Academy of Fine Arts Alumn Paola Fernanda at LIFT residence in Toronto 2025

I arrived in Toronto in mid-October 2024, it was my first time in Canada. The season felt perfect, autumn was approaching so the maple trees were turning vibrant shades of red and yellow. The sun was still shining warmly, reaching nearly +18°C, which was quite different from Finland. The streets were lively, with people being social and the diversity of cultures was striking. I felt a deep excitement, not only about discovering a new country but also about creating a new film project. The idea of seeing LIFT felt thrilling, a place where analogue film plays a crucial role and where there was a range of equipment to deepen my knowledge of analogue filmmaking. 

In my first weeks, I got to know the city. I wanted to see Lake Ontario, and since the weather was great, I took my first film shots there. I came across many Trumpeter Swans and had a funny conversation with a woman who knew one of them by name ”Nicky.” I also wanted to experience the subway and visit outdoor places like High Park and Centre Island. It was great to explore these areas first, especially since my living place was just four streets away from LIFT, so I didn’t need to take any transportation.

At LIFT, I received a full introduction to their facilities and was given my own artist studio, called ”artist suite.” Here, I gathered all the film materials I had brought with me, along with the ones I was creating during my residency. I also had my own 16mm projector, allowing me to test the films I was shooting and developing from time to time. Meeting the staff was very important, they shared their knowledge about the equipment and offered high-quality support. In addition, I learned about the film festivals happening in the city around the time of my arrival.

During the first week of my residency, I also met Colombian film director Lina Rodriguez, who was giving a workshop at LIFT. Meeting her was very inspiring, as she had connections with other Colombian artists living in Toronto. She invited me to see the latest film by Jorge Lozano, an experimental filmmaker who has lived in Canada for many years. Later, I had the pleasure of meeting him and sharing my own work with him.

In my first month, I got to know the optical printers that LIFT offers. Robin, my amazing instructor and guide at LIFT, introduced me to the JK printer. It was the perfect way to prepare for working with a more advanced machine, the main character of LIFT, the Oxberry 1700. I ran many tests and began to understand the concept of printing frame by frame, using programmed repetitions, as well as the possibilities of rewinding and moving the film forward. I started collecting my notes and organizing the shots that would be essential for the future.

After a week with the JK, I moved on to the Oxberry 1700, and that was a big moment. This optical printer was once used to create visual effects for films like Star Wars, and it has a strong personality—it even has its own dedicated room. I really enjoyed working with ”her,” as I used to call it. She was massive but, surprisingly, more user-friendly than the JK printer. Her large levers for controlling the frames made the process more engaging, I felt almost like I was playing music while using it, composing my films in the process.

While developing my project, I was also meeting different people and attending various events, including film festivals, screenings, exhibition openings, and cultural gatherings, particularly those connected to the Latin American community. I met many international people and artists living in Toronto, which made my experience even richer.

Additionally, I traveled to Montreal to attend RIDM, a documentary film festival. I had the pleasure of seeing several screenings and witnessing the analogue film performance of my friend and teacher, Charles-André Coderre. He performed his film piece Y’a matière au pays des éclairs, which was truly inspiring. The trip was especially rewarding because I stayed at La Lumière Collective, a micro-cinema dedicated to showcasing films, videos, and expanded cinema works. They had a residency room for visiting artists, and I was able to stay there for two nights. It was a magical experience sleeping inside a cinema, fully immersed in the world of film.

My residency was divided into two periods: the first from October to December and the second from January to February. In between, I had the chance to visit Colombia, which was perfect since the break fell in mid-December. This trip allowed me to film my family back home, bringing together four generations of women. My sister’s baby daughter, Ilona, was visiting Colombia for the first time, where she met her great-grandmother, grandmother, cousin Catalina, and the rest of our relatives. With my Bolex camera, I filmed different choreographies that I had planned for them to perform together. This material became essential to the final piece I completed at LIFT.

When I returned to Toronto, I had plenty of work ahead of me. Winter was setting in, bringing heavy snowfall, a perfect excuse to spend time in the darkroom. This time, I arrived knowing exactly what tools I had access to and with many films ready to be processed.

I started by working in the darkroom, creating new photograms of my hair (pelogramas). Later, I developed the footage I had shot in Colombia and continued working with the Oxberry 1700. I was glad that Noah, my other guide at LIFT, gave me a fresh introduction to the printer since he had made some new updates. This time, I wanted to print two negatives simultaneously (Pelogramas and Braiding Future). Seeing the results on the big screen was incredible. The hair was revealing the braiding performance, it was all coming together beautifully.

At the same time, I was also having a lot of fun with my colleagues at LIFT. It was great to share lunches and dinners together. I was especially happy to gain so much knowledge from Noah about Polaroid cameras. He has an amazing YouTube channel, Analog Resurgence, where he teaches everything related to analog film cameras. In my free time, I had the chance to shoot some Polaroids.

After all my work with the Oxberry 1700, my final performative piece started to take shape! After many walks between the darkroom, the artist suite, and the Oxberry 1700 room, Generational Traces was born. I created a body of work centered on the four generations of women in my family and our connection despite the physical distance between us. In this piece, 16mm film is literally entangled, as I explore the process of making photograms using my own hair. These abstract explorations are interwoven with self-shot footage of myself in Lake Ontario and Niagara Falls. For the sound, I worked with Colombian sound artist Magda Arturo, whom I met in Toronto. I was interested in collaborating with Colombian women artists living in Canada, and this connection aligned well with the project.

Generational Traces was shown on February 28th, 2025, at CineCycle, an underground cinema and bicycle repair shop in downtown Toronto run by Martin Heath since 1991. It was a great honor to present my work there, with the participation of the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC). This screening was particularly significant, as it marked the first LIFT-organized screening held outside of their premises in many years. The theater was full, and the audience stayed through the Q&A, making it a truly special event.

A huge thank you to LIFT (Chris, Robin, Noah, Kathleen, Renata, and Iman), Saastamoinen Foundation, and Uniarts for supporting my residency. Developing my work and connecting with so many new and wonderful people has made this experience truly meaningful.

I am excited to continue performing this new piece created at LIFT. I’m also delighted to share that I will have my first solo exhibition at Penumbra Foundation from June to August this year, where I will present part of the work developed during this residency.