We are pleased to announce our documentary short, Almasa’s Story, by filmmaker Bojan Hadžiabdić, has been selected as a finalist at the Luleå International Film Festival, a semi-finalist in the Stockholm City Film Festival and at the Sweden Film Awards, and as a quarter-finalist in the World Indie Film Awards. The film features Almasa Salihović, […]

Filmmaker Andy Rutter recently discussed making his documentary Kokum Dorothy’s Story: We Can Still Sing and Dance with Ghada Youssef, UVic PhD student and fellow filmmaker. This film is part of SCVN’s Turtle Island Research Cluster and features conversations between residential school survivor Dorothy Visser and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan as they discuss their upcoming graphic novel, […]

We are delighted to announce that SCVN research assistant Ghada Youssef has been selected as one of the five winners of the 2026 Storytellers Challenge, presented by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada! This challenge was open to postsecondary students, inviting them to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or […]

This transcript was adapted from an interview between SCVN researcher Ghada and filmmaker Marc Ellison, on November 20, 2025. Marc has directed two documentary short films for the Rwanda Research Cluster titled Why We Dance (trailer) and a “A Compassionate Heart” (trailer). In the interview, Ghada and Marc discuss the collaborative filming techniques that went into […]

We are delighted to share that the SCVN project has been selected as a finalist in the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada’s Storytellers Challenge for 2026! This challenge is open to postsecondary students, inviting them to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities […]

We are thrilled to share that the documentary short film ‘Why We Dance’ by filmmaker Marc Ellison, part of the Rwanda Research Cluster, has received its first two official selections and an award at film festivals. The film features Jerome Irankunda, a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and graphic artist […]

The official trailer for the upcoming documentary short film ‘Almasa’s Story’ is now available to view on our SCVN YouTube channel. Filmed in Sarajevo and directed by Bojan Hadžiabdić, ‘Almasa’s Story’ features Almasa Salihović, a child survivor of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, and graphic artist Anneli Furmark, who spent a year interviewing Almasa to create […]

On October 23, SCVN’s project partner the Wiener Library is hosting a talk to explore how graphic novels have proven to be a powerful medium for sharing stories of the Holocaust and other genocides and mass atrocities.   A panel discussion will reveal those lessons are currently being applied in the creation of new survivor-centered […]

The trailer for the upcoming documentary short film, ‘Why We Dance’, has just been released and is available to view on the SCVN YouTube channel. Filmed and directed by Marc Ellison, it features conversations between Jerome Irankunda, a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and Michel Kichka, an artist who is […]

After thoughtful consideration, our Yezidi survivor Jilan (not her real name), decided to participate anonymously in the documentary film about her collaboration with the graphic artist, Birgit Weyhe. The filming took place on July 1 and 2 and Filmmaker Olaf Markmann and Research Consultant Leyla Ferman coordinated and outlined a filming schedule. The first day […]

The Turtle Island Research Cluster has completed filming their short documentary film, ‘Kokum Dorothy’s Story’, directed by Andy Rutter. The film features conversations between residential school survivor Dorothy (Sekan) Visser (nee Whiskeyjack, Cree) and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan as they discuss their upcoming graphic novel, ‘We Can Still Sing and Dance: Kokum Dorothy’s Story.’ More information and […]

We are thrilled to announce the premiere trailer for ‘A Rose in Plain Sight’, a documentary short directed by Chorong Kim, set for release in 2025. This film offers an intimate glimpse into the creative and emotional journey of collaboration between Holocaust child survivor Rose Lipszyc, graphic artist Miriam Libicki, and editors Mark Celinscak and […]