Amongst over 1700 entries in the inaugural TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival, Nadine Valcin’s Heartbreak has been selected as one of 30 finalists. The 60-second film is a touching tribute to black mothers and the difficulty of raising black children in our society. TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival judge Ava Duvernay described Heartbreak as “beautiful and heart-wrenching” and referred to the film’s narration as “a quiet whisper that rings so loud with intensity and emotion”. Online industry publication IndieWire’s made it one of its top 8 picks of the festival: “In a world that must shout daily that black lives matter, Heartbreak is not only heartbreaking, but absolutely vital.”
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Instagram came together to create TIFFxInstagram Shorts Festival, a digital shorts competition for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. The competition invited creators to make the most of Instagram’s new video format which allows durations of up to 60 seconds. TIFF programmers selected the 30 finalists and a six-person jury including Ava Duvernay and James Franco awarded the Jury Prize.