NiaFlix: Perils of Otranto

This month’s NiaFlix screening is bringing you four incredible films by Toronto-based filmmakers, all rolled into one celebratory evening of wonder and networking. After the screenings, the four filmmakers — Tanzeil Moustapha, Nika Del Mar, Yasmin Evering and Chelsea Osei — will all be in conversation with filmmaker Laurie Townshend, who will be guiding us through a thoughtful discussion on the themes of these four short films.

About the Films

Perils of Otranto (dir. Tanzeil Moustapha) is a psychological exploration of grief, trauma and manipulation. In this story, a young caregiver named Isabella becomes entangled in client Godfrey’s dark past and the delusions that shape his present. The elderly man’s obsession with re-creating his lost family — especially through Isabella’s resemblance to his deceased sister — leads to a nightmarish situation where reality and fantasy blur. Isabella’s naïveté and kindness initially protect her, but as Godfrey’s behaviour escalates, she finds herself trapped in a dangerous and favoured childhood game of House.

Dude, Don’t Go (dir. Nika Del Mar) is set in Scarborough in 2014. Best friends Nomi, Gen, and Ali spend one final summer day together before life takes them in different directions. Gen is headed to Berkeley, Ali is chasing a modeling career in Los Angeles, and Nomi is stuck in their hometown with no idea what’s next. A portrait of friendship, growing pains, and the moment everything begins to change.

In The Pocket (dir. Yasmin Evering) is a scrapbook of memories and moments that shaped and altered two punk musicians from Scarborough as they reflect on being one of the few Black kids in their neighbourhood.

Water from a Stone (dir. Chelsea Osei) dives headfirst into a story about how a diagnosis of autism shifts an entire family dynamic. After a distant upbringing, Valerie and her father come together to bond over a traditional Ghanaian game. Valerie describes how she felt aged prematurely as a child by all the responsibilities she inherited following her younger brother’s diagnosis. Conversely, her father provides a different perspective by opening up about the trauma of having an autistic child in an unaccommodating society.

About the Filmmakers

Tanzeil Moustapha

Tanzeil Moustapha is a first-generation Sudanese- Canadian emerging filmmaker. She holds her Bachelors of Film and Media Production at Humber College and is the first ever recipient of Cityline’s Scholarship for BIPOC Women. She interned for Roger Media’s Cityline and Black Women in Film Canada in 2021 & 2023, respectively. Tanzeil hopes to create films that tell nuanced stories of underrepresented people and showcase all of her intersections as a Black Muslim woman. In 2025, Tanzeil debuted her first independent short film in which she wrote and directed, entitled “Perils of Otranto” – funded by Canada Council for the Arts.

Nika Del Mar

Nika Del Mar is a Jamaican and Filipina actress, producer, and emerging filmmaker from Scarborough, ON. With over five years of experience in film, television, and commercial work, she brings a grounded and collaborative energy to every project. Her recent acting credits include CBC’s Hard Falls, Urban Legends, and the upcoming Delulu (2025).

She is an alum of the TIFF Takeover Cohort and the Black Girls Film Lab through Black Women Film Canada, where she continues to grow her voice as a storyteller. Still exploring the tone of stories she wants to tell, Nika is drawn to narratives that are nuanced, raw, relatable, and visually striking—stories that evoke deep feeling and spark quiet understanding.

Yasmin Evering

Yasmin Evering-Kerr is an award-winning Toronto-based artist who frequently addresses issues of race, sexuality and gender in her films. Her credits include her narrative short film “In The Pocket,” produced through CineFam Limitless Incubator. The documentary “The Onyx Butterfly” has been screened at various film festivals throughout Canada and internationally. As well as receiving a 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Documentary Series. Her films have been broadcast on CBC Absolutely Canadian and Canadian Reflections. Yasmin is currently exploring directing within a multitude of mediums, one of which is the “Opia Experience” music video, which Prism Prize has selected as one of the Top 10 Canadian Music Videos of 2021. Yasmin is deeply inspired by her roots and is dedicated to showcasing the intersectionality of Black womenhood and girlhood on screen.

Chelsea Osei

Chelsea Osei was raised in a vibrant Ghanaian-Canadian family in and around Toronto. Her journey into the world of words began early, as she discovered writing as a means to unleash her boundless imagination. Fascinated by languages and eager to explore the world, Chelsea embarked on a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics. Her adventures took her across the Atlantic to England, where she spent her weekends exploring European cities, soaking in their cultures. In 2016, she set her sights on Montreal, where she launched her studies and career in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP). Alongside her blossoming career, Chelsea continued to nurture her passion for writing. Chelsea’s creative spark shone brightly in 2022 when she was selected to participate in the “Being Black in Canada” program. Here, she birthed her first short film, “Water from a Stone.” In 2023, Chelsea returned to her Toronto roots, ready to further her career in SLP and continue her inspiring journey as a writer.

About the Moderator

Laurie Townshend

Laurie Townshend is a writer, director, and educator from Toronto, Canada. Raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—she learned early on that stories shape us as much as we shape them. Her work explores human acts of courage that spark quiet revolutions, including The Railpath Hero (2013) and Charley (2016), a documentary linking civil rights activist Charles Roach to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Her latest feature, A Mother Apart (Top 3 Audience Favourite, HotDocs ‘24; Best First Feature, Best Canadian Feature, Audience Award, Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival ‘24), follows acclaimed poet-performer Staceyann Chin as she confronts the trauma of maternal abandonment and its impact on raising her own daughter. Laurie was recently selected for UnionDocs’ Pod Pod intensive to develop an audio project that continues her exploration of identity, resilience, and the ways human connection shapes our lives

About the Series

NiaFlix: A Night at the Centre is a monthly movie night series that centers movies, films and black storytellers that showcase Black Artistic Expression. Featuring carefully curated films, each night will transport you through stories that blend nostalgia, art, and culture, giving you that cozy Netflix vibe right at Nia Centre.