Arts & Culture

“The film of my life”: In conversation with Sink’s Zain Duraie, Clara Khoury, and Mohammed Nizar

Antler River Media’s Emmanuel Akanbi sat down with the director of Sink (2025), Zain Duraie, and the two leading actors Clara Khoury and Mohammad Nizar for an interview. It takes a lot of heart, insight, and a delicate touch to bring together a film such as Sink, but speaking with director Zain Duraie and leads Clara Khoury and Mohammad Nizar — who played a mother (Nadia) and son (Basil) struggling hand in hand through the heavy fog of mental illness — it was clear the cast and crew, forged into family through the film, had these qualities in spades.  Fitting…

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“To be yourself, in a way, is to be generous”: In conversation with Spanish director Ulises Porra, director of Under the Same Sun

Discussions of freedom really ought to start with the first slave rebellions in the world, and as such they need to start in Haiti. There is a whole world of stories to explore regarding the Haitian revolution, how it began, the inspiration it became for other colonized states, the fight against the French-imposed tax to be free. But an interesting story, and one I frankly have never before considered, is the change in the relationship between the formerly French-controlled Haiti and the then-Spanish colony of the Dominican Republic. The two states shared the island of Hispaniola, and following independence, the…

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In conversation with Seemab Gul on her debut feature Ghost School

Though education faces its own battles in London and province-wide with respect to government funding and democratic community involvement in schools, millions of children around the world hope for the day just one school reopens. Seemab Gul’s debut feature film Ghost School (2025) explores the reality of one such child. The film recently had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival. The film explores the phenomenon of “ghost schools” as they take place in some parts of South and Central Asia, referring to schools that are operational on paper, but in reality are half built, empty, or…

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“Live for what they died for”: Srebrenica and Gaza genocide documentaries move London community

“I went to Bosnia not expecting to necessarily see Gaza, but everywhere I looked in Bosnia, there was Gaza. I think maybe some of the people that feel closest to Gaza in the world today are in Bosnia,” says Palestinian community member Nabil Sultan of his visit to Bosnia, sharing his reflections on the documentary Survivors of Srebrenica screened at London Public Library on the evening of August 29th. “You see it on the streets, in the graffiti, in the keffiyehs people wear. Even in Srebrenica they have the keffiyehs — the families of the victims who were going to…

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“Caring about humanity is the most punk rock thing of all”: Propagandhi, Thunder Queens & MVLL CRIMES at London Music Hall

What is there to do in London, Ontario, on a Thursday night in September as another school year is beginning? Quite a lot, actually, but on this particular night I made the choice to stop thinking so hard about Canada’s current neoliberal hellscape and to go to a punk show instead. Was this a total vacation from thinking about politics? Not at all, because this was a Propagandhi show. The Manitoba group formed in 1986, and by 1996 they had developed such a reputation for explaining their songs between sets that they joked about it in an album title. Less…

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Can’t we all be free Under The Same Sun?

Historical fictions breathe the stories of the old world. The ability to tell a story of how something might have come to be, a story which likely has been told for centuries is a wonder to behold. We’ve been telling stories forever, we’ve been writing them for a blip in that time, and we’ve been filming them for the tiniest fraction of that blip — leaving an infinite amount of time to film stories we’ve never seen. Spanish writer/director Ulises Porra’s Under The Same Sun is one such historical fiction that tells a beautiful story of how something came to…

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Zain Duraie’s Sink is as honest as it is heartbreaking

Zain Duraie’s Sink is the right amount of devastating. One of my favourites of the festival, the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last week. There is no shortage of films that cover mental illness in the modern context. Predominantly American or European, there are dozens if not hundreds of projects that show the sadness, the stigma, and the need for community support when dealing with mental health issues. Still, few films expertly portray an earnest perspective of the emotions involved outside of the melodrama frequently depicted. To truly succeed in portraying mental illness requires…

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Seemab Gul’s Ghost School is an outstanding debut feature

With gorgeous cinematography and keen direction from director Seemab Gul’s debut feature, Ghost School shows remarkable strength and film-making talent. The Urdu-language feature, which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, follows the journey of 10-year old Rabia (an outstanding performance from child actress Nazualiya Arsalan) who undertakes the journey of uncovering the mystery behind “ghost school” phenomenon in Pakistan after her school is abruptly shut down. The exploration takes place through the pure and curious lens of a young girl who above-all wants to go back to school. Ghost schools are institutions that exist on paper, or…

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“Out of this World!”: Alien-themed Sapphic night seeks to provide safe space for underrepresented segment of London’s queer community  

On August 29th, London’s vibrant sapphic community gathered downtown at the Honey Dip Bar for our city’s first ever “Sapphic Invasion” event. Organized by Sapphire 519’s Theresa Hayes, the highly anticipated alien-themed event was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, with many attendees saying that it provided a much-needed safe space for the often-underrepresented community to connect.   “I am so tired of sapphic people getting breadcrumbs when it comes to events and dedicated groups for them in London,” said Hayes. “We’re a city of over 447 000 people, yet we’re seriously lacking in representation for queer women and nonbinary folks.”   Following the…

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Full Circle Cooking Episode 4: Beanage Dream Full Circle Cooking

We’re keeping it simple at full circle cooking this month. Here’s a tangy, delicious and super filling recipe for a bean and tahini salad with roast zucchini. It’s totally customizable and I’ve included a few ideas for add-ons as well as the base recipe. Enjoy!  The best roast zucchini you’ll ever have Trim both ends of the zucchini, then cut it in half lengthwise. Score the open side of each half, creating a checkerboard pattern. Salt the open side liberally and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Zucchinis hold a lot of water, and these steps are to…

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