Media Release: Opening & Closing Films Annoucement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Vancouver, BC - March 27, 2025) The 24th Annual Doxa Documentary Film Festival is pleased to announce our opening and closing films for our May 1-11, 2025 festival. Both films showcase BC talent and explore our 2025 festival theme of resistance.
“This year, we have chosen films that exemplify resistance; beyond embracing resistance as a theme, many of our 2025 films are forces of resistance that showcase the resilience of communities that combat erasure,” says Programming and Industry Manager, Marianne Thodas.
DOXA is proud to present Elizabeth Vibert and Chen Wang’s Aisha's Story (2025) at this year’s Opening Gala, taking place at 7:00pm on Thursday, May 1 at the Vancouver Playhouse. The Gala will be hosted by Margaret Gallagher, host of North by Northwest on CBC Radio, and a reception with refreshments will follow the screening. Aisha’s Story poses a vital question—how can food contribute to generational healing? The film follows Aisha, a Palestinian matriarch running her family’s grain mill in Jordan, who preserves Palestinian history by passing down traditional cuisine to generations that have been displaced from their homeland. Aisha’s Story showcases how food is not only an expression of cultural heritage; food can be a vehicle for resistance.
Elizabeth Vibert is a historian at the University of Victoria, writer, and filmmaker whose work focuses on grassroots efforts toward food justice in contexts of poverty, colonial inequities, and the climate crisis. Chen Wang is an internationally award-winning photographer and cinematographer, who grew up in Mainland China and now lives in Victoria, BC. Vibert and Wang are in competition for the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director and the Vancouver Film Studios Award for Best BC Director at DOXA 2025.
The DOXA 2025 Closing Gala presentation is the BC Premiere of Patrick Shannon’s Saints and Warriors (2024), screening at 6:30pm on Saturday, May 10 at SFU Cinema. Saints and Warriors tells the story of how basketball is more than a game for the people of Xaaydaga Gwaay.yaay (Haida Gwaii)—it’s an arena for leadership, resistance, and cultural preservation. Under colonial rule, Indigenous peoples were banned from gathering, except for church or sports—so the Haida turned basketball into a lifeline for carrying Haida traditions through generations. Set during the 2023-24 season, the film follows the legendary Skidegate Saints as they fight to defend their dynasty at the All Native Basketball Tournament. But their battle extends beyond the scoreboard, as players navigate tensions, shifting allegiances, and the long-standing struggle for Indigenous land rights.
Patrick Shannon (Nang Ḵ’uulas) is an Indigenous Haida film director from Skidegate, Xaaydaga Gwaay.yaay. Having been a filmmaker for 12 years and with a decade of experience in the Vancouver film industry, Saints and Warriors is his first feature-length film. Patrick Shannon is in competition for the Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director and the Vancouver Film Studios Award for Best BC Director at DOXA 2025.
“Documentary is a bridge between life and art, reflecting our reality back to us and revealing aspects of our world that are hidden or intentionally suppressed. However, documentaries can also inspire change and resilience. Many of our 2025 films touch on the theme of resistance; in this current moment of political upheaval and unease, we hope that our films inspire hope for movie-goers, and bring some context to the complexity of our time. We can’t wait to announce our full program on April 3,” says Arnaud Menindes, Managing Director.
Tickets for the Opening and Closing Galas, as well as festival passes are on sale now at doxafestival.ca. Festival passes include access to all film screenings as well as our Opening and Closing Galas, and our Mid-Week Film (TBA).
Our full program will be announced on April 3, 2025. Tickets for all other film screenings, as well as Industry passes, will go on sale at that time.
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For media inquiries, please contact Marnie Wilson at 604.836.2409 or mwilson[at]theartsbiz.com.