About UsCOMMUNITY, DIALOGUE, and ACTIVISM.
At the heart of KDocsFF lies our mission to engage through documentary film, documentary activism, and community dialogue, driving critical thinking and deepening understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our world. This commitment fuels our endeavours to illuminate, challenge, and inspire.
On our screen, a kaleidoscope of narratives unfolds, each documentary offering a unique lens that challenges norms and incites deep reflection. These diverse stories create an environment ripe for idea exchange, awareness building, and meaningful change. By delving into these varied perspectives, KDocsFF fosters a space where both individual and collective voices are championed, and where exploration and empowerment intersect. Join us in this journey as we navigate and respond to the complexities of our global community through the transformative power of film.
MISSION AND VISION
GET TO KNOW USDive into the heart of Metro Vancouver’s premier social justice film festival.
My love of film is equaled only by my love of learners and learning, so KDocsFF is the perfect way for me to do what I truly love in every way. As the KDocsFF Festival Director, I am responsible for overseeing film curation/programming, sponsorships, funding/grants, partnerships, speaker development/curation, exhibitors development/curation, financial management, logistics, venue management, marketing/promotion, community partnerships, and community liaison. When not organizing the KDocsFF Annual Documentary Film Festival and other KDocsFF film events, I am incredibly fortunate and grateful to teach English literature, critical reading, critical writing, and critical thinking at KPU, a place I have called home since 2006. My other research interests include graphic novels, visual culture, film studies, media studies, and critical approaches to historicizing and theorizing “holocomics”—graphic novels and representations of the Holocaust. I am also an Advisory Board Member/Section Editor for Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film and Visual Narration, KPU’s official film studies journal. I was recently honoured as the 2022 recipient of KPU’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Award, as well as a 2020 YWCA Women of Distinction Award nominee (Arts, Culture, & Design), and as the winner of the 2019 Allies of Muslim Women Award from Voices of Muslim Women. Outside of work, I am a huge Canucks fan (Go Canucks!) who enjoys travel, cycling, and binge-watching my favourite TV series (best ever? The Wire … and Breaking Bad). I am so proud of KDocsFF, now in its second decade!
As a BIPOC member of the LGBTQ2S+ community and son of a political refugee, my lived experience has become an integral part of my teaching, scholarship, and activism at KPU, where I lead KDocsFF’s Community Outreach Program, Social Justice Lab, and KDocs Talks. I am proud that KDocsFF’s programming embodies intersectional social justice, centering anti-oppression, sustainability, human and animal rights, resistance, and diversity. I am also the Founder and Editor-in-chief of the KDocsFF-sponsored film studies journal, Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film & Visual Narration, and my research interests include BIPOC/Asian representation in film, transtextuality, fandoms, and documentary activism — all frequent topics of my presentations at various conferences like the Popular Culture Association’s annual meeting. In the classroom, I have been teaching film studies courses in the English Department since 2012 and enjoy taking my students on field studies to the Rio Theatre; I also co-curated an English/Fine Arts ceramics exhibit on the Japanese Canadian internment that is now on permanent display at Historic Joy Kogawa House. Learning about privilege alongside students, colleagues, and community members — and how to break down our unearned advantages in the name of justice — continues to be my role as an educator/documentary activist. Proudly, I am the recipient of KPU Faculty of Arts Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award for 2021 and a jurist for the St Andrews Film Festival and the Sundar Prize Film Festival.
WORD ON THE STREET
I know it took a lot of hard work to organize and ensure its success.
So I would like to acknowledge that work by all who gave their time and energy to this endeavor. There were so many “AHA!” moments for me, and I’m sure for many others as well. So many times I was taken to places within me that stirred my angst, rage, discontent, and disapproval of how our world has been visioned for us. On the other hand, I was also brought to tears of hope and happiness at the level of passion that we all have for our communities, families, and world around us. Be the image makers—all of us. Hey’ch’ke ey’siem.”
Brandon GabrielMulti-media Artist/Muralist; Council Member, Kwantlen First Nation; KDocsFF Panelist, 2015, 2016, 2022, and 2023
Shape Change with Us
How Can You Contribute?
Your involvement as a partner goes beyond mere support — it’s an opportunity to be at the forefront of driving social change through film. Join us in this transformative journey.
Why Partner with Us?
Your support fuels our mission, enabling us to bring you thought-provoking documentaries and engage wider communities in meaningful dialogues. Together, we can amplify the impact of social justice narratives.