Here’s what’s happening online in Toronto this week.
Reel Girls Film Festival
The first annual Reel Girls Film Festival is an international student film festival devoted entirely to encouraging and supporting young female filmmakers. Selected films will be available to watch online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the last two weeks in May, leading up to the festival’s Winners Showcase and award announcements on May 29th. Categories include Narrative Short Film, Music Video, Documentary, and Animation.
Team Toronto Etsy Sellers Spring Virtual Market
Support local makers at Team Toronto Etsy Sellers Spring Virtual Market! The online market will showcase over 60 Etsy sellers throughout the month of May.
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival and other comics festivals across Canada have banded together to launch a month-long digital initiative called #CanCAF. Each participating festival or event is programming a variety of comics-related events, from workshops to interviews, live drawing to panel discussions, podcasts to videocasts, and more.
CONTACT Photography Festival
The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is an annual showcase of lens-based projects by Canadian and international artists that is typically held at venues across Toronto during the month of May. This year’s exhibitions will open on a case-by-case basis once public safety is assured and schedules are confirmed, but in the meantime, CONTACT has launched an online platform featuring new and recent projects by festival participants and partners.
Trinity Bellwoods Flea
The Trinity Bellwoods Flea can’t hold their market in person, so they’re doing it online! From now until May 31, they’ll be showcasing local makers, artisans, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and artists you can purchase from virtually.
City Hall Live Online
City Hall Live Online features two separate live-streamed sets every weekday at noon and 12:30 p.m. The series will help raise money for Unison Benevolent Fund while creating paid opportunities for local musicians during this difficult time. This week’s performances include Slim Flex, Adam Bomb, Emily Schultz, and James Baley.
TIFF’s Stay-At-Home Cinema
Toronto International Film Festival’s Stay-At-Home Cinema is a series curated from Crave’s extensive selection of titles, accompanied by conversations with special guests. This week’s films include Falls Around Her and Sense and Sensibility, and will be preceded by virtual Q&As with the actors and directors streamed on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
MOCA’s Shift Key
In an effort to continue connecting people through art and experimentation, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto has created an online platform called Shift Key featuring video and new media works by Yazan Khalili, Fatma Bucak, and more.
#MuseumWithoutWalls allows you to explore the Aga Khan Museum without leaving your home. Watch an interview with genre-bending poet and author Tanya Evanson, try your hand at the Puzzle of the Week, take a 3-D virtual tour of the exhibition Caravans of Gold: Fragments in Time, and more.
Virtual Paradise Theatre
Paradise may be closed, but they’re still bringing you movies! The theatre has teamed up with some of their favourite boutique film distributors to stream movies through their affiliate links, with proceeds going to both the distributors and Paradise. The films include Zombi Child, Lucky Grandma, and A White, White Day.
Club Quarantine is a virtual queer dance party happening every night from 9 p.m. to midnight on the app Zoom. The party was started by four Toronto-based artists – Mingus New, Casey MQ, Andres Sierra, and Brad Allen – and has featured both local and international DJs.
Arts In Isolation
Arts Etobicoke is providing free online art classes and cultural experiences that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home as part of its Arts In Isolation. Their weekly offerings include the interactive online gallery exhibition Shifting Environs and Crafting in Quarantine with Marjan Verstappen.
OISE Stay At Home Club
The OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) Stay At Home Club is a Twitter live series featuring alumni and friends of the Institute leading interactive lessons for children and adults alike. Tune into OISE’s Twitter account Wednesday at 11 a.m. for educator Justine Bruyère’s artsy approach to child literacy and Friday at 11 a.m. as recent graduate Shona Mistry goes over the basic ‘how-to’ of writing (and finishing) your own stories.
Hot Docs Festival
Hot Docs brings you over 140 selections as part of Hot Docs Festival Online. From May 28 through June 6, Ontario residents will be able to stream documentaries, watch pre-recorded Q&As, and partake in virtual live events. Tickets are $9 per film or $40 for a five-film streaming bundle.
AGO’s Shape of the Museum
Shape of the Museum invites professionals from around the world who are thinking about art, audiences, and learning in different ways. Amirali Alibhai, head of performing arts at the Aga Khan Museum, joins Devyani Saltzman, the AGO’s director of public programming, in conversation Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Register online for this Zoom event.
F*ck Sh*t Up Goes Digital
F*ck Sh*t Up, the trans and non-binary cabaret is back! The show will be livestreamed this Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. and will feature pre-recorded performances by trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or Two-Spirit talents + interviews with the performers. The show is free, with tipping encouraged.
It’s All Good Presents: Throwback Thursdays Virtual Dance Party
HomeBody Music Festival
HomeBody Music Festival is a series of live acoustic performances and conversations about health and creativity that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. The festival is free, but donations will be accepted, with 100% of the proceeds going to three charities shaping the national and local health and support response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Jack.org, Unison Benevolent Fund, and Meals to Heal. Runs Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31.
Wax Candy Disco
The Piston’s weekly disco party is switching to online until the venue reopens. Join DJ Efsharp every Friday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the Wax Candy Facebook page as he serves up platters of the sweetest soulful and uplifting disco.
SummerWorks, Canadian Stage, and Club Quarantine are throwing a nation-wide virtual party this Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight! Essential Play is a free online club night where artists and art-lovers from coast to coast can celebrate the enduring and resilient spirit of creativity that prevails despite the pandemic. DJ sets by L’Oqenz, Chivengi, and Bliptor + performances by Continental Breakfast, Erin Ball, Rodney Diverlus, and Sébastien Provencher. (Find the Zoom access code on SummerWorks’ Instagram account.)
Return Of The Living Dead Drink & Tweet-A-Long
Drunk Cinema and the Revue invites you all to participate in a drinking game tweet-a-long for 1985’s cult horror comedy, The Return of the Living Dead. Follow along through the Revue’s Twitter account on Saturday at 8 p.m. and use the hashtag #revuetweetalong. The Revue will also be accepting donations during this online event to help its programming team affected by the theatre’s temporary closure.
It’s All Good ’90s Virtual Music Video Dance Party
Join resident VJ/DJ Mike Luke this Saturday as he takes you on a journey through the 1990s, from Biggie to Bjork, Nirvana to No Doubt, Destiny’s Child to Daft Punk, TLC to ATCQ, Eminem to En Vogue, Mariah Carey to Massive Attack, Portishead to Pavement, Spice Girls to Stereolab, and much more! The party starts at 8:30 p.m. on Twitch.
The Piston’s monthly dance party Juicebox goes live on Twitch from DJ Babs’ living room this Saturday at 10 p.m. with guest hosts Derek and MeepMoop the cat. Babs will be spinning all your Juicebox faves, including The Strokes, David Bowie, Pulp, The Stooges, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, The Human League, Joy Division, Glass Candy, The Fratellis, The Buzzcocks, ABC, Air, The Specials, Le Tigre, Belle & Sebastian, and lots more!
For many years, Saigon Sundays was broadcasted live-to-air from the third floor of the now-defunct Whiskey Saigon nightclub. Now, DJs Paul Dhingra and Dwight Hybrid are making it a regular livestream where they’ll be spinning retro, post-punk, new wave, Britpop, and classic alternative every Sunday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.