Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Inside the Whale

Posted: 07 Mar 2019 09:36 AM PST

A day in the life of Benji, a young gay man who has always looked to others for everything: his absent lover Leo for intimacy, his best friend Ava for companionship and his eccentric parents for everything else.

On the day Ava moves out of their shared apartment, leaving him alone, Benji is forced to confront his feelings of isolation and anxiety which have manifested into a recurring dream in which Benji is hopelessly trapped inside a whale.

To grow up, Benji must face the lonely darkness of the whale … and himself.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: M. H. Murray
Cinematographer: Dmitry Lopatin
Production designer: Mong Tho Mach
Composer: Spencer Creaghan

Filmmaker’s statement

Inside the Whale was created in film school when I was the same age as Benji (early 20s) and it was, therefore, an important opportunity for me to confront my own struggles related to growing up, taking responsibility for myself and my actions, and learning how to exist in the world alone.

The final scene in which Benji travels through the car wash is, in a way, supposed to illustrate him finally sliding out of childhood and into adulthood and embracing the ‘whale’ which is a metaphor for the absurdity of life.

This film is extra special because it showcases a gay man whose struggles aren’t explicitly linked to his queerness which is rarely seen in cinema, even today.

About M. H. Murray

M. H. Murray is an emerging filmmaker and writer based in Toronto.

He created his first web series, Teenagers, when he was 19. The series – which he also wrote, directed and edited – ran for three seasons, screened at festivals internationally and has been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube.

For his work on the series, he won awards for best Canadian series and best screenplay at the Vancouver Web Series Festival. In 2016, the Mississauga Arts Council honoured Murray with the award for best emerging media artist. In 2017, he was nominated for best director by the International Academy of Web Television.

His short film work includes Inside the Whale (2014) which screened at the Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles, and Stephanie’s Room (2015) which won the 48 Hour Film Project in Toronto. In his final year of film school, he launched Black Elephant, a film production company.

He is currently developing his feature film directorial debut, a television series, various screenplays and a collection of short stories.

The post Inside the Whale appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Sister’s Dirge

Posted: 07 Mar 2019 09:28 AM PST

When a young girl goes missing, her family wrestles with grief. Fearing for the worst, her sister takes the law and justice into her own hands.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Ty Giffin

Filmmaker’s statement

Through this project, I have tried to emphasize the ways in which North America’s seminal genre, the western, has contributed to and reinforced colonialist discourse. To do so, I have created a neo-western that reverses the genre’s stereotypes and tropes to reconsider whose filmic violence is justified and who gets to be the hero.

As a white male artist, I think it’s important to acknowledge my privileged position, to reflect on it and to harness it to combat white supremacy and colonialism. Due to my position, it was important that this be an ethical collaboration of allyship. I cannot speak for anyone’s experience – it would be naïve of me to claim I could – but I have tried to analyze and dismantle the cultural practices, discourses and structures that contribute to systemic racism.

In bringing the genre into the modern day, it shows these issues of colonialism live on today. Ultimately, this film is a howl of protest against an unjust system, a tribute to those who have suffered and a call to action for the film industry. In reworking one of Hollywood’s most beloved genres, I hope to highlight the importance of reconsidering visual representation in resisting racist colonial discourse.

About Ty Giffin

Ty Giffin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but spent most of his life in New Brunswick.

He made his directorial debut with Roles (2017) and his follow-up project Sister’s Dirge (2018) during his time at the University of New Brunswick.

The post Sister’s Dirge appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).