ABOUT
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Kalil Haddad is an experimental filmmaker based in Toronto. He has written, directed, and edited over a dozen short films including: Farm Boy (19), The Taking of Jordan (22), and His Smell (23). His work has screened internationally at festivals and gallery exhibitions in Europe, Latin America, and the United States; including Indie Memphis, Kasseler Dokfest, London Short Film Festival, and Onion City Experimental, where The Taking of Jordan was awarded a Jury Prize for Best of the Festival. Writing on his films have appeared in Tone Glow, Cinema Year Zero, and Counter Arts, among other publications.
His work appears in the collections of The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, and Vtape.
THE BEAUTIFUL ROOM IS EMPTY
2020 | 19:45 | Digital Video
Starring MARIE HADDAD
Marie, a retired elementary school principle, must confront spaces concrete and virtual, as she attempts to navigate the ghosts of her childhood.
“Haddad’s The Beautiful Room is Empty explores the loaded memories of space through his aunt, Marie, (re)visiting her childhood home and recalling the abuse she endured there. […] What have the walls been listening to? What have they absorbed, retained, and released upon a return, a farewell?”
- Sarah Sarofim, Canadian Art
Screenings:
- Toronto Palestine FF (Toronto, 2020)
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Digital Arts Resource Centre (Ottawa, 2022)
- Kasseler Dokfest (Kassel, 2022)
- Reelout (Kingston, 2023)
- VIVO Media Arts Centre (Vancouver, 2023)
Exhibitions:
- Four Works (Toronto, 2020)