Professor O’s Producing Festival #6 - Documentary Approaches

In these turbulent times gain insight into the process of producing a short non-fiction film from the producers and filmmakers who made them. Screening and discussion with Q&A, thoughtful questions encouraged. Ever wondered how independent films are made or maybe you’re an aspiring filmmaker or student who is looking for strategies to take their filmmaking to the next level? Local film professor, John Otterbacher, presents short films produced using very different documentary approaches for different stories but with a common thread of migration and borders. Through AMANECER, NEAREST NEIGHBOURS and RICKY LEAVES we will discuss this process from conception to distribution. Filmmakers in attendance! PROGRAM SCHEDULE Nearest Neighbours (2020) : A look at the life of Venezuelan refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants who have made their way to Trinidad and Tobago over the past several years including their experiences with xenophobia and a lack of legal rights. Written and Directed by: Rhonda San Choo. Produced by: Emilie Upczak and John Otterbacher Amanecer (2012): Fed up with poverty wages and an employer controlled union, auto parts workers in a Puebla Mexico factory covertly organize a sit-down strike. Will their bold plan go awry? Or will direct action lead to workplace Justice? Produced and Directed by Pete DeMay Cinematography and Post Production by Carlos Ginard. Sound by Anthony Berg. RICKY LEAVES (2026): Ricardo Martinez, the filmmaker’s brother, prepares to move out of his childhood home at 27. As their parents prepare to return to their native Mexico, the two siblings watch their unearthed childhood home movies for the first time. What they find is different from what they remember. Starring: Ricardo Martinez. Directed by: Paloma Martinez. Edited by: Elivia Shaw. Filming Notice: This program will be recorded and by attending you are giving permission for your image, voice and likeness to be used in future media projects produced by Orange Chair Productions Ltd.