International premiere
Can I Get a Witness?
In a future where humans must die at 50, teenage artists bear witness to their final moments.
In a not-too-distant future where humanity has solved its greatest crises, there remains one unsettling rule: to preserve the planet, every person must end their life at 50, with teenage artists tasked with the difficult assignment of documenting humanity’s ultimate sacrifice. On her first day as an official witness, Kiah, along with her co-worker Daniel, must navigate the emotional complexities of these duties, all while her mother Ellie prepares for her own mandated departure.
Director Ann Marie Fleming delivers a hauntingly serene portrayal of a low-tech, emotionally charged future, revealing a dystopian world of grief, societal responsibility, and the ethical complexities of survival through a deceptively simple style. With a deft combination of nuanced performances, rich dialogue, gentle pacing and a minimalist score, the film draws the viewer into a contemplative journey about life, death, and humanity’s willingness to sacrifice time itself for a sustainable future.
Massimo Iannetti
Ann Marie Fleming is an award-winning visual artist, writer, director, animator and cross-platform media maker who has worked in a variety of genres. Her 2003 feature documentary “The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam”, based on the life of her magician and acrobat great-grandfather, won both the Grand Jury and Best Documentary Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Best Documentary Prize at the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival in Canada. Her animated feature film, “Window Horses”, received numerous international awards, including Best Animated film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Gijon International Film Festival in Barcelona. Fleming is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, The Asia Pacific Screen Academy, the Directors Guild of Canada and Women In Animation.
New Shoes (1993), Automatic Writing (1996), The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (2003, doc), The French Guy (2005), Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming (2016), Can I Get a Witness (2024)
In cooperation with Embassy of Canada
