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The way that the Canadian puppeteer Ronnie Burkett tells it, it was an aimless, fortuitous dive into the ‘P’ volume of an encyclopaedia as a child that led him to his life’s work. Produced on the occasion of his receiving a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards in Canada, this short takes viewers on a rollicking ride through Burkett’s life and career – which are in many ways inseparable. Bringing viewers into his home studio, which overflows with both work-in-progress marionettes as well as his expressive final products, Burkett details how growing up as a queer kid in Medicine Hat, Alberta led him to a craft that allowed him to shrink the world down to a ‘manageable size’. Featuring several of his favourite characters, including the faded diva Esmé Massengill and the provincial widow Edna Rural, the film makes for a joyful introduction to Burkett’s small-yet-expansive artistic universe.
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Technology and the self
A haunting scene from ‘Minority Report’ inspires a voyage into time and memory
7 minutes
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Family life
The stream-of-consciousness thoughts and memories that emerge while cooking a meal
5 minutes
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Film and visual culture
A lush animated opus evokes the frenzied pace of modern life
4 minutes
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Family life
The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations
10 minutes
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Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
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Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes
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Childhood and adolescence
Marmar is living through a devastating war – but she’d rather tell you about her new dress
8 minutes
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Meaning and the good life
Wander through the English countryside with two teens trying to make sense of the world
10 minutes
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Anthropology
Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?
16 minutes