Surface Rites — Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, Ryan Ferko

Surface Rites
Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour, Ryan Ferko
24 min | 16mm to HD | Canada | 2021

A young Slovakian immigrant opens a uranium mine near Elliot Lake in northern Ontario, and later builds a massive replica of the modest church from his childhood village. Stranded amongst suburban streets named after prize-winning Holstein cows, now sits this monumental cathedral, unfinished and private. Teenage zombies emerge from lakes and rivers around Serpent River First Nation, once poisoned with uranium waste. There is talk of eugenics at a Holstein pageant, and a retired dairy farmer and his wife remember a recurring dream where their work is never done.

Produced with the support of Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Media City Film Festival’s Chrysalis Fellowship

_{Surface Rites, film stills}

_{Surface Rites, trailer}

_{Installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto (Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid)}

Screenings & Exhibitions

Berlinale, Berlin, Germany, Feb 10-20, 2022: https://www.arsenal-berlin.de/en/forum-forum-expanded/forum-expanded-program/films/surface-rites/

Media City 25th Anniversary Virtual Edition, Feb 8 - Mar 10, 2022: https://mediacityfilmfestival.com/25th-anniversary/

GTA21 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada, Sept 2020-Jan 2021: https://moca.ca/gta2021-home/

Surface Rites runs parallel to the NFB-produced web documentary called Charity, presented as part of the Greater Toronto Art 2021 (GTA21) exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto.