<div>Help Bring "<strong><em>JESTER</em></strong>" to Life: A Story of Anxiety, Identity, and Expression
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Dearest friends &amp; strangers,
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My name is Lula-Belle Jedynak, and I’m an image-based artist and filmmaker located in Vancouver, BC.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As my time at Emily Carr University comes to a close, I’m asking for your help to create my final graduation film, <strong><em>JESTER</em></strong>. A deeply personal film about the battles we fight within ourselves, the weight of self-doubt, and the quiet triumph of finding peace in imperfection.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This story is my story. It’s the story of countless moments in front of the mirror, feeling like the reflection was a stranger, cancelling plans because my outfit felt wrong, or spending three hours trying to leave the house, only to stay behind closed doors. It’s about growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s when fashion magazines dictated beauty and online shopping was still a fantasy. It’s about DIY fixes and ill-fitting clothes, trying to squeeze into a world that was suffocating people into conformity.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Fashion became my shield and my sanctuary, a way to “<em>match my insides to my outsides</em>.” But it also became a battleground, where my anxieties whispered cruel things, telling me I wasn’t good enough, no matter how hard I tried. This film is about something more: the tender, quiet strength it takes to step outside anyway.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why This Story Matters</strong>
</div>
<div>I started my creative journey as a photographer, but it wasn’t quite enough. At 25, I returned to school and discovered experimental analog filmmaking and something clicked. I was home. In the tactile process of 16mm film, I found a way to tell stories that didn’t just show—<em>they felt</em>.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>What the Film Will Be</strong>
</div>
<div><strong><em>JESTER</em></strong> is an experimental, movement-based short film shot on digital, 16mm black-and-white film, and various cameras. It’s a visually raw, emotional piece that blends narrative and surrealism to explore themes of anxiety, self-expression, and the quiet beauty of imperfection.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Starring <strong>Eowynn Enquist</strong> and <strong>Tobias Macfarlane</strong>, with movement coordination by <strong>Shion Skye Carter</strong>, wardrobe by <strong>Dayne Imbeau-Holt</strong>, production design by <strong>Rabecca Talbot</strong>, and scored by <strong>Local Needs</strong>. This film will bring to life the fragile, haunting relationship between Charlie and her inner critic, personified by the Jester—a figure both seductive and suffocating.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The visual world of the film will echo the layered complexity of the human mind, using dreamlike sequences and distorted mirrors to explore how we see ourselves. The Jester, a symbol of anxiety and self-doubt, challenges Charlie to confront her reflection and rediscover her strength.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>How You Can Help</strong>
</div>
<div>This film is generously supported by a volunteer crew, but we need your help to bring it to life.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Your contributions will go toward:
</div>
<div><strong>Insurance:</strong> To protect our team and equipment.
</div>
<div><strong>Gear Rentals:</strong> Ensuring professional-quality visuals.
</div>
<div><strong>Feeding Cast &amp; Crew:</strong> Good food fuels good art.
</div>
<div><strong>Custom Jester Hat:</strong> A key symbolic wardrobe piece.
</div>
<div><strong>Set Design:</strong> Crafting the surreal, dreamlike world of the film.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><em>Our fundraising goal is $2,000, and we need your support by December 14th.</em>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why This Matters to Me</strong>
</div>
<div>I turn towards the camera as a way to process grief and anxiety. When my father passed away during my time abroad in Amsterdam, I made visual diaries, threading old family footage with my emotions, finding solace in the grainy intimacy of Hi8 film. This film is born from that same space—a raw, emotional exploration of what it means to be human. It is incredibly meaningful to me that I get to incorporate the camera he used for aspects of this film.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with incredible artists and organizations, from Mascall Dance and Dance West Network, to WAIT//LESS, Kmoe, Peach Pit, Local Needs, and Sub Urban. Each project has been a step toward finding my voice, but this film feels like my heart laid bare.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For years, I thought I was alone in my struggle to leave the house. I thought I was the only one who canceled plans because my reflection didn’t feel right, the only one who wrestled with the quiet violence of self-doubt. But I’ve learned that so many of us carry these stories. This film is my way of saying, you’re not alone.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>How You Can Support</strong>
</div>
<div>Your donation, no matter the size, helps bring this vision to life. All donors will be listed in the credits regardless of the donation amount.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This is more than a film; it’s a piece of anyone who’s ever doubted themselves but found the courage to keep going. Thank you for believing in this story and helping us share it with the world!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With love and gratitude,
</div>
<div>Lula-Belle
</div>
<div><em>( </em><a href="https://www.instagram.com/no_more_belle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>instagram</em></a><em> )</em>
</div>

Sean Perry

Patrick Klosowski

Mary Walker

Stefan Nazarevich

Jonathan Davies

Ben McCarthy

Darion Trotman

Ethan Hart

Veronica Aguiar

Maya Preshyon

Sam Lai

Anonymous

Eloise Cameron-Smith

Saarthak Taneja

Dakota Arsenault

Justin Cahyadi

Amanda Panahi

Alex Lemmon

Dana Bontempo

JESTER: A Story of Anxiety, Identity, & Expression

Enter your donation forJESTER: A Story of Anxiety, Identity, & Expression