STARWALKER

STARWALKER

COREY PAYETTE | CANADA | 2025 | 116 MIN | ENGLISH

COREY PAYETTE | CANADA | 2025 | 116 MIN | ENGLISH

FeatureINDIGIQUEER VOICESI+N CONNEXE

Presented by

Synopsis

“Ladies and well … gender is a spectrum.” Eddie Starwalker aka Star (Dillan Chiblow) is an Oji-Cree call boy whose life takes a fateful turn when he meets handsome Levi (Jeffrey Michael Follis), then watches his drag show at the House of Borealis, awakening the call to his two-spirit identity. Corey Payette’s musical delivers dynamic performances with Indigenous storytelling and drumming songs craftfully weaved among themes of queer joy, resilience, and self-determination. Contrasted by the rainy climate and industrial scenes of East Vancouver, the campy magic of the fictional drag club—run by Mother Borealis (Stewart Adam McKensy)—burns bright with punchy numbers featuring its star, Star, learning how to apply make-up and shop for dresses, proud despite the scornful gaze of shopkeepers. Then, the stage lights give way to some of the darker shadows of drag life—from addiction, to backstage rivalry, to discrimination from the health care system—as tragedy strikes Star’s newfound home and he begins to collapse under the pressure. Faced with his past—namely, the trauma of racism—Star longs to reconnect with his roots, and also to learn, for the first time, what it means to show up for family.

Trailer

Filmmaker Bio

Corey Payette is an interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, lyricist, composer, producer, and director. He is a member of the Mattagami First Nations, and lives on the unceded territories of the xwmeokweyem (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and sel'ilweta (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. His film work includes the movie musicals Les filles du roi (2023), Starwalker (2025), the documentary Stories That Transform Us (VIFF 2021) and he composed the score for the documentary Amin Amir. He is the recipient of the John Hirsch Prize (Canada Council), three Ovation Awards, two Jessie Awards, and a Leo Award. In 2021, Payette received the inaugural BC Award for Reconciliation.

Producer

Corey Payette, Fabian Aspell Morales, Melissa Tsang

Writer

Corey Payette

Cinematographer

Ian Mrozewski, Parham Banafsheh

Cast

Dillan Chiblow
Jeffrey Michael Follis
Stewart Adam McKensy
Jesse Alvarez
Jason Sakaki
Connor Parnall
Ralph Escamillan
August Elzinga
Emma Slipp
Jennifer Lines
Hank Pine
Kevin Seward
Frederick Seward
Arthur Seward
Shadae Johnson
Iyanla Jensen Johnson + Mikylah Jenson Johnson

PARTNERS

Segal Centre

You might also like

ENTRE L’AUBE ET L’AURORE [I+N CONNEXE]14 minutes

Through the game Final Fantasy XIV, we follow trans folks using the game to find a strong sense of community. They will discuss different topics related to gender, virtual life, identity and existing as a trans person.

AT THE PLACE OF GHOSTS (SK+TE'KMUJUE'KATIK)[I+N x CMF SERIES]87 minutes

The dangers of the past come in many forms. Two estranged Mi’kmaw siblings confront old animosities in an ancient forest, both in desperate need of healing. In their quest to rid themselves of the lingering evil that haunts them, they encounter the trail of their ancestors—and of their former selves. Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) is working a grueling shift when the jukebox warbles to life and an ominous presence from their childhood reveals itself, still capable of inflicting its wounds. Desperate, they seek out their younger brother, Antle (Forrest Goodluck). A task that requires them to part from their supportive partner and return home after many years away. Begrudgingly, their brother agrees to the journey, worried for his daughter’s safety if he does nothing, and they set out on a time-spanning mission. Elders are consulted. Strange creatures stalk them. Kinship is tested. The two heading deeper and deeper into nature at its most nurturing, and most menacing. From Bretten Hannam, the Two-Spirit L'nu filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed Wildhood (Opening Film I+N34, 2021), this is a ghost story of the highest order—equal parts eerie and edifying, and utterly unforgettable.

Handwoven[INDIGIQUEER VOICES]9 minutes

A lyrical portrait of Nikyle Begay, a non-binary shepherd and weaver, preserving their way of life through the traditional art of weaving.

The Space You Need[I+N CONNEXE]21 minutes

Frustrated sci-fi writer Julian is facing a slump in his relationship. So will his fiancé Leo's trip into orbit with the world's first ever low-cost alternative spaceline provide them with just the space they need to get back on track?

Organza's Revenge[INDIGIQUEER VOICES]20 minutes

Organza, a broke artist in a distant galaxy, travels across the stars to seek revenge on her ex-lover in an attempt to cure her mysterious illness.

The Job[I+N CONNEXE]14 minutes

An exploration of Canadian photographer John Phillips’ erotic archive, chronicling the impact of AIDS on his life and work for American gay magazines in the 1990s, at the dawn of the digital revolution. An intimate portrait of an artist and an industry on the verge of transformation.

LES TEMPÉRAMENTS[I+N CONNEXE]10 minutes

A literature teacher comes back to his apartment after having interrupted his class with seemingly no reason. He discovers his husband, with a bloody hammer in his hands, crying, next to a barely breathing girl, who seemed to have been hit in the head with the hammer.

