Cinema & Media Arts News

On Thursday December 10 our dean, Sarah Bay-Cheng, appeared as a guest on 88.9 RED FM to discuss the challenges facing art schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I hope this message finds you healthy and safe as we all continue to endure the challenges of COVID-19. If you’re reading this, you’ve already achieved more than many thought possible.

Shelby Della Payocyoc is a fourth-year student pursuing a major/minor in Media Arts and Environmental Studies. In the past few years, she has experimented with 360° filmmaking and delved into the realm of Computational Arts to work with Digital Media students and develop her first video game: Originally designed for Virtual Reality, it is playable here as a prototype for a desktop experience.

Now Payocyoc is applying her studies in environmentalism to an interactive web documentary revealing the forgotten histories within Tkaronto (Toronto), her hometown. We spoke with her about her evolution as a Media Artist.

I hope this message finds you and your families and communities in good health and spirits during the current circumstances. I know that the conditions necessitated by COVID-19 have lasted much longer than expected and I am grateful for your continued resilience and widespread generosity shown by people throughout AMPD over the past six months.

Looking for something interesting to do during the pandemic?

Why not tune into a free screeing of new and interesting films produced by students in the Cinema & Media Arts program at York University? They are presenting the third and final instalment of Lockdown Fest Aug. 20 to 23, with a group screening taking place Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. followed by a Q-and-A with the filmmakers.

In A Tough Day, a father reflects on his dysfunctional upbringing and how that has shaped him today, while the filmmaker discovers a new side of her father through his memories. Averie Severs directed this personal documentary in her third year of York University's Film Production program. It can now be viewed in the YorkFlix library.

Pride Month 2020 will be remembered as a month of action. Without the big parade or shoulder-to-shoulder crowds on Church Street, we were forced to set aside the free swag, the "gay tourism" and the corporate sponsorships to reflect on why we celebrate Pride in the first place. We were reminded that it is a time to protest, to care for ourselves, care for those who live in the margins, and to make some noise. And looking back at this past year, it is clear that AMPD made a lot of noise.

Public Access and Tangled Art + Disability invite disabled, crip, d/Deaf, Mad, Sick, and chronically ill artists to submit proposals for artworks that explore accessibility and digital publishing.