Café des Cauchemars (Nightmare Cafe)

Café des cauchemars is a short film of less than five minutes, made by students in their final year. Frida Symons‑Swann and Nyah Clarke, Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario (CEAO). Shot on 16mm film and hand-developed, the story takes place in 1938 in Ottawa, where a young woman named Wanda finds herself in a small, quiet café, where the shadows start to turn into nightmares.

The film world premiered at the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) in March 2025. The screening at the Ottawa Art Gallery included a live performance of the original score by student musicians from the CEAO Music program.