“By the River” By Dan Braga Ulvestad

HOU'LEY (ABSENT) Fond du Lac is a Dene First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan. The name quite literally translates to “Bottom of the Lake,” It has one of the highest suicide rates among youth in Canada. In this documentary short, one grieving mother tells the story of her fifteen year old son and his untimely and tragic death from suicide. With limited mental health support, it has been nearly three years since she has been able to speak openly about the trauma she and her family experienced following the loss of her son. Director: Alexander Sworik Editor: Brian Chambers Colourist: Sam Zook Re-Recording Mixer - Alastair Sims Produced by: Northern Bridge

Synopsis

Stretching along the river Ganges rests Varanasi, the holiest of India’s seven sacred cities, and a place where devout Hindus go to die in hopes of achieving moksha - becoming liberated from the cycle of rebirth. Several so-called ‘death hotels’ exist to accommodate believers who abandon their lives and come here in wait for death - some for as long as 40 years.

Directors statement

My vision for this film was to take the audience on a journey through such a foreign, and dare I say alien, way of life compared to anything we're used to in the Western world. But also, it was important for me to approach it with my utmost empathy in order to humanize them and potentially create some understanding for their choices, and even pose questions around what is deemed normal and absurd regarding life & death simply by perception. A western materialistic life where many see death as a taboo might just be as alien for some.

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Credits

Director: Dan Braga Ulvestad
Producer: Charu Menon
Director of Photography: Caleb Ware

In association with Heckler
Executive Producers: Charu Menon, Jamie Watson, Will Alexander, Media Stockade
Financed in association with Screen Australia
Editor: Andrew Holmes
Colorist: Greg Constantaras
Assistant Editor: Adrian Maurici

Production Company (India): ShotReady Productions
Line Producer (India): Siddharth Bhavnani
Production Manager (India): Neha Gowda
Assistant Camera: Esteban Rivera
Original Music Score: Dustin Lau
Sound Design: Rubin Henkel & Nylon Studios
Re-Recording Mixer: Casimir von Oettingen