Help create 'Walking Spirits' an Indigenous Short Film

Hello!

My name is Deejay Papin-Giroux, and I am a Sioux Cree man from Alberta, Canada. I am raising money for an Indigenous-led short film about brotherhood, the foster care system, and addictions.

THE STORY

Walking Spirits follows two Indigenous brothers, Jaden and Max, as they begin to recognize and face their shared grief, shame and self-blame. After 2 years of being apart, Max suddenly reappears in Jaden’s life, and the brothers see this as the last opportunity to connect and heal. They both reminisce on the past to different extents, both avoiding and attacking their trauma.

WHY THIS FILM?

Walking Spirits explores a range of sensitive topics that are examined in depth, yet delicately. It’s a journey of two characters that want nothing more than the success of the other, and through their journeys, we take a deep dive into the foster care system, specifically its negligence when choosing its foster parents. The result has led to a lot of individuals, like the brothers, leaving the system with more emotional baggage than before.

This film’s primary focus is to shed more light on male mental health, while ensuring the characters are a proper representation of what is happening in the streets today. With a concerning amount of content showcasing those struggling on the street, the film will make sure to humanize its characters, making sure they are accurate representatives of those facing similar struggles.

I want the world to understand that the people struggling on the streets could be your relatives, without broadcasting and documenting them only in a sensitive time in their lives.

JADEN (late 20s) - empathic, spiritual, escapist. He is a man who relies on his humour to get through the day. He is fast-tracking his life and mentality to grow enough to take care of others. The second he sees his brother, he begins to fall into memories to escape his current situation of discomfort; his reality becomes dream-like while he dissociates.

MAX (20s) - blunt, sensitive, reckless, depersonalized. Max has always been protected by his brother; however, since a certain summer, he's lost a quality of himself - a reason to live. He hates seeing the person in the mirror and finds himself revolting. Because of this, he keeps his head shaved to not resemble his old self, and uses substances to distance himself from reality.

INSPIRATION

Walking Spirits' directorial inspiration is Honey Boy & Aftersun, an autobiographical film of the director's own experience with a passage of time that reminisces about past relationships. Jaden finds himself drifting into the past, trying to find out what went wrong with Max. Aftersun is a huge cinematography influence, as the past is told through the digital recordings that Jaden has of Max. The present cinematography focuses on the rawness of the scene, as if you are in Jaden's head. To elaborate, I’ll be shooting with two separate cameras to establish the current scene's emotions: I plan to use an older camera to document the past, to show the graininess and nostalgic atmosphere of the early 2000s. For the present, I plan to use a camera that is newer, showing the cold and lonely reality of their present day.

Walking Spirits is my first film out of Film School. I've spent the last year and a half working in the film industry, during which time I've experienced a lot of introspective about my own life. I struggled with addictions since I was 14 years old. I found alcohol to be my saving grace and praised when I got a chance to drink again. When I was under substances, I had these depersonalization episodes where I would get stuck in my memories and re-experience all of my faults. I began to isolate myself after using substances, so I could experience this feeling as if it were a punishment. Now, in this last year, I've been close to a lot of people who are struggling in that same state I once was in. I found myself escaping into memories once again whenever I was with these individuals; it wasn't depersonalization this time, though. This time, I began to reminisce and focus on the good memories, which helped me prepare for any personal losses, while also allowing me the ability to better fight to help others heal. This resulted in writing this story. This is a personal story to me. Jaden is an embodiment of myself, while Max is a mixture of a younger me and a close relative. I've been on both sides of this story; what is one person's depersonalization nightmare is another's escapist dream. The audience will never see inside the mind of Max, as I understand how traumatic it can be for someone to be in that state. This story is the process of my healing and understanding. So, understand with me.

The title Walking Spirits has two meanings within its title.

The first meaning: In Indigenous culture, a person grieving is someone quite powerful because they reside in two realms, the spirit realm and the physical realm.

The second meaning: after a traumatic memory, souls tend to leave their bodies in an attempt to protect themselves, and another soul walks in. Max has begun a journey where his soul and personality are no longer who he once was.

WHAT WILL YOUR SUPPORT DO

LOCATIONS & PRODUCTION DESIGN:

Most of the film takes place in a basement apartment in the early 2000s. This means that in addition to finding a location that fits the esthetic for 2-3 days, we will also need to dedicate a portion of the budget to rewinding our set to the early 2000s. Though we plan to do a lot of thrifting, we want to ensure we have a proper portion of the budget set aside to help make the space look as realistic and lived-in as possible.

EQUIPMENT:

This project will be using both a newer camera to document the present moment and an older camera to showcase the nostalgic past of both the characters. The majority of the filming will take place over 2-3 days, and we plan to rent the Sony FX6 or the Burano for these scenes. We will also invest in a handheld VHS tape-cam recorder to showcase the flashbacks, which will be filmed periodically during the early stages of pre-production, in preparation for the shoot days.

POST PRODUCTION:

As we will be using tapes for some of the footage, we will need to have the footage digitized into the right format in order to merge it into the film. A professional colourist, who understands both digital and film colouring, will also be essential to tying everything together seamlessly.

CAST, CREW, & LABOUR:

I believe in paying my crew members for their work and time. There is a huge surplus of projects in the film industry asking people for their time, and not compensating them for their worth, instead telling them it's good for experience. I do not believe in this, in indigenous culture and just common manners, it's important to honour people with an honorarium because they took time out of their busy schedule to support you.

I would like to thank you for your time and consideration in this project. This is my first major project. I wanted it to be the most personal project, so that the audience can see into my naked heart.