Our hero, Nauê, is in the hospital in critical condition – Sapo and Lorena need our support now, more than ever, so they can focus on caring and advocating for him!

Nauê has a rare genetic condition called IFAP syndrome. One of the biggest risks to children with IFAP is skin infection, and bacteria entering their blood system. This is what Nauê is fighting right now. 

Because IFAP is so rare, doctors struggle to understand the complexity of his symptoms. IFAP’s complications make feeding, hydrating, going to the bathroom, administering IVs, and providing pain relief extremely difficult. Nauê has been a soldier, fighting bravely through terrible discomfort. 

As you can imagine, it takes all of Sapo and Lorena’s strength and energy to stay present and positive as they navigate this difficult and dangerous time for their family. Their hope is that Nauê improves enough so they can care for him at home where he feels safe and connected. They have been at the hospital 24/7 for over two weeks now. Neither of them have the benefit of paid leave from their work during this crisis – we are calling on the community and anyone who has seen their story to help them. 

Your contributions will cover Sapo and Lorena’s lost income while in hospital, help pay for bills and living expenses, and create a medical care fund for Nauê’s discharge and private skin care specialists.

Go Fund Me Campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sapo-lorena-care-for-naue

We have officially begun production on our feature documentary BLACK ZOMBIE! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook as we travel to Jacmel (Haiti), Stroud (UK), Los Angeles (US) and beyond to uncover the origin story of this misunderstood monster. Thank you to our partners Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates, the Hot Docs Crosscurrents Fund, the Rogers Doc Fund and the Documentary Channel for making this film a reality.

Third Culture will be attending the European Film Market this year as part of the Hot Docs filmmaker delegation. In addition to attending the market, Third Culture Producer, Maya Annik Bedward will be participating in inaugural DocSalon Toolbox Programme.

The DocSalon Toolbox Programme is an immersive four-day experience comprising a suite of workshop modules, meetings, industry talks as well as one-on-one consultation and guidance by a delegation coordinator and a consultant. These components collectively form a kit of business tools and market intelligence that documentary professionals can subsequently apply to their own projects.  

More information can be found on the DocSalon website: https://www.efm-docsalon.com

We’re going to Philadelphia! THE HAIRCUT is screening at the The BlackStar Film Festival, which runs from August 1-4th this year! The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual event that celebrates the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora, showcasing films by black, brown and indigenous people from around the world. We’re also excited to be pitching our upcoming film BLACK ZOMBIE at the inaugural BlackStar Pitch. We’ve been hard at work on our pitch for the past few weeks, so look forward to an update from us in the future. Happy August!

We’re excited to introduce our newest team member, Jess Stewart-Lee! She will be supporting activities at the Third Culture office this summer as we enter production on two new projects.

Jess is a recent University of Toronto graduate in Cinema Studies and Diaspora & Transnational Studies. She’s a huge fan of photography, true crime, documentaries and sitting alone in a dark room for hours while editing.

We would like to thank Canada Summer Jobs for their support with this opportunity!

THE HAIRCUT continues its festival tour with screenings! See below for dates and info.

• September 13, 2018 –  Caribbean Tales Film Festival, Toronto
• November 2, 2018 – Guelph Film Festival, Guelph
• November 14, 2018 – Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto
• January 27, 2019 – ReFrame Film Festival, Peterborough
• February, 2019 – Pan African Film Festival, L.A.
• July, 2019 – Mirror Mountain Film Festival
• August, 2019 – BlackStar Film Festival

Our little short THE FOREIGNER is completing its festival run with an outdoor screening in Toronto on at the 2018 Christie Pits Film Festival. Come see the film in the very neighbourhood where it was filmed! Make sure to arrive early because the hill fills up fast!

Our newest short THE HAIRCUT will have its theatrical premiere at the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. We are so excited to screen this film on the big screen! For screening dates and ticket info, visit the Hot Docs website.

Our feature doc BLACK ZOMBIE was recently accepted into the Breakthrough program at the DOC Institute. This program offers a select group of participants the opportunity to develop and hone their pitch materials in preparation for the 2018 Hot Docs International Documentary Festival. Learn more about the program and the participating filmmakers here.