Transforming traditional and unconventional venues across Kingston’s historic downtown, the Kingston Canadian Film Festival is an annual whirlwind of movies and special events that spark curiosity, ignite discussion and provide a fresh experience of Canadian film.
The 2023 Kingston Canadian Film Festival is happening March 2-5, 2023. Check out these books inspired by some of the films!
Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq
Inspired by Ever Deadly. Veering between the grittiest features of a small arctic town, the electrifying proximity of the animal world and the ravishing world of myth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where the distinctions between good and evil, animal and human, real and imagined lose their meaning, but the guiding power of love remains.
Our Sable Island Home by Sharon O’Hara
Inspired by Geographies of Solitude. Our Sable Island Home is a personal story that does not shy away from the perils of life in an isolated locale, interwoven with the maritime history that centres around the iconic island. The story will take you on a journey more than sixty years back into the past to when Sable Island was called "the Graveyard of the Atlantic."
North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person
The book that inspired the film. From nature child to international model by the age of thirteen, Cea's astonishing saga is one of the long-held family secrets and extreme family dysfunction, all in an incredibly unusual setting. It is also the story of one girl's deep-seated desire for normality--a desire that enabled her to risk everything, overcome adversity and achieve her dreams.
Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas
Inspired by Sweat. Bestselling journalist Dana Thomas has travelled the globe to discover the visionary designers and companies propelling the industry toward that more positive future by reclaiming traditional craft and launching cutting-edge sustainable technologies to produce better fashion.
Honor by Thirty Umrigar
Inspired by To Kill a Tiger. In this tender and evocative novel about love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice, Thrity Umrigar shows us two courageous women trying to navigate how to be true to their homelands and themselves. Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago, she and her family left the country with no intention of ever returning. As she follows the case of Meena—a Hindu woman attacked by members of her village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man—Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s past.
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
Inspired by Riceboy Sleeps. A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life. For as long as she can remember, it's been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn't always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely. So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation — following her mother's announcement that she's getting married — Robin is devastated.
Collected Poems of Bronwen Wallace by Bronwen Wallace
Inspired by All You Have To Do. Offering the full breadth of this celebrated poet's output in a single, long-awaited volume, Collected Poems of Bronwen Wallace brings the text of all five published collections back into print alongside unpublished poems from earlier in her career, allowing readers to see the stylistic evolution of her poetry from its first incarnation to her last written work.
Willie: The Game-Changing Story Of The NHL's First Black Player by Willie O’Ree
Inspired by Black Ice. On January 18, 1958, Willie O'Ree was finally called up to the NHL after years of toiling in the minors, joining the Boston Bruins. And when he stepped out onto the ice against the Montreal Canadiens, not only did he fulfil the childhood dream he shared with so many other Canadian kids, he did something that had never been done before: He broke hockey's colour barrier — just as his hero, Jackie Robinson, had done for baseball.
A Knock On The Door by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Inspired by Bones of Crows. In the past, Canadian state agents knocked on Indigenous families' doors to take the children to school. Now, the Survivors have shared their truths and are knocked back. It is time for Canadians to open the door to mutual understanding, respect, and reconciliation.
Brother by David Chariandy
The book that inspired the film. An intensely beautiful, searingly powerful, tightly constructed novel, Brother explores questions of masculinity, family, race, and identity as they are played out in a Scarborough housing complex during the sweltering heat and simmering violence of the summer of 1991.
