Artifact Small Format Film Festival
Night 2: Levers directed by Rhayne Vermette
April 3
Doors 6:30 PM | Show begins 7 PM
Heather Edwards Theatre
Night 2 of the Artifact Small Format Film Festival will happen at Contemporary Calgary. There will be a collection of short Super 8 films shown, which were made by participants from the National accessArts Centre.
Then the feature Levers will be screened. Written and directed by Métis director Rhayne Vermette, the film was shot on 16mm and shows what happens after an explosion causes a complete blackout. Residents of a Manitoba community struggle to maintain their composure and connections as darkness tests their resilience.
About the filmmaker
Rhayne Vermette
Primarily self-taught, Rhayne Vermette’s work emphasizes an interference of image through collage, photography and analog filmmaking. Themes of place, time and rhythm are expressed through opulent layers of fiction, animation, reenactments and divine interruption. Deeply rooted in Manitoba, Rhayne frequently enlists the talent of her loved ones and community in the making of her films. Ste. Anne (2021), Rhayne’s first feature narrative, featuring some of her own family members from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, received critical acclaim and accrued a number of accolades, including TIFF’s Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. In 2024, Rhayne was shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award, Canada’s preeminent prize for contemporary visual artists. Rhéanne (Rhayne) Vermette was born to parents Jacqueline Deroche and Roger Vermette in Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba. Roger Vermette was born in St. Boniface and raised in Ste. Anne, Manitoba, a community historically settled by Métis and French Canadians. His father, Joseph Vermette, was born in St. Norbert, Manitoba and died in Richer, Manitoba. His father, before him, Jean Vermette, was also born in St. Norbert, a significant Red River Métis community, and passed in Richer, Manitoba.