Bridgwater filmmaker wins pitch contest

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This article was published 07/08/2020 (1933 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joanne Roberts has a lot to celebrate these days.

On July 26, the Bridgwater resident was named the winner of the 2020 Gimli Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmaker pitch contest.

Roberts has been writing all of her life and said she always had an interest in filmmaking. With this recognition, she’s looking forward to seeing what comes next.

“Now I get a chance to take a step behind the camera and see the industry through a whole different lens — literally,” said the 29-year-old Filipina actress.

As winner of the ninth annual RBC Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition, presented by the Gimli Film Festival, RBC and On Screen Manitoba, Roberts earned $10,000 from the RBC Emerging Artists Project. She also won a mentorship with industry professionals from the National Screen Institute – Canada, a one-year membership to On Screen Manitoba, a $5,000 gift certificate courtesy of William F. White International and a premiere screening of her film, Anak, at next year’s Gimli Film Festival.

“I’m so honoured to be able to represent Asians in this industry. The representation is alarmingly small, around three per cent. I’m grateful I get a chance to tell this story,” Roberts said.

“The dynamic talent at this year’s pitch competition speaks to the creativity and versatility of Manitoba’s emerging filmmakers, who have adapted quickly to an online environment,” said Nicole Matiation, executive director of On Screen Manitoba.

“On Screen Manitoba looks forward to working with each and every participant as they advance their careers in the media production industry.”

Roberts’ Anak is a short film that follows the story of Mia, an Asian woman in her 30s struggling to maintain a healthy relationship with her mother, and the resulting hard questions. Does Mia fulfil her cultural duties as a daughter and care for her mother, sacrificing her mental well-being, or choose to walk away and save herself?

“I’m hoping that this film will shed light on familial issues that we don’t like to talk about. When we think of relationships within a family, especially a parent and child relationship, we’re socialized to believe that there is unquestionable, unconditional love there. And that’s not always the case,” Roberts explained.

“Sometimes, parents get it wrong. Sometimes, children get it wrong,” Roberts said. “This is a dynamic that is rarely talked about, but so prevalent in households today. Especially Asian households. And often, people looking in from the outside will think that a relationship is one way when in reality, the people within the relationship know it’s the polar opposite.

“This makes it harder for people to get the help they need. But they absolutely deserve it, in whatever capacity they need it, and I want the people to watch my film to know that,” Roberts said of the autobiographical film.

“This story is for every child who knows about this hidden world, one where parental love hides in a grey area. But don’t mistake this film as something gloomy and depressing. This is a tribute to human resilience, relationships, and what we deserve.”

To learn more, visit: joiedesurvivre.com, www.joanner.com and follow Roberts on Instagram @joannesmaison