Hi folks, I'm just weeks away now from being able to complete the story of 70 Canadian students who in 1989 flew around the would to join thousands of social activists at the 13th World Festival of Youth & Students in the DPRK. But the project is out of funds. Your donations will help us complete the edit, secure costly historical footage from the CBC & the NFB, mix and design the sound and music, and animate photos of the event. Please donate whatever you can and help us promote the campaign!
Short Summary
Dear friends, it’s been five years since I first began this documentary film project, a story of a group of young Canadians who traveled to Pyongyang North Korea to participate in the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. Held in July 1989, the festival represented the largest gathering of foreigners on North Korean soil since the Korean war. With your help I hope to complete the film in time to screen it in March 2018.
BE FOREWARNED! This is not one of those docs that stare, glare, or otherwise poke fun at the North Korean regime and/or its people.
Rather it’s a story about how a group of activists from arts, student, LGBTQ, and indigenous movements in Canada struggled to make sense of their political commitments as the Soviet Union and most of its allies began rapidly shed their Communist past. The film is, in short, a personal story and history of the Left in Canada, and how the student leaders of one generation recommitted themselves to important political struggles after experiencing in quick succession the end of the cold war, the Chinese massacre of students in Tiananmen Square, the OKA crisis, and the rise of the HIV-AIDs pandemic.
Unfortunately political films such as this one are not being fully supported by the Canadian state, nor its broadcasting and film institutions. It’s unfortunately fallen upon all of us to contribute what we can to such documentary projects in an effort to keep alive the important stories of our recent past, stories that are needed more than ever as a new generation of progressive leaders struggle with the impact that climate change is having on our communities, and how the Canadian state continues to fail the indigenous peoples of this land.
This is a deeply personal project for me. I grew up with – and deeply admire -- many of the people represented in the film. In reconnecting with these friends, I was stunned at the contributions that each of these ‘delegates’ are making in their communities. Your contributions to this campaign will help me to bring these stories to communities across Canada, and to groups who want to use the film to fundraise for their own progressive causes.
What We Need & What You Get
We've been very lucky in acquiring funds from Ryerson University & in-kind donations from my friends at Sandbox Films Inc. With these resources we have completed a "rough cut" of the film. But before the film can be screened there remains considerable work and expense. I've detailed the remaining costs below. Your donations will help fund these crucial expenses.
Sound editing and design ($7,000) -- the sound editor does the overall mixing and design of the multiple sound tracks in the film. Given that we have lots of footage from the DPRK, the sound editor will have to balance out all these noises, music, and cheering crowds!
Original Music ($2,000) -- I've hired a local band, "Derwatt", to write original music for the film.
Colour correction ($3,000) -- we have archival footage from around the world going back to 1986, and obviously shot on many different cameras. Colour correction helps to bring all these different images into one common style palate, giving the film an overall look and aesthetic.
Archival footage releases ($4,000):
The film has been greatly enhanced by the donation of video and film from some of the delegates who traveled to the DPRK in 1989. But crucial footage from the CBC, the NFB, and from stock video archives from around the world is incredibly expensive, in some cases costing up to $40USD for each second used!
Photo animation ($2000):
To make some of our static images of the trip to the DPRK 'come alive' I will have to hire an animator who can work their magic on over two dozen photos.
Titles, Credits, and Subtitles ($2000)
The film includes French, Russian, Korean and English voices. Please help me to make this film accessible to at least English, French and hearing impaired audiences!
The Impact
This project is more than a film. It is an effort at chronicling an important period in the political history of Canada, and ultimately its long lasting impact – as experienced and reinforced by the lead characters in the film. It is a story of the demise and rebirth of political commitments and social justice projects – a story that will resonate and inspire those in Canada and around the worlds who battle the social injustices that surround our loved ones and communities.
The Director
Please remember that this is a call for support, not just financial support. If you are unable to financially contribute please consider helping us out in other ways:
Dear friends, it’s been five years since I first began this documentary film project, a story of a group of young Canadians who traveled to Pyongyang North Korea to participate in the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. Held in July 1989, the festival represented the largest gathering of foreigners on North Korean soil since the Korean war. With your help I hope to complete the film in time to screen it in March 2018.
