2020 filmmaker pitch include local finalists

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This article was published 17/07/2020 (1954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The interactions between Asian women and their mothers, along with the trials of being a roadie for a rock ‘n’ roll band, are the subjects of pitches by two local entries into the 2020 Gimli Film Festival’s filmmaker pitch competition.

The ninth annual competition, which had a record number of 24 entrants, will take place at the Artspace building on July 25, with the seven finalists having their pitches livestreamed for an online audience.

Bridgwater resident Joanne Roberts is entering a pitch for a short film about a 30-year-old woman of Asian heritage named Mia, and her relationship with her mother. Anak is a film about familial relationships, generational trauma, childhood and love. The title translates as “child” from Tagalog.

“It is important to me to shed light on unspoken issues in an effort to spread awareness. On a personal level, this story is important to me because it’s biographical in nature. Not only for me but also for many friends of mine, some who share the same cultural background and some who don’t. I feel a deep sense of obligation to speak out in hopes that others who may be struggling know they’re not alone,” she wrote in her pitch.

“My family is from the Philippines, and we have very close families. It can be a challenge at times,” she said, adding her goal as an independent artist is to bring forth real experiences and stories from Asian culture. After Gimli FF, Roberts will be seen acting in the French police procedural series, Edgar. Her indie projects, Love Letters for Juliet and Quarantine, Actually will also make their premieres later this year. 

She attended Oak Park High, where she went through the film program. She normally would be performing in the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, but instead is focusing on her independent projects and teaching music and acting classes.

Osborne Village resident Quan Luong is pitching Roadie, a film that dives into the relationships between good friends/bandmates as they try to find success in the music industry, along with director Erin Hermbrador.

“Our film, Roadie, is inspired by my former film instructor, Jim Agapito, who, at my age, was travelling the world as a musician/roadie, following his dreams,” Luong said. “The film dives into the relationship between him and his good friends/bandmates as they try to find success in the music industry.”

A Vietnamese filmmaker now living in Winnipeg, Luong’s interest in filmmaking started at the age of 12, watching YouTubers like Ryan Higa and Dominic Sandoval.

“I only got serious and decided to pursue this as a career after moving to Canada and seeing how open and amazing the film industry is,” he said. “Some of my local influences and mentors are Ian Bawa, Markus Henkel and Brad Crawford.”

Luong is currently working as a cinematographer and colourist on TV shows, commercials, documentaries, and indie films.

He and Hermbrador wanted to pitch their idea to the competition, as they believe it’s perfect for a five-minute short.

“As Erin and I find an angle to create the short, we find ourselves relating deeply to the story, being filmmakers at different points in our lives, much like the roadie and his friends,” Luong said. “Being named a finalist in this competition means a lot to me, proving to myself that I’m more than just a camera guy. This is one of the first few projects where I got involved from the very beginning, having held on to the idea for a long time.”

 The 2020 RBC Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition will see the winner awarded $10,000 toward the production of their short film, along with $5,000 in rental gear from William F. Whyte International and mentorship opportunities from established filmmakers.

The seven finalists – including two two-person teams – will pitch five short film ideas in front of panelists on July 25 at Artspace. Each person or team will have three minutes to present their idea, followed by five minutes of questions from the jury. The winner will go on to produce their film, which will be shown at the 2021 Gimli Film Festival.

The event will be livestreamed at gimlifilm.com/gff-live-stream