BLOOD LINES[ZEITGEIST]89 minutes

The latest from Gail Maurice, the director of Rosie (Opening Film, I+N35, 2022), Blood Lines is breath-taking and evocative, bringing visibility to the lives of indigenous adoptees. Set in a remote Métis village, this woman-centric tale braves the nuances of intergenerational trauma with not only courage but humour. Director Gail Maurice delivers a poignant cameo as Leonore, seeking amends for her disappearance from her daughter Beatrice’s life. Meanwhile, Beatrice (clerk of the Eager Beaver gas station) meets Chani (a new transplant from the city in search of her birth family) but from here: a love story that’s anything but typical. With dialogue in the Michif language, which has less than 1200 speakers left, this urgent film shows the various ways women support one another—in particular, how Leonore’s closest friends “The Grannies” bring joy (and perhaps a bit of mischief) to each day despite hardships, past and present. Whether through sharing laughter, breaking bread, or extending an olive branch, it’s by their grace the next generation can see how patriarchy and colonialism have disempowered them and then held them to blame—until now, when stories finally fall on ears that listen.

SANS FILTRE[I+N CONNEXE]8 minutes

Stéphane’s sister attempts once more to convince him that he suffers from HIV/AIDS. This time, however, she has no intention of forcing him to go to a hospital. She has something different in mind...

A Spot in the Sun[I+N CONNEXE]13 minutes

An artist’s attempt to recreate experimental filmmaker Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil from memory. Working from fragments, the film weaves together into an engrossing narrative. It follows patterns of thought through material such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, WG Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, and combines it with personal, intimate footage, images of the Welsh landscape, San Francisco, and of course, Chris Marker’s favourite animal.

ENTRE L’AUBE ET L’AURORE [I+N CONNEXE]14 minutes

Through the game Final Fantasy XIV, we follow trans folks using the game to find a strong sense of community. They will discuss different topics related to gender, virtual life, identity and existing as a trans person.

AT THE PLACE OF GHOSTS (SK+TE'KMUJUE'KATIK)[I+N x CMF SERIES]87 minutes

The dangers of the past come in many forms. Two estranged Mi’kmaw siblings confront old animosities in an ancient forest, both in desperate need of healing. In their quest to rid themselves of the lingering evil that haunts them, they encounter the trail of their ancestors—and of their former selves. Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) is working a grueling shift when the jukebox warbles to life and an ominous presence from their childhood reveals itself, still capable of inflicting its wounds. Desperate, they seek out their younger brother, Antle (Forrest Goodluck). A task that requires them to part from their supportive partner and return home after many years away. Begrudgingly, their brother agrees to the journey, worried for his daughter’s safety if he does nothing, and they set out on a time-spanning mission. Elders are consulted. Strange creatures stalk them. Kinship is tested. The two heading deeper and deeper into nature at its most nurturing, and most menacing. From Bretten Hannam, the Two-Spirit L'nu filmmaker behind 2021’s acclaimed Wildhood (Opening Film I+N34, 2021), this is a ghost story of the highest order—equal parts eerie and edifying, and utterly unforgettable.

Handwoven[INDIGIQUEER VOICES]9 minutes

A lyrical portrait of Nikyle Begay, a non-binary shepherd and weaver, preserving their way of life through the traditional art of weaving.

The Space You Need[I+N CONNEXE]21 minutes

Frustrated sci-fi writer Julian is facing a slump in his relationship. So will his fiancé Leo's trip into orbit with the world's first ever low-cost alternative spaceline provide them with just the space they need to get back on track?

Organza's Revenge[INDIGIQUEER VOICES]20 minutes

Organza, a broke artist in a distant galaxy, travels across the stars to seek revenge on her ex-lover in an attempt to cure her mysterious illness.

The Job[I+N CONNEXE]14 minutes

An exploration of Canadian photographer John Phillips’ erotic archive, chronicling the impact of AIDS on his life and work for American gay magazines in the 1990s, at the dawn of the digital revolution. An intimate portrait of an artist and an industry on the verge of transformation.

LES TEMPÉRAMENTS[I+N CONNEXE]10 minutes

A literature teacher comes back to his apartment after having interrupted his class with seemingly no reason. He discovers his husband, with a bloody hammer in his hands, crying, next to a barely breathing girl, who seemed to have been hit in the head with the hammer.

BLOOD LINES[ZEITGEIST]89 minutes

The latest from Gail Maurice, the director of Rosie (Opening Film, I+N35, 2022), Blood Lines is breath-taking and evocative, bringing visibility to the lives of indigenous adoptees. Set in a remote Métis village, this woman-centric tale braves the nuances of intergenerational trauma with not only courage but humour. Director Gail Maurice delivers a poignant cameo as Leonore, seeking amends for her disappearance from her daughter Beatrice’s life. Meanwhile, Beatrice (clerk of the Eager Beaver gas station) meets Chani (a new transplant from the city in search of her birth family) but from here: a love story that’s anything but typical. With dialogue in the Michif language, which has less than 1200 speakers left, this urgent film shows the various ways women support one another—in particular, how Leonore’s closest friends “The Grannies” bring joy (and perhaps a bit of mischief) to each day despite hardships, past and present. Whether through sharing laughter, breaking bread, or extending an olive branch, it’s by their grace the next generation can see how patriarchy and colonialism have disempowered them and then held them to blame—until now, when stories finally fall on ears that listen.

SANS FILTRE[I+N CONNEXE]8 minutes

Stéphane’s sister attempts once more to convince him that he suffers from HIV/AIDS. This time, however, she has no intention of forcing him to go to a hospital. She has something different in mind...

A Spot in the Sun[I+N CONNEXE]13 minutes

An artist’s attempt to recreate experimental filmmaker Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil from memory. Working from fragments, the film weaves together into an engrossing narrative. It follows patterns of thought through material such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, WG Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, and combines it with personal, intimate footage, images of the Welsh landscape, San Francisco, and of course, Chris Marker’s favourite animal.