Premiering on Instagram Stories, Otherly is a series of seven short documentaries about finding one’s place in the 21st century. Using universal themes like love, inclusion, and loss as entry points, seven female, non-binary, and genderqueer creators have crafted films that are at once timeless and yet by definition of their form, ephemeral.
The stories range from family relationships to exploring LGBTQIA+ identities to a search for freedom and independence. During this time of enforced social distancing, it’s especially poignant that the films were created for Instagram, one of the few spaces in which we’re able to stay connected.
Otherly is a co-production between the National Film Board of Canada and POV Spark, marking the first collaboration between the two internationally renowned institutions.
The series will be available starting on March 15, 2021 on Instagram @otherlyseries.
Parked: Seeking Refuge in Our Cars
by Mirusha Yogarajah
Parked: Seeking Refuge in Our Cars is a short doc about a subculture of Tamil youth who use their vehicles as makeshift second homes to seek freedom.
Premieres March 15, 2021
Elaine Is Almost
by Em Yue
Shot over the course of a year, Elaine Is Almost explores the unconditional love between siblings as they each navigate their place in the world.
Premieres March 17, 2021
Love Is the First Sacred Lesson
by Jess Murwin
Love Is the First Sacred Lesson is a first-person documentary that follows the filmmaker’s journey to connect and reconcile the different parts of their identity: queer, trans, Mi’kmaw. An existential road trip back to the East Coast.
Premieres March 19, 2021
Integrate.Me
by Tristan Angieri
Integrate.Me explores the use of an experimental therapy to treat Tristan’s PTSD, as they learn to navigate being queer and trans.
Premieres March 22, 2021
Papier Accordéon
by Grace An
Papier Accordéon unfolds over a period of 24 hours, as two friends in different cities spend their time together from a distance.
Premieres March 24, 2021
A Portrait of Tracy
by Joanne Lam
A Portrait of Tracy is a short experimental doc that explores the echoes of childhood memory from an immigrant’s perspective: what is lost to time and distance, and what remains.
Premieres March 26, 2021
FaceTime
by Jackie! Zhou
FaceTime follows Andy and Farrah as they navigate their individual identities, chosen family, and relationship as bi-coastal siblings.
A five-part series of 6-10 min episodes premiering daily from March 29 – April 2, 2021.
Premiering on Instagram Stories, Otherly is a series of seven short documentaries about finding one’s place in the 21st century. Using universal themes like love, inclusion and loss as entry points, these seven creators have crafted films that are at once timeless and yet by definition of their form, ephemeral.
Geared towards Instagram users, Otherly amplifies perspectives from a group of underexposed creators, namely women, non-binary and genderqueer identifying folx. It’s especially poignant during this time of enforced social distancing that the films are presented on this platform, one of the few spaces in which we’re able to stay connected.
Their stories include one woman’s relationship with her grandfather (A Portrait of Tracy); a non-binary Indigiqueer exploring their heritage and identity (Love Is the First Sacred Lesson); a generation of Tamil youth who find freedom and community in their cars (Parked: Seeking Refuge in Our Cars); an interactive documentary about family, chosen and biological (FaceTime); an exploration of a groundbreaking therapy for PTSD (Integrate.Me); coming out and the unconditional love of siblings (Elaine Is Almost); and two women who spend their days in relative isolation (Papier Accordéon).
Using techniques ranging from experimental to live action to animation, these films were produced specifically for Instagram and meant to be consumed on your phone. The transient quality of Instagram Stories is a direct juxtaposition to the lasting impression these stories will leave, a fact not lost on the filmmakers as they create the perfect blend of the medium and its message.
Otherly is a co-production between the National Film Board of Canada and POV Spark, marking the first collaboration between the two internationally renowned institutions.
Otherly is a series of seven short documentaries about belonging, premiering on Instagram Stories.
Premiering on Instagram Stories, Otherly is a series of seven short documentaries on the theme of belonging. It amplifies perspectives from a group of underexposed creators, namely women, non-binary and genderqueer identifying folx.
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About the NFB
For more than 80 years, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has produced, distributed and preserved those stories, which now form a vast audiovisual collection—an important part of our cultural heritage that represents all Canadians.
To tell these stories, the NFB works with filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, from across the country. It harnesses their creativity to produce relevant and groundbreaking content for curious, engaged and diverse audiences. The NFB also collaborates with industry experts to foster innovation in every aspect of storytelling, from formats to distribution models.
Every year, another 50 or so powerful new animated and documentary films are added to the NFB’s extensive collection of more than 14,000 titles, half of which are available to watch for free on nfb.ca.
Through its mandate, its stature and its productions, the NFB contributes to Canada’s cultural identity and is helping to build the Canada of tomorrow.
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About POV Spark
The interactive arm of the iconic PBS series, POV Spark creates and advances experiential forms of storytelling, programming, and distribution, redefining US public media to be more inclusive of emerging technologies and interactive makers. POV films and projects have won 42 Emmy Awards, 25 George Foster Peabody Awards, 14 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. POV is a production of American Documentary (AmDoc), a national non-profit media arts organization that strives to make essential documentaries accessible as a catalyst for public discourse. AmDoc collaborates with passionate filmmakers to amplify their voices, and to nurture the nonfiction community. Learn more at pbs.org/pov, access POV Spark projects, and follow @povdocs on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.