Join us for the premiere of a film about a uterus, a poetic surrealist treatment of theatre on film, created by elika mojtabaei and Aryo Khakpour.

a film about a uterus
Duration: 20min

A young woman has unwillingly become her mother’s “guardian”. She is to transfer her mom’s uterus (in a jar) from the hospital to the lab for examination. On this path, she must encounter three archetypes of patriarchal institutions while caring for the womb that birthed her as if it’s her own newborn.
— Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts
— Produced with the cooperation of The Union of B.C. Performers

Doors at 6:30pm
Films at 7pm
Artist Q&A to follow
RSVPs are appreciated

Preceding short:

MUD
Duration: 10min
By Aryo Khakpour + elika mojtabaei

A poetry-on-film video art piece inspired by the performative nature of Persian poetry and storytelling. An examination of the harmony between image and words. An observation of the intimate relationship between the writer and the performer. An exploration of the parallels between the urban soundscape and the rhythms of poetry.

— Commissioned by the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
— Distributed by VIVO Media Arts Centre

Artist Bios

Aryo Khakpour
I am a multidisciplinary performer, director and dramaturg. Born and raised in Tehran, I have been involved in multiple theatre, dance, and film productions in Vancouver, Canada since 2006. I cofounded The Biting School in 2013, which was the company-in-residence at PuSh Festival and The Dance Centre 2018 – 2019. I am an infrequent sessional instructor at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.

In my practice, I explore dynamics of power, implications of ideologies, repetition of mythologies, and cultural adaptation. I am an intersectional feminist; and I interrogate the patriarchy and its harmful effects on people. My practice is heavily physical and surrealistic; it moves from theatre to performance art to dance to film and back to theatre; it deals with pain and pleasure; it is sex-positive; and it aims to queer the status quo. I was trained in devised practices of non-hierarchical collective creation; that is my favourite way of creating. www.bitingschool.com

elika mojtabaei
elika mojtabaei الیکا مجتبایی (she/her) is an Iranian-born Canadian costume designer, writer, editor, translator, and dramaturg based on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, colonially known as Vancouver.

She is artistic associate with The Biting School; and co-founder of No Small Feat. She has collaborated with Theatre Conspiracy, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct), Alley Theatre, elysse cheadle, Alexis Fletcher, and Jin-me Yoon as a designer; and with rice & beans theatre, Momentum 180, The Institute for Development of Contemporary Arts (Tehran), Ladan Sahraei, and Luciana Freire D'Anunciação as a writer, editor, dramaturg, and translator. Upcoming projects: TechniCowlour—a multidisciplinary installation co-created with Aryo Khakpour in dialogue with the film, The Cow (1969). Draw Me a Home—an archive of children’s experiences and memories of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).

elika’s creative process begins with extensive research. The movement and stillness of bodies, the power and limitations of material, and the joys and tribulations of language inspire her. Through a lens of intersectional feminism, she works with the poetry of the unsaid. She is interested in magic realism; finding meaning within textures and colours. The potential of costumes and words interweaving to build imagined worlds fascinates her. www.elikamoj.com

Credits for a film about a uterus:
Created and Produced by elika mojtabaei + Aryo Khakpour
Directed by Aryo Khakpour
Written & Designed by elika mojtabaei
Inspired by a Story by Nazli Akhtari
Production Manager: Alysha Seriani
Mother: Soheila Vatandoost
Doctor, Receptionist, Teller: Agnes Tong
Nava: Tanaz Roudgar
Director of Photography: Antonia Ramirez
Gaffer: Matthew Koropatwa
Uterus Prop Designer: Fiona Hernandez
Photos (Memory Fluxes): Salar Salari
Production Designer, Costume Designer: elika mojtabaei
Assistant Production Designer: Jae Woo Kang
Makeup & Hair: Krystle Marr
Editor: Candelario Andrade
Colourist: Nina Wolf
Assistant Editor: Parniyan Mokari
Composer, Sound Designer: Elliot Vaughan
Sound Recordist: Reed Jackson
Produced by No Small Feat
Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts
Produced with the cooperation of The Union of B.C. Performers

Banner Image: a film about a uterus, still