A team of recent university graduates are bringing their intimate documentary to the Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) to compete for the Ruth Shaw Award.
Brandon Harder, Emily Pasiuk, Cheryl Lu, and Allison Bamford worked together in a University of Regina class earlier this year. They had three months to make a compelling documentary. Their finished product, 鈥淭erms and Conditions,鈥� is one of five entries in the Best of Saskatchewan category.
鈥淸The nomination] came as a shock,鈥� said Bamford, who edited the film. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a whole lot of expectations going into it.鈥�
鈥淭erms and Conditions,鈥� a 22-minute documentary, follows a complicated mother-daughter relationship. The daughter lives with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) due to her mother drinking during her pregnancy. The film tracks the daily routine of the family while highlighting their past struggles. The film tackles themes of parental guilt and the possibility of forgiveness.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of layers to this [movie],鈥� Bamford said.
Bamford discovered the family and reached out to them for the documentary. They agreed to share intimate details about their life stories.
鈥淭he family was gracious enough to allow us into their lives,鈥� Bamford said. 鈥淭he truths they told us were incredible and sensitive.
鈥淸They] were very open.鈥�
The project began in January. The crew filmed the majority of their footage over a week in Saskatoon. They were under constant deadline pressure.
鈥淸We were always] grappling with time,鈥� Bamford said. 鈥淲e had a lot of work to do.鈥�
Bamford feels the story is worth telling, which is why the team poured so much energy into it.
鈥淢aking this doc was something we were all passionate about,鈥� she said.
When the team finished 鈥淭erms and Conditions,鈥� they only submitted it to one festival: YFF. They鈥檙e thrilled to bring their work to Yorkton.
鈥淭o grab this nomination is huge,鈥� Bamford said. 鈥淏eing a student-made doc in this category [is great].鈥�
鈥淭erms and Conditions鈥� will be shown in the 鈥渕ini-cinema鈥� screening room at YFF.
