The Secret Life of Trees on YouTube
After learning that plants are sentient, a young man takes his two baby cedar trees out for a walk, brushing past moments of human and plant life along the way.
This film was shot and edited all within 48 hours as part of Vancouver's 2020 Run N Gun competition. The original 48 hour film was relatively the same, but a little bit shorter to fit within the 4 minute requirement for the competition. This is the director's cut.
A Review by Mika Doaga (@vanshitty69)
The Secret Life of Trees (TS: 8:50 Finals)
This is the finals opener so this film is clearly awesome but I doubt I’m alone in thinking it deserves more attention. It’s got a soothing, zen quality and it really makes you feel plants are sentient beings. I’ve rewatched it 3 times now, and dang, this hits.
Starring: Julian Baisa, Leuna Sherif, Connor Hogg, Allen Fan AKA Challenga, Margarita Iturriaga, Akshaya Pattanayak, Erica Dimaposoc, Sharon Tseng, Everett Bumstead
Written by: Ayesha Habib
Directed and Edited by: Everett Bumstead
Assistant Director: Jessie Parker Hart
Cinematography by: Kenrick Block Gaffer:
Sergio Carpinteyro
Sound and Music by: Coby Degroot
Sound Mix by: Sharon Tseng
The Opposite of Isolated
A New web series about talking to strangers launches on CBC’s Creator Network
The timely documentary series tackles post-pandemic loneliness by taking to the streets of Vancouver for intimate and vulnerable conversations.
[Vancouver, BC] – “Everybody has a story to tell, if you ask the right way,” says Julian Baisa, the central figure of The Opposite of Isolated, a new documentary web series from CBC. The three-episode series follows Julian leaving his home for the first time after isolation to observe people through the lens of his camera. Searching for moments of connection, Julian engages in vulnerable and personal conversations with real strangers, who open up about their lives, identity, struggles, and loneliness.
The series, co-directed by Ayesha Habib and Leo award-winner Everett Bumstead, is inspired by the storytelling of Humans of New York and the magic of serendipitous interaction with strangers. Following the collective loneliness and disconnect of the pandemic, the filmmakers sought to capture real stories by approaching people on the street to speak with Julian about their lives.
From a story about a retiree’s lost love to a young woman’s journey healing from mental illness to a young man’s bond with his partially-blind dog, the conversations are detailed with poignant moments, treasurable wisdom, and relatable emotions.
“There has never been a more important time to talk to strangers,” Bumstead says. “This is a series about finding beauty in the people and places all around us.”
Filmed with a dreamlike quality that resonates with the romanticism of people watching, each episode takes place in a different outdoors location across the city—a skytrain station, a skate park, and a dog park—and reflects the unique locality of its setting, grounding the series in a distinctly Vancouver framework.
The Opposite of Isolated aired on the evening CBC Vancouver News. Episodes one, two, and three are immediately available on CBC’s Vancouver Youtube channel.
Press kit with hi-res images and teaser clips can be found here.
Connect on Instagram @keep.it.in.the.streets