Village Keeper

Living with her teenage children and her own mother in a too-small Scarborough apartment, a woman seeks to break free of generational cycles of family violence and trauma in this beautifully realized debut feature by Toronto’s Karen Chapman. Olunike Adeliyi gives a vivid performance as Beverly-Jean, a widow whose behavior suggests she has experienced violence but dares not speak about it. Yet when she comes to see the trouble that it causes her kids, she begins a process of healing that will affect everyone around her. Both poignant and perceptive as a story about the effects of violence, Chapman’s drama extends such care and empathy to its characters that viewers will feel like they’re part of the same warm embrace.

Director: Karen Chapman

Cast: Olunike Adeliyi, Maxine Simpson, Zahra Bentham, Oyin Oladejo, Ethan Burnett, Micah Mensah-Jatoe, Shiloh O’Reilly, Noah Zulfikar, Dbi Young Anitafrika, Ricardo Betancourt, L.A. Sweeney

Language: English

Runtime: 83 minutes

Content advisory: mature themes

Karen Chapman, director

Born to a Guyanese family that nurtured her instinctive creative problem solving skills, award-winning artist Karen Chapman has always been acquainted with versatility. Her steep background in documentary storytelling developed a voice and style that is compassionate, compelling and brave. Preparing her for an expansive repertoire of films that includes documentaries, narratives, animation, interactive-virtual reality and installation. At the service of every story, Chapman always strives to centre work that is grounded in impact.

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