Braaains

Writer and creative producer, Helene Taylor, joins us to talk about her recent diagnosis with Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD. Throughout this conversation, we cover what FTD is, how it is diagnosed, and what to do now to reduce cognitive decline.  We also discussed films such as Still Alice, which represents dementia in a very real way, especially when it comes to the experience of carers, and Sh...

Our guest, Tom Sinclair, is an actor and filmmaker based in Winnipeg who joined us to talk about his journey into acting and filmmaking in Manitoba and his experience working on the feature film, Champions, which was his acting debut. We first met Tom at Banff World Media Festival as he was a DSO (Disability Screen Office) delegate like Heather! DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com...

Veteran Filipinx-American filmmakers and LGBTQIA+ activists Desireena Almoradie and Barbara Malaran join us to talk about their new film, BECAUSE OF YOU: A HISTORY OF KILAWIN KOLEKTIBO. This doc is the first archival look at a previously uncovered era of 90s queer activism amongst a group of Filipinxs activists and artists that started in New York City and rippled across the U.S. and Canada.  In t...

Brian Ceci is a filmmaker and cinematographer who has worked on productions in over 30 countries across six continents. Brian's feature film debut as a director, 'Heard,' chronicles his experience being Hard of Hearing as he talks to other Hard of Hearing (HoH) creatives across BC who use their hearing loss to further their practice as artists and creatives.  Today's conversation delves into Brian...

Actor, writer, and disability advocate, Alicia Grace is a spark of joy! She joined us to talk about living with blindness and a brain tumor. We talk about How to Train Your Dragon, the first film that helped her connect to her disability, and the limited series, All the Light We Cannot See, which included a blind character (and actor) who was more than her disability.  Alicia really wants to have...

We had the pleasure of interviewing Writer-Director Taratoa Stappard about Mārama, his first feature film, which premiered at TIFF, where we first saw it. Mārama is a Māori gothic horror set in Victorian England in 1859, about a young Māori woman who is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, where she uncovers the horrific truth of her colonial heritage, and she must destroy the titled Engl...

Welcome to SEASON FIVE of Braaaaains!! WHA WHA??? We're kicking things off with the fantastic Kristen Lopez, who is a freelance pop culture journalist and the author of two books: But Have You Read the Book: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films, published by TCM and Running Press in 2023, and Popcorn Disabilities: The Highs and Lows of Disabled Representation in the Movies published b...

Elyse Bouvier is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer who recently wrote and directed the short documentary, Unfolding Faith, for the National Film Board of Canada. In this nuanced and timely short film, Elyse explores how her decision to give up her faith redefined both her identity and her relationships with her parents.  We spoke to Elyse about her deconversion from Evangelical Christianity an...

Today's guests are the creators and stars of Crip Trip, a new AMI-tv series following Daniel Ennett, a quadruple amputee, and his best friend turned first-time caregiver, Frederick Kroetsch, on a cross-country road trip from Edmonton to New York City in their beat-up 1983 RV.  Over the course of the series, they tackle the challenges of caregiving, government shortcomings, and personal growth, all...

Our guest, Dylan Park-Pettiford, is a writer, director, and author from the San Francisco Bay Area. He served as a member of the military for six years, including a deployment in Iraq during the Iraq War. Dylan wrote for the popular courtroom drama, ALL RISE, and served as a writer and consultant for 68 WHISKEY, which follows a group of army medics deployed to a forward operating base in Afghanist...

We are excited to talk to broadcast presenter, columnist, host, speaker, and now actor, Jennie Bovard. She stars in and is an associate producer for the scripted comedy series Pretty Blind on AMI. She is also the creator & host of the Low Vision Moments podcast, where she discusses her experiences with albinism and low vision. On today's episode, we talk about how Jennie developed the show based o...

Today's conversation is with Laura McKenzie about how she reframed her life after experiencing Transverse myelitis, which led to her spontaneous paralysis on New Year's Day in 2023. Laura is a stay-at-home mom who raises her kids, loves her dogs, and is a good partner, all while being in a wheelchair and having to relearn everything she previously knew how to do. She has become immersed in the onc...

