Girl in the Hallway
Synopsis: Why does ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ give Jamie nightmares? It’s been 15 years, and the girl in the hallway haunts him still. This is a testament to locked doors. A lullaby sung by wolves with duct tape and polaroids. Not all girls make it out of the forest. Some stories children shouldn’t hear.
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Director's Statement
When Violence comes to mind, it’s usually thought of in terms of active, explosive, and loud. Next to this, it’s too easy to not notice the passive violence that is silence and inaction.
For all the shocking statistics, quotes from studies, and heartbreaking witness testimony I can throw at you- it’s the inaction and silence that keeps Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited targets within the community and society at large.
Settler colonialism continues to benefit from the dehumanization of Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited.
So it is no surprise that police fail to protect Indigenous Women/Girls or even investigate their disappearances and murders. Consequently, they become targets for violence. This crisis is only compounded by the complexities of inter-generational trauma, and poverty.
The Red Dress is symbolic within this human rights crisis. The complexity of this cultural genocide turns little girls into a Little-Red-Riding-Hood hunted by wolves.
Director's Bio
VALERIE BARNHART is an independent animator and visual artist based out of Ottawa, Canada. Her interdisciplinary practice is exploratory in nature but revolves specifically around the dynamics of silence and inaction as a form of violence.
Valerie earned her BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design as a Visual Arts Major: with a studio specialty in Printmaking, Drawing, and an academic emphasis in Decolonization Politics and Non Western Art.
Her art practice made a massive shift into documentary and animation entirely by accident. Valerie taught herself how to animate during this production.
Valerie has exhibited in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.
She is currently in Development for her next film at NFB/ONF.
Awards
Annecy International Animation Festival - France - 2019
Prix Festivals Connexion Region Auvergne-Rhone-Alps (Valerie Barnhart)
Edmonton International Film Festival 2019 - Canada - 2019
Grand Jury Award Best Short Film Animation (Valerie Barnhart)
Fantasia Film Festival 2019 - Canada - 2019
Gold Audience Award: Best Animated Short Film (Valerie Barnhart)
Vimeo - USA - 2019
Best of September, Best of the year Doc Nomination (Valerie Barnhart)
Cleveland International Film Festival - USA - 2020
Best Short Documentary (Valerie Barnhart)
Quotes
"Canadian animator Valerie Barnhart’s bold, poignant, and unforgettable hybrid 2D stop-motion short film... present[ed] a piece that is as impactful as it is heartbreaking and haunting." - Laurén Alexa , Animation World Network
