Perspective Film Series: The body remembers when the world broke open (2019)

Perspective Film Series:

The body remembers when the world broke open (2019), dir. Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers

June 30 | 5:30 PM

2019 | Canada| 105 mins

Taking its title from an essay by Billy-Ray Belcourt, The body remembers when the world broke open (2019) follows two Indigenous women from different backgrounds as their worlds collide on a Vancouver sidewalk.

Áila (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) stumbles upon a pregnant young woman, Rosie (Violet Nelson), and soon discovers that she has just escaped an assault by her abusive boyfriend. Áila brings Rosie into her home and, over the course of the evening, the two women navigate the after-effects of this traumatic event.

Mostly shot as a single, continuous long take, The body remembers when the world broke open reflects on the ways in which political violence is inscribed onto the body; and on the visceral nature of the personal and collective memory of those who came before us.

FREE for members. Non-members: $10—your ticket to this screening includes admission to Contemporary Calgary. Our galleries are open from 12-5 PM for viewing prior to attending the program.

The 2024 edition of Perspective is curated by Muriel N. Kahwagi, Assistant Curator at Contemporary Calgary. The series will feature monthly screenings that amplify voices from the Global South, deconstructing broader moving-image practices through an anti-colonial framework. In particular, this year's Perspective will focus on filmic works from the Caucasus, as well as Southwest Asia and North Africa, a region that continues to grapple with the enduring legacies of colonial violence.