Our guest, Wax Taber, is a multi-award-winning documentary editor who worked on the PBS series, THE CLASS . This docuseries was set amid the turmoil of a pandemic year and follows six students from Deer Valley High School as they pursue their dreams of higher education, with their adviser, Mr. Cam, helping them overcome the challenges they face. We talk about the importance of mentors as seen in t...

Our co-host, Heather had the pleasure of interviewing sociologist and artist Alessandra Seggi about her latest book Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences. Alessandra is a Fulbright grantee with a PhD in Sociology and MA in Media Studies and the analysis in her book is both a personal and professional reflection on suicide in film. Youth and suicide in American Cin...

Today we delve into the importance of public and free third places and how they impact your mental health. We had the pleasure of talking with filmmaker, Ali Weinstein about her first observational documentary, Your Tomorrow, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.  The film is about the last year in the life of Ontario Place which became a defacto public park 10 years...

Welcome back to another season of Braaains. We're so excited to start the season with a fantastic interview with filmmakers, Thea Loo and Jeremiah Reyes, about Thea's latest documentary, INAY With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY (MAMA) investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children f...

Today's our last episode before our Christmas break. Sad, I know, but we have such a great guest: Sadie Dingfelder. She wrote the most excellent book "Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination." Our conversation not only delved into face blindness (prosopagnosia) but also covered neurodivergence, aphantasia, and the importance of effective sci...

Sarah had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Sealey, director of the newly released Disney+ film OUT OF MY MIND, alongside the movie's star, Phoebe-Rae Taylor. Out of My Mind is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, who has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is n...

We're doing something a little different today. When we were at TIFF, we had the opportunity to go to the perspectives panel -- Building Inclusive Futures: The Means of Accessibility. The panel was a discussion on accessibility and redefining perceptions of disability within the industry and beyond. The panel included Kyla Harris (chair of We Crip Film for the BFI and producer of Patrice: The Film...

Today our special guests are writer/ director Bernard Gray and actor Dwain Murphy. We discussed Men's Mental Health within the Black Community and how they explored this topic in the film, The Other Stuff, which recently premiered at the Reelworld Festival in Toronto. The film offers an honest exploration of how Black men, especially those from environments of crime, straddle the paths of good and...

It's Halloween and we're talking about horror, disability, and access with filmmaker and navigator of the creative multiverse, Ariel Baska. We deep dive into A Nightmare on Elm Street, Ginger Snaps, and Wait Until Dark, and discuss how each film made Ariel feel seen in some way. We also discuss their horror documentary Monsterous Me and their work as a horror filmmaker telling stories around disab...

SAD JOKES is the story of Joseph, a gay filmmaker, who co-parents with Sonya who is struggling with depression. The film captures a moment in time when Joseph has to juggle his family life, love life, and artistic ambition while Sonya's away at a clinic during a mental health crisis. Writer, director, and star, Fabian Stumm, tells us about the making of the film and how his personal life colored t...

Today we have a special guest and dear friend of Heather's, Claire Ayoub. Claire is a writer, a director, an advocate, an educator, a leader, and an amazing friend to all – she also has the debut of her feature film, EMPIRE WAIST, coming out THIS FRIDAY, September 27th at a theater near you! Empire Waist follows a group of teens learning to love their bodies through inclusive fashion design and fr...

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and we have a wonderful interview with writer, director, and actress, Nadine Crocker. We talk about her film, Continue, and the importance of representing depression and suicidal ideation on film and TV. We also talk about shows like The Bear and Modern Love (amongst many). CONT;NUE is based on true events from Nadine's life dealing with suicide and depression...

We have decided to take a summer break and will be back in September with an interview with writer, director, and advocate, Claire Ayoub. For those of you in Edmonton, we're having an in-person event for our guests and listeners in August. Keep an eye on social media for our invite if you're interested in meeting us in person! DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcas...