A Movie is a Portal to Home: Shorts by ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby and Jess X. Snow

Presented in partnership with the MSU Womxn of Color Initiative

Embark on a cinematic journey guided by the visionary works of Anishinaabe filmmaker, ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby and Chinese diasporic filmmaker, Jess X. Snow. Together, they will unveil a collection of short films spanning the past seven years, a testament to their artistic collaboration and individual evolution.

These films, born from a symbiotic creative relationship, traverse diverse genres including coming-of-age tales, family dramas, superhero origins, dark comedies, and romances. Rooted in their shared experience of leaving their homelands and embarking on a transformative five-year odyssey through the graduate film program at NYU, each short film serves as a poignant reflection of their growth as storytellers.

Through the lens of humor and magical realism, McSauby and Snow delve into themes such as homesickness, queer identity, native youth empowerment, intergenerational healing, migration, and the reclamation of intimacy with the land. These shorts serve as mirrors, offering glimpses into the filmmakers’ personal experiences and struggles amidst the bustling backdrop of New York City. Here, cinema becomes a vehicle for processing homesickness, bridging distances, and envisioning healing futures for their communities.