People's Choice Nominee

Tell Me A Story About Someone You Miss

Submitted by: Patrick de Belen

North York, ON

Patrick de Belen lost his little brother to suicide in January 2021. A memorial bench was built in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park a year later, inspired by the honest conversations they used to have together there, and many other parks in the city.

“Tell Me A Story About Someone You Miss” is a short doc following Patrick on a stroll in Trinity Bellwoods, talking to strangers and friends about coping with grief and loss.

Patrick wanted to provide an opportunity for others to keep people alive by telling their story, but quickly learned how much he needed to hear them, for himself.

About Patrick de Belen

Patrick de Belen is a Toronto-based Filipinx storyteller, writer, filmmaker and spoken word artist.

He is most known for his collaborations with the Toronto Raptors, the NFL, CBC, his three spoken word EPs and multiple cine-poems he wrote/directed himself. He was awarded the National Youth Poet of Honour in 2014 and National Poet of Honour in 2019 at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

When he is not writing or sharing, he is an educator and youth mentor, partnering with institutions like mental health centres, schools, jails and more. He advocates for storytelling opportunities in as many spaces as possible.

People's Choice Nominee

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