June 5 – 9, 2023
As a mental health film festival, our mission at Get Reel is to spark conversation, educate our community, promote healing and help-seeking, celebrate artistic talent and feature stories about our mental health.
Festival Schedule
Festival Schedule
Monday June 5
Emerging Artist Scholarship Films
TIFF Bell Lightbox, 6.30–9.30 PM
- Nool by Ayesha Azad
- How’d You Sleep by Spencer Glassman
- On the Line by Anastazia Itkina
Tuesday June 6
Shorts
- Feeling the Apocolypse
- Parlour Palm
7 PM: Neurodivergence & Trauma
- 3 Seconds In, 6 Seconds Out
- Low Fuel Light
Wednesday June 7
Shorts
- Lay Me By the Shore
- Hoa
- Toe the Line
- Will you Listen?
- Taboo
Thursday June 8
Mental Health Documentary Night
Hot Docs Cinema, 6.30–9.30 PM
- No Crying at the Dinner Table
- Love and the Art of Despair
- School to Prison Pipeline
- Quiet Minds, Silent Streets
Thank you to our generous sponsors committed so far:
Film Lineup
“Anytime I get to create something I feel exceptionally fortunate — but getting to make work with the support of a meaningful organization, like Stella’s Place, makes it that much better. As a former participant at Stella’s Place — this project felt like a full circle moment”
– Spencer Glassman, Get Reel Scholarship Filmmaker
Meet Our Get Reel Scholarship Recipients
Ayesha Azad (she/her) is a Sri Lankan-Canadian storyteller based in Scarborough, Ontario. She has a background in International Development from the University of Toronto. During her time there, she worked in both Sri Lanka and India, doing both research and community development work.
During her time in India, Ayesha worked with students who faced caste-based discrimination and supported the development of a curriculum that provides equity-focused employment support. She also completed her thesis which explored how Muslim women in Kerala navigate cultural and societal barriers and the mental health implications associated with this.
Upon graduating, Ayesha followed her passion for increasing employment opportunities for marginalized populations in Toronto and joined a non-profit to work towards this goal. Through her work, she was able to create employment opportunities and address the mental health needs of various individuals needing support.
Outside of work, she is extremely passionate about the Arts, being a cake decorator, painter and baker. Her love for art and telling the stories of vulnerable groups exposed her to film-making, and she helped produce Smokey’s World, an award-winning short film directed by Luke Galati. Her passion for storytelling also led her to support the production of Galati’s film When we Reach Out Who Should Respond? Which was screened at the Get Reel Film Festival 2022.
Spencer Glassman (they/them) is an emerging Toronto based actor, writer, director and producer. Spencer thrives in comedy — they are currently training in sketch writing and improv at the Second City and they write and perform standup comedy.
Spencer has had the pleasure of acting in a few notable projects including, CBC Gem’s Chesterfield (short), White Lie (TIFF, Film Forge), and a brand campaign for the Brockton Haunt. Their narrative work looks at the sometimes painful neuroses that develop as a result of feeling like an outsider in society, while always maintaining a light-hearted and comedic tone that makes it accessible to those who don’t have lived experience and validating to those who do.
Their directorial debut, This Time With Feeling (2020) had an exciting festival run. Most notably: Winner Best International Special Mention at the BFI Future Film Festival, Best International Film at Concordia Film Festival, Official Selection at Yellowknife International Film Festival, Official Selection at Indie Film TO and Official Selection at Montreal Independent Film Festival.
Since founding Lucky Kid Pictures, they have had the pleasure of working with many incredible artists and clients as well as self-producing, with the ultimate goal of creating meaningful work in a safe and inclusive environment. As a producer, their goal is to curate efficient and respectful crews that uplift creative women, queer and gender-nonconforming people and people of colour.
Anastasia Itkina (she/her) is a Jewish-Ukrainian filmmaker currently based in Vancouver, BC. Her perspective is informed by elements of Western discourse on the social histories of art, feminism, and post-colonialism. She is interested in the themes of oppressive state and the extent to which our identities have been shaped by the anxieties that have emerged from post-Soviet cultural trauma.
She is currently in a post production stage with her short film Hiraeth which tells a story about a Ukrainian family immigrating to Canada to escape the war, a story based on her personal experiences. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in film production she has been working as a producer on various short format films which have received recognition at VAFF, WFF, Reelworld and other film festivals.
Thank you to our ‘Emerging Filmmaker’ Donor, Zurich Insurance, who helped make our scholarships possible.
Zurich Canada has been a leader in the Canadian commercial insurance market for 100 years. With over 500 employees in offices across the country, we combine global reach with local service and knowledge. Through a thoughtful and transparent approach, our dedicated regional teams help mitigate and manage risks and build resilience to better protect businesses.
Last Year’s Film Fest
“Last night truly was magical, and made me so grateful and honoured to be a part of the Stella’s Place community!”
Sarah Nicole Rowe, Filmmaker
“Community Matters. We need to make spaces for young folks to be heard, seen, honoured, empowered, cheered on, highlighted and listened to.”
Community Member
