Diaspora – A Flim by Deco Dawson

A Special Presentation as part of the Architecture and Design Film Festival: a film screening, panel and fundraiser for Ukraine

“This eye-catching indie treat falls somewhere between love letter to a disappearing neighbourhood, delirious ode to diasporic alienation and yearning, and a darkly comic trip into the absurd. Think Lynch or Jarmusch, if they’d been raised on the Polish delis, Turkish shishkebobs and wheelies nights in the ‘Peg’s North End. Every shot is fantastic and feels weirdly alive.” — Stir B.C.

Arriving in Winnipeg’s North End in search of a better, safer life, young Ukrainian immigrant Eva finds a city filled with rundown, outdated establishments and a disproportional number of other, culturally diverse immigrants all too in search of a new life; each desperately holding onto their own language and culture, creating a neighbourhood of comedic miscommunication, growing apathy and oft painful alienation.

Filmed amongst the fading architecture of Winnipeg’s North End and Downtown core and performed in 25 different languages, DIASPORA seeks to uncover the heartbreaking struggles and absurdity tied to arriving in a new land. Ukrainian newcomer Yuliia Ghuzva, winner of the Best Actor Award at the 2023 Gimli Film Festival, delivers an unflinching, stellar performance in this wholly unique feature film that is a love letter to a disappearing Winnipeg.

Winner of the Best Feature Film at the Ukrainian Dream Film Festival, Best Feature Film and Best Producer at the International Motion Picture Awards, Winner of Best Actor at the Gimli Film Festival, Winner of Best Cinematography at the Wallachia International Film Festival and nominee for Best Main Title Theme Music at the Canadian Screen Music Awards; DIASPORA has screened across Canada and internationally including in war torn Ukraine.

Winnipeg filmmaker Deco Dawson, known for his bold, cinematic stylings and love for Winnipeg, has won the Best Short Film Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival twice, The Mayor’s Arts Award, the Winnipeg Film Group Hothouse Award, and has been host to retrospectives of his work worldwide. Dawson continues to blur the lines between narrative, experimental and documentary, creating thought provoking, stirring cinema for over 20 years. Dawson most recently collaborated with Winnipeg’s Rusalka Dancers, designing the projections for their 60th Anniversary Gala Concert.