CANADA | 63 min | Partial Subtitles Co-presented by The Biking Lawyer
Support by Ed Video
Support by Silence
Tickets: $12/PWYW
EVENT: Art & Impact
Post-film: Live performance by singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring and talkback with the filmmaking team of Hearse Chasing.
Burcu's Angels
Özgün Gündüz | CANADA | 20 min
At the heart of Vancouver, Burcu’s Angels is more than just a vintage store—it’s a haven, a stage, and a sanctuary. For thirty years, this vibrant space has welcomed outcasts, dreamers, and seekers, offering more than clothes—it offers belonging. Owned by Burcu Özdemir, a Turkish queer elder, the store has become a pillar of the community, often described as a “coming out center” for generations of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
DIRECTOR BIO:
Özgün Gündüz
Özgün Gündüz (she/they) is a documentary filmmaker, programmer, and DOC Northwest board secretary based in unceded Coast Salish territories. Her work explores themes of belonging, resilience, and the everyday lives of underrepresented communities through a collaborative and personal lens. Özgün was among the 10 emerging producers selected for CMPA’s 2021 Diverse Producers Mentorship program. Her first short documentary, Weltschmerz (2021) received support from TELUS Community Stories and screened at international festivals.
Hearse Chasing
Teresa Alfeld | CANADA | 43 min
*World Premiere*
Singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring has long used music to process trauma. Now, as she prepares to release Am I Still Here, an album inspired by her past, she returns to Calgary to confront the family tragedy that shaped her life. Joined by her younger brother, she seeks answers from those who knew their family. Blending raw conversations, home videos, and music, Hearse Chasing explores grief, resilience, trauma, and the healing power of art.
DIRECTOR BIO:
Teresa Alfeld
Teresa Alfeld (she/her) is an award-winning writer/director from Vancouver, BC, with over ten years’ experience writing and directing both documentary and scripted films. Feature directing credits include the documentaries Doug and the Slugs and Me (CBC 2022), and The Rankin File: Legacy of a Radical (Knowledge Network 2019). Recent short film directing credits include the Crazy 8s dramedy Toe Pick (Whistler Film Fest. 2024), the dramedy Bossbabe (Cinema Spectacular 2023), the comedy David Foster’s EGGGPAA starring David Foster and Katharine McPhee (NFB 2022), and the documentary Jean Swanson: We Need a New Map (Hot Docs 2021, VIFF 2021).
