An Unsinkable Production
Prisms
Created in collaboration with Friends of Ruby, Finding Your HeART, and the Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation
In winter 2026, Unsinkable brought a small group of Queer youth together with one intention — to help them tell their stories.
And over 8-weeks of sharing, laughing, learning, working, crying, uncertainty, courage, some more laughing, then practice and performance, something happened. Our Storytellers, Clarine and Lilac, dove deep into themselves and surfaced with stories containing new knowledges of who they were. They then shared their stories at a live in-person showcase at Friends of Ruby, a Queer youth-serving support hub in downtown Toronto.
This documentary, Prisms, is the culmination of that discovery.
Meet the Storytellers
Clarine Chan (she/her)
Clarine is an aspiring author & poet who primarily publishes short poetry & prose collections and chapbooks that speak to her experiences navigating adulthood, nostalgia, friendship, family, culture, and loss.
She has always had an interest in writing, though she has dabbled in other creative forms of expression such as digital media, videography, photography, painting, and illustration. however, writing always calls her home and is her main method of creating.
When Clarine is not trying to find the right words for a constant stream of creative projects, she is working as a tech consultant, booking spontaneous trips out of her hometown of Toronto, looking up pet adoption websites, and binging shows on her couch she has affectionately named "bonnie".
Lyle Lilac Kiunisala (they/them)
LYLAK aligns with a vague concept, a collective of experience in a strange space-time location. In some ways a visual artist, poet, and maker, and in other ways, an abundance of squirrels (or raccoons, depending on the day of the week) in a pair of overalls, they can be found hermitting in nature, practicing party tricks, and occasionally playing a very convincing person.
Based in Toronto, they are currently exploring a broadening of art practices, including performance and spoken word, and returning to painting and other artforms under various names.
Being part of this program meant constantly questioning what storytelling meant to all of us as creative, introspective and passionate humans. Our Storytellers, Clarine and Lilac, were teaching lessons I hadn’t expected to learn as a facilitator, about how to move beyond the boundaries that we tend to subconsciously set for ourselves with our own work. They expressed courage and tenacity at the final showcase, aligning their lived experiences with a final presentation that felt refreshingly real to both loved ones and strangers alike. Walking away from the program, I feel that our stories intertwined for the briefest, most profound moment in time, but that the impact still sits with us in how we continue our unique journeys as storytellers.
— Liv (Program Facilitator)
Clarine and Lilac’s stories are about love, rejection, self-love, and the many layers of identity. Their stories are also about connection—with self and others—trust, and community. Everything we’re about at Unsinkable. It would be easy to say what they’ve shared with us is inspirational, but that would be a disservice. It’s so much more. Clarine and Lilac’s stories exemplify what it means to hurt, to heal, and to grow—to be human. And as we watch their journeys unfold in Prisms, we grow with them, and emerge a little bit more human ourselves.
We are so happy to share this project with you, and we are unendingly grateful to Clarine and Lilac for allowing Unsinkable to be the vessel to bring their stories to you. Thanks to them for sharing and thanks to you for watching.
Enjoy the film.
— Asante (Manager, Storytelling and Facilitator)
Meet the Mentors
Ryan Lalonde (They/Them)
Ryan is a queer musician from northern Ontario, now residing in Ottawa. They play with various musical projects in the region, including rionwaves, an art rock band set to release its first EP in early 2027.
Jaisie Walker (they/them)
Jaisie is a queer poet, advocate, and nonprofit leader, who has worked for 10+ years in the fields of healthcare, and gender-based violence prevention. Jaisie is currently the Manager of Executive Communications at Canadian Blood Services, and previously served as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Ottawa, where they earned the King Charles III Coronation Medal for advancing gender equitable healthcare across Canada. Jaisie holds a Master of Arts in Gender Studies, where they used PhotoVoice to explore story-based approaches to violence-prevention, and was proud to publish their first poetry chapbook— Mud Pie— in 2023, through Bottlecap Press. Storytelling has not only been a powerful part of their own mental health, identity, and leadership journey, but has also been instrumental in how they have advocated for human rights, community safety, and a stronger healthcare system.
Reflection & Discussion Guides
These guides are designed to help you move from watching to processing and action. Whether you're engaging with Prisms on your own or holding space for a group, you'll find prompts that support reflection, spark conversation, and prioritize safety and care.
Each guide centres LGBTQIA+ youth, community, and possibility, offering gentle structure for conversations rooted in empathy, accountability and hope.
If you’re willing to share about your experience with Prisms, we’d love to hear from you!