Group student who won short film award honours in 2004 before receiving the fest's On the Rise award for his feature debut The Twentieth Century during a pandemic-altered 2020 festival.
This year's best Canadian short comes from writer-director Stéphanie Bélanger, who explores that unshakable era in Lumen, a French-language short with a clickable tagline for anyone who had access to e-tail during COVID-19: 'A 70-year-old with a compulsive lamp-buying problem goes dark when an online seller refuses her offer.'
A modern-day victory for queer futures comes via Noam Gonick's doc Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance, which was celebrated as the best Manitoban film.
'An astonishingly cumulative look at Canada's history of queer activism,' wrote Randall King in a Free Press dispatch from the Hot Docs opening in April. Parade was co-produced by Winnipeg's Justine Pimlott, who shared a Peabody Award for best documentary earlier this year for Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.
Two local actors earned ACTRA Manitoba best performance honours for their work in films dealing with loss, both at and of home.
In griePH, Winnipeg actor Kris Cahatol stars as an introverted, non-binary Filipinx who returns home for a work trip and struggles to cope with sudden loss upon arrival. Directed by MC de Natividad, the short film had its local première at this year's FascinAsian Film Festival.
In Aberdeen, Gail Maurice soars as Kookum Aberdeen in a story of forced climate displacement along the banks of the Red River.
Maurice, a Métis filmmaker-producer from Saskatchewan, is the anchor of the debut feature-film directing collaboration between Peguis First Nation filmmaker Ryan Cooper and Walpole Island First Nation's Eva Thomas.
Following up 2023's audience choice award-winning positivity doc I Would Like to Thank My Body, writer-director Catherine Dulude returned with Petit Mollusque, which was named best Manitoban short. Narrated by André Vrignon-Tessier, Petite Mollusque tells a story of perinatal grief through vivid animation by Annie Castiblanco and Kaya Schulz, both paid interns through the Sisler Create program.
Wednesdays
What's next in arts, life and pop culture.
Shared worlds torn asunder by shared, translingual trauma are stitched together by a united vernacular of pain in Noam Shuster-Eliassi's Coexistence, My Ass, which won the New Voices Award, sharing a potent message in a one-woman show about Israel-Palestine. Written in English, Farsi, Hebrew and Arabic, the film was written by Rachel Leah Jones and Rabab Haj Yahya.
The National Film Board of Canada write-up for Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man asks filmmaker Sinakson, Trevor Solway's question in plain English: 'What does it mean to be a (Native) man?' To find the answer, Solway returns to Siksika, not far from Calgary, where he confronts the early pressures to 'cowboy up.' For the answer the artist provides, Solway was presented with the APTN Indigenous Spirit Award.
Ande Brown, whose short film Better Late Than Never won the best Manitoban short at 2024's Reel Pride Film Festival, just completed his second short, First Shave. On the strength of those works, Brown won the RBC $15,000 emerging filmmaker pitch competition. The resulting feature, Half Naked, will screen next year in Gimli.
'I want to tell stories that reflect trans experiences with humour and hope,' said Brown. 'If this film helps someone feel seen or brave enough to share their own story, that's a win.'
ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com
Ben WaldmanReporter
Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the Free Press while earning his degree at Ryerson University's (now Toronto Metropolitan University's) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. Read more about Ben.
Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Home-based Winnipeg venture gives savoury stuffed Asian dumplings their due as the main attraction — not just as an appetizer
Forks up if you remember the cheeky advertising campaign that was hatched a few years ago by the Egg Farmers of Canada, the one that carried the slogan 'Eggs Anytime: It's Not Weird,' and encouraged people to enjoy eggs for lunch or supper instead of just first thing in the morning. In that same vein, Aaron Li, owner of Super Flying Dumpling, a home-based venture that turns out four varieties of hand-formed Chinese dumplings, posted a message on Instagram asking his followers 'What's for dinner?' together with a snapshot of one of his crescent-shaped treats. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li markets Chinese dumplings based on family recipes and sells them at farmers' markets around the city. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li markets Chinese dumplings based on family recipes and sells them at farmers' markets around the city. 'If you go to restaurants in Canada, you only see dumplings listed on the appetizer side of the menu and because of that, people here have this preconceived notion that they aren't a main dish,' Li says, seated in a Pembina Highway coffee shop, not far from where he lives with his wife Ruby and their two young children, Jasper and Oscar. 'In China, however, it's a very common food. If you get married, you eat dumplings. If you go to a funeral, you eat dumplings. My goal is to change people's way of thinking, and get them to consider having dumplings as an entrée, maybe together with some soup or noodles.' Li, 37, was born in Baotou, the second-most populous city in Inner Mongolia, China. Following their marriage, he and Ruby lived in Jonesboro, Ark., for six years, where he took a video-production course at Arkansas State University. Upon their return to China, Ruby made the decision to continue studying abroad. She did her homework and settled on Winnipeg as their next stop, owing to its affordability and the province's welcoming immigration policy. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Ruby (from left), Jasper, Oscar and Aaron Li serve up dumplings at the Wolseley Farmers' Market. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Ruby (from left), Jasper, Oscar and Aaron Li serve up dumplings at the Wolseley Farmers' Market. Li laughs, saying Super Flying Dumpling probably wouldn't have seen the light of day if he hadn't been as ravenous as he was when he arrived in the city in January 2022 to join his wife, who preceded him here by several months. Ruby had a late class the night he arrived at their Linden Woods apartment. After unpacking his belongings, he rifled through the fridge, searching for something to satisfy his hunger. Hidden in the back of the freezer was a box of what he took to be dumplings, from the photo on the no-name packaging. He proceeded to boil the lot in water, adding a splash of vinegar and drops of sesame oil, the way he'd been taught by his mother and grandmother when he was growing up in Baotou. Although the outer crust turned out thicker than he was accustomed to, he bit into the first specimen, expecting to be greeted with a burst of flavour. 'To my surprise, there wasn't any… nothing,' he says. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Li uses a pair of portable induction cooktops to prep his creations for customers. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Li uses a pair of portable induction cooktops to prep his creations for customers. A second bite confirmed the filling to be 'mashed something-or-other.' 'I'm normally open to trying new things — I never say something tastes bad, instead I say it's not for me — but as I kept eating I couldn't figure out what was good about this.' He turned to Google only to discover these weren't Chinese dumplings at all. Rather, they were potato-filled perogies, a foodstuff he wasn't previously familiar with. The next morning, he asked Ruby why she'd bought such an unappetizing product. She didn't have a clue what he was referring to. After giving the matter some thought, she concluded the box must have been left behind by the previous tenant. That got Li thinking. If Winnipeggers were willing to spend their hard-earned money on an item that, in his opinion, lacked any flavour whatsoever, perhaps they'd be open to purchasing superior tasting Chinese dumplings, ones he would conjure up using his family's time-tested recipes. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Li adds a squirt of garlic-vinegar sauce to dumplings while working at his Wolseley Farmers' Market booth. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Li adds a squirt of garlic-vinegar sauce to dumplings while working at his Wolseley Farmers' Market booth. That spring and summer Li, who had some restaurant experience from his time in the U.S., attended farmers' markets throughout the city, to see if any vendors were peddling something similar. Satisfied nobody was, he began spending his spare time preparing dumplings for Ruby and the kids, to solicit their opinion on what flavours worked best. By March 2024, he had settled on three combinations: pork-and-cabbage, zucchini-shrimp-and-egg and tofu-and-kimchi. Next, he secured space in a registered commercial kitchen, then hit the pavement to gauge interest in his offerings. Super Flying Dumpling made its official debut in May 2024 at the South Osborne Farmers' Market, at 725 Kylemore Ave. (Li intended to dub his biz Flying Dumpling, but ended up adding 'Super' to his moniker after realizing a local restaurant chain goes by the name Flying Pizza.) Despite being on maternity leave when Li's application was accepted, Cortney Ramsay, South Osborne's market co-ordinator since 2021, remembers being overjoyed when she learned of his impending presence there. