event

CSV presents a special free screening of   Village Keeper 

Doors Open at 6pm, screening starts at 7pm

 Film Synopsis: 
Village Keeper follows a family grappling with secrets that uphold domestic abuse and unresolved rage. After life's precarious scale tips her fortune back into poverty, Jean relocates her children with their grandmother to the community housing project where she grew up.

Jean lives in constant fear of everything that could go wrong, going to great lengths to shelter her children, so when a spree of violence comes to her doorstep, she secretly cleans an abandoned crime scene, which unknowingly leads her on a path that exposes generational chains of silence, self-discovery and finally putting herself first.

 About the Artists: 

KAREN CHAPMAN (Writer/Director/Producer) At the service of every story, award-winning filmmaker Karen Chapman strives to center work that is grounded in storytelling and impact. Chapman holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University and is an alumnus of the Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre’s - Director’s Lab, the Banff Centre for the Arts, Women in the Director’s Chair, and the CaribbeanTales Incubator Pitch Winner, HotDocs Accelerator, The TIFF Talent Lab, TIFF Accelerator and Every Story Accelerator. She is also a recipient of the 2023 Micki Moore Fellowship.

Her Canadian Film Centre’s thesis film, Measure, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and won the International Hollywood Foreign Press and Residency Award at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards as well as the CineFilm’s Best Overall Film, and Best Directing in 2020 at the Women in Film and Television - Toronto Showcase. Chapman’s Quiet Minds Silent Streets premiered at the 2022, Toronto International Film Festival and received the award for best Documentary at the Canadian Film Festival along with winning Best Mental Health, Non-Fiction Film at the Yorkton Film Festival and a Silver Medal at the 2024 Anthem Awards.

ENRIQUE MIGUEL BANIQUED (Producer) Enrique’s journey began as an enterprising force at De La Salle University Manila, where he sparked his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. His move to Toronto in 2020 followed a groundbreaking startup venture, where he transformed everyday products for students and corporations, showcasing his innate talent for revolutionizing the ordinary. Embracing the power of storytelling, Baniqued helped produce the Soul Surfer's Podcast, which was successful in spotlighting the environmental battle against a looming coal plant in a serene surf town. Today, Baniqued's creative brilliance shines through collaborations with prestigious Toronto entities such as Destination Toronto, FIFA WORLD CUP, UFC, MLB, NHL, The Michelin Guide, The JUNOS, and CBC's Family Feud Canada. Inspired by the global resonanceofSouthKoreancinema,hestrivestoreplicatethatsuccesswith stories, aiming to bring bold & fresh entertaining narratives to audiences worldwide. Baniqued's journey exemplifies storytelling's power as a force for change, underscoring his commitment to amplifying global stories. Enrique is also a recipient of the 2025 Academy Executive Residency with Cineplex and TIFF Every Story Accelerator & has an Emerging Producer nomination from the Canadian Media Producers Association.

He most recently became the youngest Best Motion Picture Nominee at the Canadian Academy Awards’ Canadian Screen Awards in 2025. Producer Enrique Miguel Baniqued, first met Chapman as a production assistant on her film, Quiet Minds, Silent Streets. Where they found out they were neighbours

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Village Keeper is an understated drama with anchoring notes of social realism. It is the feature film, directorial debut from Karen Chapman (Measure, Quiet Minds Silent Streets, & They Should Be Flowers) based on her short film, Measure. Starring actors such as, Olunike Adeliyi (The Fire Inside, Mike, & The Porter), Zahra Bentham (Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, Star Trek: Discovery), Micah Mensah-Jatoe (Home Free), and Maxine Simpson, a retired nurse, Grandmother, and first time actor. The film was written by Karen Chapman and produced by Enrique Miguel Baniqued and Chapman. Executive producers include Christina Piovesan (French Exit), Floyd Kane (Orah), Taj Critchlow (40 Acres), Susana Ferreira (Hip Hop Evolution), Molly McGlynn (Fitting In), Jordan Oram (Spiral: The Book of Saw, Drake-God’s Plan), Lora Campbell (Two Penny Road Kill), and d'bi.young anitafrika (Da Kink In My Hair).

Village Keeper was filmed in Toronto, Canada in June 2023.

Canadian distribution is being handled by Level Film and CBC is the Canadian broadcasting
partner. Cinematography by Jordan Oram, production design by June Charles (Lost Jen), costume
design by Charlene Akuamoah (40 Acres), and editing by Christopher Minns (Letterkenny, Ginny and Georgia), Jordan Hayles (Run the Burbs) and Xi Feng (Sing Me A Lullaby, Lucky Star).

Village Keeper is produced by Smallaxx Motion Pictures and is funded with financial participation from Telefilm Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, and The Canada Media Fund.