BE FOREWARNED! This is not one of those docs that stare, glare, or otherwise poke fun at the North Korean regime and/or its people.
Rather it’s a story about how a group of activists from arts, student, LGBTQ, and indigenous movements in Canada struggled to make sense of their political commitments as the Soviet Union and most of its allies began rapidly shed their Communist past. The film is, in short, a personal story and history of the Left in Canada, and how the student leaders of one generation recommitted themselves to important political struggles after experiencing in quick succession the end of the cold war, the Chinese massacre of students in Tiananmen Square, the OKA crisis, and the rise of the HIV-AIDs pandemic.
Unfortunately political films such as this one are not being fully supported by the Canadian state, nor its broadcasting and film institutions. It’s unfortunately fallen upon all of us to contribute what we can to such documentary projects in an effort to keep alive the important stories of our recent past, stories that are needed more than ever as a new generation of progressive leaders struggle with the impact that climate change is having on our communities, and how the Canadian state continues to fail the indigenous peoples of this land.
This is a deeply personal project for me. I grew up with – and deeply admire -- many of the people represented in the film. In reconnecting with these friends, I was stunned at the contributions that each of these ‘delegates’ are making in their communities. Your contributions to this campaign will help me to bring these stories to communities across Canada, and to groups who want to use the film to fundraise for their own progressive causes.
What We Need & What You Get
We've been very lucky in acquiring funds from Ryerson University & in-kind donations from my friends at Sandbox Films Inc. With these resources we have completed a "rough cut" of the film. But before the film can be screened there remains considerable work and expense. I've detailed the remaining costs below. Your donations will help fund these crucial expenses.
Sound editing and design ($7,000) -- the sound editor does the overall mixing and design of the multiple sound tracks in the film. Given that we have lots of footage from the DPRK, the sound editor will have to balance out all these noises, music, and cheering crowds!
Original Music ($2,000) -- I've hired a local band, "Derwatt", to write original music for the film.
Colour correction ($3,000) -- we have archival footage from around the world going back to 1986, and obviously shot on many different cameras. Colour correction helps to bring all these different images into one common style palate, giving the film an overall look and aesthetic.
Archival footage releases ($4,000):
The film has been greatly enhanced by the donation of video and film from some of the delegates who traveled to the DPRK in 1989. But crucial footage from the CBC, the NFB, and from stock video archives from around the world is incredibly expensive, in some cases costing up to $40USD for each second used!
Photo animation ($2000):
To make some of our static images of the trip to the DPRK 'come alive' I will have to hire an animator who can work their magic on over two dozen photos.
Titles, Credits, and Subtitles ($2000)
The film includes French, Russian, Korean and English voices. Please help me to make this film accessible to at least English, French and hearing impaired audiences!
The Impact
This project is more than a film. It is an effort at chronicling an important period in the political history of Canada, and ultimately its long lasting impact – as experienced and reinforced by the lead characters in the film. It is a story of the demise and rebirth of political commitments and social justice projects – a story that will resonate and inspire those in Canada and around the worlds who battle the social injustices that surround our loved ones and communities.
The Director
- I have had a long career developing communication tools and research for student organizations, political movements, political parties, and social justice advocates. I’ve worked for student organizations (Canadian Federation of Students), progressive political candidates, and with NGOs in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
- I hope some of you viewed my last film Preempting Dissent (2014)! It was a huge success, screening over 30 times at film festivals, community halls, and universities around the world. It was the feature opening film at the Social Justice Film Festival in Seattle, was awarded the Kelly Thomas ‘Best Social Commentary” Award at the Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles, and was screened in Istanbul, Turkey during the height of the protests against the Erdoğan regime.
- With your help I anticipate “The Canadian Delegation” will make an even bigger impact on students, film audiences, and activists around the world!
Please remember that this is a call for support, not just financial support. If you are unable to financially contribute please consider helping us out in other ways:
- Wherever possible please retweet, repost, like, and share appeals from this campaign!
- Tell your neighbours, close friends, colleagues, family members about the film and this campaign!
- Use this campaign to reconnect with your friends from 1989!
- Use the hashtag #DPRK1989
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