Please join us on April 8th for an Artist Talk hosted by Mya Van Dyk, where she’ll screen their new short film “A Twenty-Something’s Guide to Grieving Someone who is Not Dead”, along with past works.

When: Thursday April 9th, at 7PM
Where: 1411 Dufferin St. Unit B
Free and Open to the public!

About the Film

“A Twenty-Something’s Guide to Grieving Someone who is Not Dead” follows our unnamed protagonist as she navigates the five stages of grief after a friendship breakup, not-so-subtly symbolized by a literal person-shaped hole. The film is completely hand-drawn with ballpoint pens on spiral-bound notebooks, consisting of over 2000 separate drawings.  By tying the narrative to the material choice, it showcases a personal story in a raw and relatable yet playful way.

Artist Bio

Mya Van Dyk is a Toronto-based artist specializing in 2D and stop-motion animation.  She studied Experimental Animation at OCAD University.  Their storytelling aims to delicately balance humour and realism, platforming the duality and depth of the human experience.  They deal with themes of lesbian identity, girlhood, and connection, drawing from personal experiences with a heightened and whimsical lens.  Van Dyk’s stop-motion film, “Monkey Bar”, premiered at Ottawa Animation Festival earlier this year and their award-winning thesis film, “The D Word”, premiered at TAIS’ very own Animation Showcase.

Check out more of their work on instagram @pisspisspisstits