Bettie, Habibi, Santiago Siren

Age Recommendation: 16+
Content warning: Suggestions of sexual abuse and past traumas (especially in "Bettie")

This piece is a loving tribute to the Peepshow of yore including those films they used to make back in the day...you know the type with the dancing "girls". However I am adding my own unique perspective on what a Peepshow is and could be. What if we could peep into a person's state of mind or feeling? This is also a loving tribute to all the strange ladies out there who have been misunderstood and underestimated. I hope the images and sounds speak louder than these words. Thank you for watching!

Bettie, Habibi & Santiago Siren presented live & recorded on Oct 9, 2021


MCCruz-eye2.jpg
MCCruz-eye3.jpg
IMG_20211009_212157_634.jpg

M.C Cruz is a child of Chilean immigrants. Who was born, raised and currently based in Toronto but has also lived two years in Chile and more recently completed an Artist Residency in Morocco and Spain. They attended Etobicoke School of Arts and majored in Visual Arts before moving to Vancouver to study film and video production at Capilano University. They facilitated filmmaking workshops for marginalized communities as part of Fright Film Academy and Fright Film School. They have written, directed and produced several live action and animated short films including “Vampyric PSA”, “La Llorona” and “Root Causes”.The animated film “Root Causes” screened at OCAD in a special preview and Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival with an invitation to join a filmmakers panel. Their painting series "Refuge From Home" was showcased at the University of Toronto and Toronto City Hall during October 2019 as well as at TMAC for Being Scene 2020. Recently they created and presented paintings for "Unusual Spaces" a virtual art party by Hercinia Arts Collective. This work was done in Asilah, Morocco during the Covid 19 pandemic and addresses the strange times and circumstances we are in. The Cruz Herrera Museum in Spain also featured their latest artwork in a special online video presentation. They were recently awarded a 15,000 dollar grant from the ISO Solidarity Fund to research and write a screenplay. They are also working on a feature documentary film and series of paintings about the massive street protests happening in Chile (el estallido social). Their goal is to continue creating work that challenges the status quo while being visually and narratively compelling.