We are so excited to congratulate our BMS students Vidushy Avasthi and Ky Kim for winning this year’s National Canadian Film Day film competition. Along with their teammate Xiong Zhang, this winning team received a $500 cash prize from the Rogers Multicultural Film Program!
Meet our students, and learn more about their film below!
Vidushy Avasthi | BMS Year 3
Can you please describe your film and share a bit about it?
“When the Clouds Pass” is a documentary film about Ralph and his horse riding stables in Langley, BC. The film explores his journey to Langley, his horsemanship, and his bond with the
horses.
What led you to submitting your film to the National Canadian Film Day Competition?
I made this film as part of a group for a film production class and all films made for the course were automatically considered.
What does being a National Canadian Film Day Competition winner mean to you?
I think rather than winning, it is the opportunity to have made the film that matters so much. The film is only 10 minutes but everything that we heard during the interviews and everything that we saw for ourselves at the stables made it such a rewarding experience. We did our best to fold up the stories and the spirit of the place in our short documentary.
Ky Kim| BMS Year 4
Can you please describe your film and share a bit about it?
One day, I came across an article about the Township of Langley’s leaked development plan. It involved a long-established, Korean-run horseback riding stable to be developed into a horse racetrack. Having been interested in and produced many cultural and community films for a long time, I quickly reached out to Ralph (stable owner) to make their story visible. Our Short Documentary When The Clouds Pass highlights the unbreakable bond between Ralph and his horses while uncovering the issues of rapid change that recent development has brought to Langley. I put a lot of heart into this film and greatly enjoyed the process.
What led you to submitting your film to the National Canadian Film Day Competition?
As part of taking FIPR 469A, our film automatically participated in National Canadian Film Day and Rogers Multicultural Community Film Program in which a winner receives a $500 award. I naturally took the FIPR 469A course as it was about cultural storytelling and I wanted to make another film before I graduated from UBC.
What does being a National Canadian Film Day Competition winner mean to you?
I think the award means that our documentary film has informed or inspired others at the very least. It’s very rewarding to share stories as a way to bridge ideas and create opportunities for change. Regardless of winning, I really enjoyed working with my team. Although we were only a team of three, it was a nice challenge to overcome. I’m happy to have won the award because I see it as a compliment and recognition for our cooperation and efforts.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I want to add that the weather wasn’t much on our side when shooting our film due to the frequent spring rain. The stable was also going through some seasonal repairs. So, hopefully, in the summer, I would like to capture a lot more beautiful scenes with the horses and greenery, and possibly make it into a feature-length film.
Film Poster for When The Clouds Pass
