After his father passes away, Ian, an emotionally unavailable young man struggles to maintain his usual daily routine as his grief takes the form of insomnia. With his mental state deteriorating from lack of sleep, he pushes away anyone who tries to help him, damaging his relationships with them. Six days later, Ian questions his reality and finally breaks down, surfacing all the emotion he tried to avoid. With the help of his devoted friend Kenny, he finally comes to terms with his loss and falls asleep for the first time in days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The message I’d like to get across with Wide Open Eyes is to represent the bad habits behind the way some people handle grief and anxiety. The character Ian is very inspired by my own life experiences. I have insomnia and it’s affected me a lot in life. It takes a toll on your mental health and I don’t think enough people take it seriously as an actual condition. Loss is a big part of life and it takes its toll on everyone differently. A lot of people suppress their emotions in an unhealthy manner like Ian. I want them to feel represented but also share with them that it’s the wrong way of dealing with them.

 

— Gilad Kabessa, Director

 

 

 

Who Are We？

 

We are a group of Vancouver Film School students from all over the world. We are united by our passion for storytelling and our common goal to see this amazing story being told through the language of film.

 

 

Gilad Kabessa - Director

 

Gilad Kabessa is an Israeli born, past actor joining the world of film making from behind the camera. A child actor in small Broadway productions and a performer all throughout his life as a musician and singer. After finishing his service in the IDF, he came to Vancouver in order to get the experience he needs to join the industry and put his creativity to use.

 

Peter Yu - Producer

 

Peter Yu is an aspiring filmmaker currently studying film production at Vancouver Film School. A born cinephile, he originally went to the University of British Columbia to study film theory. Peter is interested in exploring the cinematic medium’s ability to represent reality. He is inspired by stories that have a firm grounding in real life experiences and yet transcend our banal daily lives. Some of his favourite genres and styles of film include film noir, romance, wuxia, and animation.

 

Marcos G. Avendaño - 1st Assistant Director

 

Born and raised in Mexico city, Marcos G. Avendaño and at 23 years old , he has always been passionate about film, and visual media. He brings to the table a diverse skillset and a culturally rich perspective on film, nourished by his multicultural background. With a strong artistic background he’s had close to a decade of experience in still photography, and has worked in several experimental short films throughout the years. He's currently enrolled in Vancouver Film School's Film Production program.

 

Robert K.E. Zastre- Director of Photography

 

Robert K.E. Zastre is a DOP currently studying at VFS. Previous to film school, He won awards at the Canadian Short Film Festival and the Golden Lion Film Festival. With 3 shorts in Post Production to release in 2022, He hopes to join the union for bigger and better things!

 

Mariana Cruz - Production Designer

 

Mariana Cruz is an aspiring filmmaker born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She developed a big passion for arts from an early age, which made her discover her love for film. She won national and international recognition participating in Your World Competition as she wrote and directed short conceptual videos, as well as joining various worldwide photography competitions. Currently, she is attending Vancouver Film School as a start point of her professional career in the film industry as well as following her passion for storytelling.

 

Gregorio Garrido- Editor

 

Gregorio Garrido is an aspiring filmmaker with a special interest in post production. He is currently studying at Vancouver Film School specializing in editing and cinematography. He hopes to work in the industry as an editor and participate in the making of both indie and large budget feature films.

 

 

Insomnia is a serious sleeping disorder affecting people on a situational, recurrent, or chronic basis. According to statistics, 30% of the population is affected by it at any given time. Despite its prevalence, many cases of insomnia go undiagnosed and untreated due to barriers to its assessment and management. Insomnia seriously disrupts quality of life, causing memory issues, difficulty with concentration, weakened immune system, increased risk of heart problems, and many more. 

 

 

The underlying causes of insomnia vary, but often times stress and mental health issues play a big role. There are relatively few movies that deal specifically with insomnia and the the underlying mental health issues. As a result, we want to bring this experience to the screen, portraying it faithfully and respectfully. We want to raise awareness for this sleep disorder and encourage people with the disorder to seek help.

 

 

 

Making a short film is a difficult endeavour. We need funding to pay for locations, camera equipment, sound, catering, transportation, and more. Your funding will help us create a safe and professional set for our talents and crew members.

 

 

 

Risks and Challenges

 

The greatest challenge with our project is shooting a stunt where our main actor punches a glass mirror. In order to do this stunt safely, we need to hire a stunt coordinator and pay for their insurance.

 

We are also shooting in multiple locations, which increases the cost, crew needed, and time needed to complete the film on time.

Perks

Everyone who helped the campaign will have their name in the credits with “This film could not be made without” attached.

 

 

 

We appreciate any kind of support we receive, whether it is donations, sharing our fundraising campaign, or following us on our instagram page (@wideopeneyesfilm). Your support will help make this into a better and more professional film! 

 

Thank you very much!