Whistler Film Festival - Raw*
Jakob Levin, a delinquent youth on a downward spiral, is sentenced by the courts to spend time on his uncle Joseph's organic farm on Salt Spring Island. Put to work with a bunch of misfit interns, Jakob soon discovers that not everything is as idyllic as it first appears.
Interview with Writer/Director David I. Strasser
Why did you make your film?
RAW* was both an artistic and therapeutic endeavor for me. In late 2013 and early 2014, my family suffered the tragic loss of two loved ones, including my 18-year old nephew, Lukas. These tragedies acted as a catalyst for me to take a long and hard look at my life. And ultimately led to the extreme decision to walk away from my established career, my home of over 10 years, and to pursue a deep-seeded passion for filmmaking.
My nephew’s passing acted as the inspiration for RAW*’s lead character, and my own personal beliefs about organics, food freedom, and government involvement in our lives, provided the underlying ideology for the story. The narrative evolved out of the time I’d spent on the Gulf Islands over the years, as well as the current events in the news regarding local hobby farms being raided by police. RAW* became a way to voice my thoughts on these current events, to share a story of redemption, and to navigate through my own feelings of personal loss and grief.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
There are three excellent reasons to watch RAW*: firstly, we are a universally themed coming-of-age film, which tells a meaningful story about family, and that is uniquely set within the context of the illegal underground world of raw milk bootlegging; secondly, we are the first feature to be almost entirely shot on Salt Spring Island (Canada’s Gulf Islands); and thirdly, we are only the second feature film to be produced by Vancouver Film School in its rich 30-year history.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
RAW* deals with themes of grief, identity, authority, and anarchy. Many of those themes come from my personal experiences, but are also universal in their nature. Our goals were to have these themes drive the narrative of the film and to be the root of transformation for our characters. We also aspired to create characters that were three dimensional and to blur the lines between our antagonists and protagonists.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The original 3-page treatment for RAW* was written while attending the Gulf Islands Film and Television School in the summer of 2014. That treatment subsequently was developed into a beat sheet and the first 20-pages were work-shopped by a group of peers while attending VFS. After the first draft was completed in January 2015, senior writing instructors, Andrew McEvoy and Brian Casillio, continued to work intensively with me through half a dozen subsequent drafts, including a near complete re-write to accommodate a new ending. As the script needed to be green-lit by VFS’s approval committee within a short 3-month period, the biggest challenge was to make the script suitable to the scale of our production, while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the story. In the end, and with the help of many people, the script was green-lit for production.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has generated curiosity and discussion about Canadian Raw Milk laws, as well as having received some early praise from local media. The Georgia Straight, a local arts newspaper, complimented the technical directorial achievement of the film, as well as the breakthrough performance of lead actor, Jesse Platt. The overall composition of the film and cinematography of Raivo Kruze has been praised by Hollywood North Magazine. And, the Whistler Insider has labelled it as one of the “Best in British Columbia.” Our peers in the local film industry have been hugely supportive of the fact that we were able to break through a glass ceiling and produce our film while still attending a film school.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Being our first feature, produced under huge constraints, both personal and professional, and in the context of being film students, we are very proud of our finished film. In retrospect, there are always things that you wish you could have done differently given more budget, more time, and with more finely developed skills, but the feedback we are receiving, both positive and critical, has reinforced our passion for filmmaking and for telling relevant stories that matter to us. Filmmaking is a dynamic process and the feedback helps to reinforce our positive growth as storytellers.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Our goal is to build an audience and generate discussion about our film. We feel that www.wearemovingstories.com is a community that supports these goals.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Our film is ultimately about subversion, criminality, and the authority government has in dictating what we consume. We want our film to generate discussion among audiences and the community about how our society decides “health” from “hazard” and why we consent to these laws. The broader the audience, the more the discussion that is generated in the public. In order to amply the film’s message and further build our audience, we would look to gain more support from film festival directors, distributors and journalists.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would love our film to generate discussion about raw milk and organic farming, as well as to be appreciated as a film that was made by first-time filmmakers, on a micro-budget, and all while still attending film school. We’d also like audiences to respond to the breakthrough performance of our lead actor, Jesse Platt.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The Canadian government says that unpasteurized milk is dangerous and that the sale of raw milk is illegal, with penalties ranging from fines to jail, but scientific research shows that raw milk acts to boost the immune system and prevent disease. What are our audiences’ thoughts on raw milk and the regulation of small farm practices?
Would you like to add anything else?
We are just grateful for the opportunity to have our film showcased at the Whistler Film Festival, and feel honored to be in contention for the Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature amongst a talented group of outstanding Canadian independent filmmakers.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
David and lead actor, Jesse Platt, are continuing their professional director-actor relationship and are developing their next feature, “The Third Bandit,” a previous proof-of concept short film that they previously collaborated on, which has been distributed by TELUS Optik TV and Door9 Films.
Interview: November 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Raw*
What do illicit drugs, bootleg milk, and Salt Spring Island have in common?
Jakob Levin, a delinquent youth on a downward spiral, is sentenced by the courts to spend time on his uncle Joseph's organic farm on Salt Spring Island. Put to work with a bunch of misfit interns, Jakob soon discovers that not everything is as idyllic as it first appears.
Length: 97 minutes
Director: David I. Strasser
Producer: Arshia Navabi and Mert Sari
Writer: David I. Strasser
About the writer, director and producer:
David I. Strasser – David is a Vancouver based screenwriter, film director, and member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild. A graduate from Vancouver Film School, RAW* is David’s debut feature film. David is a vocal advocate for food sovereignty.
Arshia Navabi – Arshia’s study of psychology led to his passion for filmmaking. After graduating from Vancouver Film School, he has completed his first feature, RAW* and produced several successful short films.
Mert Sari - After having a successful start in the music and fashion industry, Mert enrolled in Vancouver Film School. Since completing RAW*, he has produced multiple short films and is involved in the local music and arts community.