Special Screening: Can I Get a Witness?

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 (animation, experimental, documentary and drama). Her work often deals with themes of family, history and memory.

Ann Marie’s 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. She later adapted that documentary into an acclaimed Graphic Novel which was nominated for two Eisner Awards at San Diego’s Comic-Con International as well as being listed on the American Library Association’s Top Ten List and winning The Doug Wright Award for Best Canadian Comic.

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, the Jury Prize at the Bucheon International Animation Festival in Korea, the audience award at the AnimaSyros International Animation Festival in Greece, Best Canadian and Best BC Feature Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival, was named Best Canadian Screenplay by the Vancouver Film Critics Association, Best Canadian Film by the Association of Canadian Online Critics, and the Humanitarian Award from the Riverrun Festival in North Carolina.

“The French Guy” was awarded best feature at the Boston Underground Film Festival. “You Take Care Now”, (1989) ranked among the Top 10 short films in TIFF’s list of Canada’s Essential Cinema, she went on to win acclaim for many of her short films including “Blue Skies”, “New Shoes: an interview in exactly 5 minutes”, “I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors”, the eco-musical “Big Trees” as well as the animated web-series “My Place” for Discovery USA’s Planet Green.

Ann Marie has created animated portraits of Sarah Polley and “A Short Film about Tegan and Sara”, for Canada’s Governor General Awards. In 2019 she made “Question Period”, a short film that gave a window to the thoughts and voices of a group of recent Syrian refugee women as they negotiated their life in Canada. “Old Dog” is an animated short riffing on ageing parents through pets.

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.

Keira Jiang has been performing in musical theatre since the age of seven and is an accomplished dancer with more than 15 years training. Recent TV credits include appearances in the long-running hit series “Riverdale” in addition to “The Batwoman” and “The Killing”.

Keira is making her feature film debut in “Can I Get A Witness?” with a subtle and assured performance as the main character, Kiah.

Trish Fontanilla is the Co-Founder and Chief Energy Officer of BOSFilipinos, a community that celebrates and uplifts Filipino culture in Boston through events and storytelling. Through her work, she’s helped strengthen visibility, collaboration, and solidarity across the city’s Asian and immigrant communities. By day, Trish is a community and customer experience consultant, partnering with startups and nonprofits around the world that support underrepresented and underestimated communities. This year marks her fifth year as a BAAFF moderator!