Father of none

9 MINUTES

No kidding! Inside one childless comedian’s choice to get a vasectomy

In his short film Father of None, the US comedian and writer Jordan Temple invites viewers inside his emotional and surgical process as he pursues a vasectomy while childless at the age of 35. Consulting with a doctor, chatting with friends over a game of cornhole and even assembling a focus group of strangers, Temple is exposed to a wide variety of perspectives on fatherhood as he navigates his choice to opt out of procreation. A timely exploration of manliness and masculinity, the short film makes for an entertaining melding of high and low stakes, and silliness and sincerity.

PARENTING AND FAMILIES LAUGHTER AND COMEDY SEX AND SEXUALITY

Director: Mekki Leeper

Producers: Jordan Temple, Tim Robinson

Explore more

Watercolour painting of a person in red near a foggy lake with a tree and red leaves in the foreground.

VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION

Brother love

After my brother Chris died by suicide, my other brother Dave tried to kill me. Here’s how I survived

by Anita Lambert

A person handling several 1000 Kenyan shilling banknotes at a desk, with motion blur on one note being moved.

MONEY AND ECONOMICS

Accidental millionaire

When a big deposit appeared from nowhere in my account, it changed my life – but not how you’d think

by Kelvin Njeri

Two women sitting on a log outdoors, each holding a child, with greenery in the background.

An activist weaves motherhood into her world in this gentle short

Directed by Flavien Kressmann and Sarah Des Rosiers

A colourful plush owl toy with polka-dot wings hanging indoors against a polka-dotted wall background.

PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Again, again, again

I’m not infertile, but I experience recurrent miscarriages. I worry about how many more I can take

by Jami Nakamura Lin

Shadows on a wall, showing silhouettes of people and plants. A chair and a plug socket are partially visible.

VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION

Sticks and stones and words

A smart, educated woman, there’s no way I could have ended up in an abusive relationship, could I?

by Zoe Michaels

Photo of a cross in the sky with a blurred rainbow-coloured flag in the foreground.

SEX AND SEXUALITY

Severe joy

I wanted conviction to tell me if I could be gay and Catholic. My convictions told me something bigger

by Will Martino

Black and white photo of two men by a waterfront fence, with boats and a hillside town in the background.

PARENTING AND FAMILIES

Stealing my father

I’d long had a rocky relationship with my dad. Then, a predatory caregiver took over his life

by Mark Teich

Photo of a man holding a hand-drawn sketch of himself on a city street, wearing a blazer with a colourful patch.

PLEASURES AND PASTIMES

Bad art, good laughs – a street portraitist’s lacklustre work animates a city

Directed by Rosie Baldwin