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li's wife and sons were recruited to decide what flavours worked best. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li's wife and sons were recruited to decide what flavours worked best. 'I love dim sum, my standards for it are very high, so of course I was excited to find out we were going to have somebody selling a super-unique product like dumplings,' Ramsay says, seated at the market's information booth on a recent Wednesday afternoon. 'I tried them the first week he was here, and oh my gosh, they were so good, the pork ones especially. Plus, he was only charging $5 for six dumplings so I was like, how can you go wrong?' Ramsay says it didn't take long for Li's dumplings to become a crowd favourite. In fact, after he was relocated earlier this year from a space reserved for food trucks — Li readies his dumplings on-site, using a pair of portable induction cooktops — to a main area inside an outdoor hockey rink, the information booth was immediately peppered with questions along the lines of 'Hey, where did the dumpling guy go?' Li, who recently added beef-onion-and-carrot dumplings to his arsenal, has also become a familiar face at the Wolseley Farmers' Market on Tuesdays and at the St. Norbert Farmers' Market on Saturdays. His long-term goal is to expand his menu to include other Chinese-style foodstuffs. 'Dumplings are just the first step,' he says, mentioning he's kept so busy between Super Flying Dumpling and his video-production work that he hasn't had time to set up a website for online ordering, another objective. 'My thought is if people continue to like my dumplings, then I might add things like soups and noodles, maybe even my own drinks. Ultimately, I'd like to get into retail, but that's still a ways away.' In the meantime, Li hasn't been shy about sharing secrets when customers pepper him with how-to questions. 'I know it sounds like it'd be bad for business, but if people ask, I'm happy to tell them how to make their own dumplings at home,' he says. 'Some come back later and tell me they tried, but that it was too hard, and they're happy to leave it up to me.' Besides serving up hot Chinese dumplings at local farmers' markets, Aaron Li also sells frozen dumplings. Here are his directions for sizzling them up at home. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li frys dumplings before steaming them. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Aaron Li frys dumplings before steaming them. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Add 75 ml (5 tbsp) of cooking oil to a non-stick frying pan. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer and fry at medium-high heat until the bottoms turn golden. Add enough water to cover 1/3 of the dumplings, then cover immediately. Steam until the water evaporates, approximately 8 minutes. Enjoy the perfect balance of crispy bottoms and tender tops. Dipping Sauce: Combine soy sauce, black vinegar, a drizzle of sesame oil and chili crisp for a flavourful dip. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
Justin Trudeau was all smiles at Katy Perry's Montreal concert
Just 48 hours after they had dinner at Le Violon, the former PM came out for the pop star's Lifetimes Tour stop at the Bell Centre. Published Jul 31, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read Justin Trudeau (at left) was spotted in the crowd at the Katy Perry concert in Montreal on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. T'Cha Dunlevy/Montreal Gazette It was quite the second date. Just 48 hours after they had dinner at Montreal restaurant Le Violon, Justin Trudeau attended Katy Perry's triumphant Lifetimes Tour stop at the Bell Centre Wednesday night. And he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Sporting a black Standfield's 'Strong & Free' T-shirt, Canada's former prime minister stood next to his daughter, Ella-Grace, as he took in the razzle-dazzle show, bopping his head and tapping the railing in front of him from a special section of the stands near the stage. Perry, for her part, gushed about Montreal — 'one of my favourite cities in all of Canada' — and the country Trudeau led for nearly a decade. Perhaps it was her way of flirting: She called our country 'super progressive,' adding that Canadians 'seem to be leading a change for humanity.' The pop star was doing her part in that department, spreading messages of equality and women's empowerment throughout the evening. 'I like her songs and her style; she's not exotic but extravagant, with a lot of energy,' said Ana, 14, who was there with her mother but was too shy to give her real name. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sara-Maude, 31, called Perry 'a female icon.' The Mirabel native said she felt nostalgic coming out to see her idol from her teen years. 'It brings up memories of our youth,' added her friend Lysanne, 33. Encountered before the show, the pair was intrigued by Perry and Trudeau's potential romance. 'Justin Trudeau has taste,' Sara-Maude said. The women looked forward to hearing favourite songs including I Kissed a Girl, Roar, Fireworks and Dark Horse. They got all of the above and more as Perry powered through a two-hour, hit-filled set featuring songs from throughout her career. It was a high-concept show with two dozen screens of various sizes cluttered above the stage. They projected an animated, sci-fi fantasy narrative staggered throughout the night that placed Perry at the centre of a hero quest to save the butterflies — and humanity — from devastation and the forces of evil. