1. A Social by Tavis Putnam
2. I Survived Winnipeg by Folks Films
3. Late Summer by Ryan Steel

Tavis Putnam’s A Social (2022) premiered at Cinematheque on Oct. 15. The film is a cringe comedy centred on an individual who strad - dles the line between extroversion and social ineptitude as he attempts to sell tickets to his parent’s wedding social.

The film’s focus on the peculiar Manitoban tradition through the perspective of an equal - ly peculiar character has clearly struck a chord with audiences. A Social has received positive reviews from both The Uniter and The Manitoban, as well as from many who attended the film’s premiere.

“The response to the film so far has been great, so I’m really pleased. I am going to school in Toronto right now, so I wasn’t in Winnipeg for the screening at Cinematheque, but I heard it went pretty well, and there was a decent turnout,” Putnam says.

He was surprised, humbled and thankful that the film received such wide support. Since the film’s release, Putnam has been at - tempting to submit it to several film festivals in hopes that it will reach a wider audience.

In the meantime, he is currently focused on his studies, preparing films for his master’s in film at York University.

“I’m working on a couple of shorts for school right now. One is my thesis film that we’ll shoot this summer, and the other is a class assignment, shot Dogme 95-style on beautiful VHS, that will likely be available soon,” Putnam says.

Putnam will be back in Winnipeg for a screening of A Social on Dec. 30 at Cinematheque.

Published in Volume 77, Number 12 of The Uniter (December 1, 2022)