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The concert was divided into five acts, each bearing a title matching a song from her 2024 album 143 (the number is contemporary shorthand for 'I love you'). During the first segment, Artificial, she emerged from beneath the infinity-symbol-shaped catwalk in the middle of the arena, floating into the air as she sang. 'Are you ready to dance tonight?' Perry asked the crowd, skipping about the stage in an outfit that could best be described as sexy cyborg. The song, Chained To the Rhythm off her 2017 album Witness, sparked a heartfelt singalong. She was backed by a four-piece band and a dynamic troupe of 10 male dancers, who were impressive from start to finish. Two songs later, Dark Horse got an even bigger reaction. Perry wasn't stingy with the hits. While many artists save the best for last, early on she played a handful of tunes off her 2010 album Teenage Dream: the title track California Gurls and Last Friday Night, followed by her racy, career-launching 2008 earworm I Kissed a Girl, which she dedicated to the gay community. The song sparked more aerial acrobatics as Perry soared over the crowd, pulling off a stunning series of flips while her dancers dashed about below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It was a world-class, state-of-the-art performance, proving that 17 years after she became a household name, Perry can still command a crowd. She was disarmingly charming, coy and fun to be around. Mid-set, she invited three people from the crowd up on stage, a 29-year-old woman, a 19-year-old guy — who blurted out that Firework was 'first song I ever downloaded' — and a 10-year-old girl, giving everyone big hugs and letting them all perform a song with her. 'You can film if you want to,' she encouraged her guests, prompting the two adults to pull out their cellphones. 'You Montreal people are so polite,' Perry teased. The singer, who recently split with fiancé Orlando Bloom, playfully complained about having to play (by request) a pair of 'breakup ballads' — Not Like the Movies and The One That Got Away, both off Teenage Daydream. She delivered her 2013 single Roar while riding a giant, airborne butterfly. By that time, Trudeau had been spotted in the crowd and a picture shared online, allowing this critic to catch him grooving along to the music. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Perry capped off the evening with the rousing anthem Firework amid a barrage of confetti. 'That was incredible,' raved Lana Grégoire afterward, standing outside the Bell Centre. 'I like her personality, her energy. Her songs are about loving yourself and being strong, especially as a woman, and following your dreams.' Her friend Sasha Pustovit was equally impressed. 'The best show of my life,' Pustovit said. 'She's inspiring.' Celebrity Canada Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Canada
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Dunlevy: Justin Trudeau was all smiles at Katy Perry's Montreal concert
It was quite the second date. Just 48 hours after they had dinner at Montreal restaurant Le Violon, Justin Trudeau attended Katy Perry's triumphant Lifetimes Tour stop at the Bell Centre Wednesday night. And he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Article content Sporting a black Standfield's 'Strong & Free' T-shirt, Canada's former prime minister stood next to his daughter, Ella-Grace, as he took in the razzle-dazzle show, bopping his head and tapping the railing in front of him from a special section of the stands near the stage. Article content Article content Perry, for her part, gushed about Montreal — 'one of my favourite cities in all of Canada' — and the country Trudeau led for nearly a decade. Perhaps it was her way of flirting: She called our country 'super progressive,' adding that Canadians 'seem to be leading a change for humanity.' Article content Article content The pop star was doing her part in that department, spreading messages of equality and women's empowerment throughout the evening. Article content 'I like her songs and her style; she's not exotic but extravagant, with a lot of energy,' said Ana, 14, who was there with her mother but was too shy to give her real name. Article content Sara-Maude, 31, called Perry 'a female icon.' The Mirabel native said she felt nostalgic coming out to see her idol from her teen years. 'It brings up memories of our youth,' added her friend Lysanne, 33. Article content Encountered before the show, the pair was intrigued by Perry and Trudeau's potential romance. Article content Article content ' Justin Trudeau has taste,' Sara-Maude said. Article content The women looked forward to hearing favourite songs including I Kissed a Girl, Roar, Fireworks and Dark Horse. They got all of the above and more as Perry powered through a two-hour, hit-filled set featuring songs from throughout her career. Article content It was a high-concept show with two dozen screens of various sizes cluttered above the stage. They projected an animated, sci-fi fantasy narrative staggered throughout the night that placed Perry at the centre of a hero quest to save the butterflies — and humanity — from devastation and the forces of evil. Article content The concert was divided into five acts, each bearing a title matching a song from her 2024 album 143 (the number is contemporary shorthand for 'I love you'). During the first segment, Artificial, she emerged from beneath the infinity-symbol-shaped catwalk in the middle of the arena, floating into the air as she sang.
