Anthony Shim had been working on the script for a while.
Initially, the Centennial secondary grad had envisioned the work as a one-act play for Railtown Lab, an initiative curated by Shim for the Railtown Actors Studio, a Vancouver theatre school where he teaches.
But as he crafted the narrative, which delves into grief, Shim came across a documentary about two American girls who had been bullied and took their own lives. Struck by the emotion by the film participants, Shim decided to write for the screen rather than the stage.
Saturday, he’ll see the world premiere of Daughter, the film he wrote, directed, produced and edited — and even had a cameo in — at the Vancouver International Film Festival’s BC Spotlight gala, to be held at the Vancouver Playhouse. (There will be another screening Oct. 8 at 6:15 p.m. at the Rio Theatre.)
Of his inaugural feature film being picked as the best of B.C. entries, Shim told The Tri-City News last week, “It’s an honour and surreal.”
Starring Railtown co-founder and artistic director John Cassini and actors Teagan Vincze, Jenn Maclean-Angus, Jordyn Ashley Olson, Ryan Robbins and Gabrielle Rose, the 101-minute movie was shot in 13 days in Vancouver and Delta.
It tells the story of a rich Vancouver executive named Jim (Cassini) who’s mourning the loss of his daughter, who died a year earlier by suicide. “He’s seeking solace and any way to escape his reality,” Shim explained.
Jim befriends a young escort named Nikki (Vincze) and, in a hotel room, he shares his sadness with her.
Shim said grief is a subject he has been studying since his dad passed when Shim was 24. Over the years, he has explored how others have coped during the loss of a family member or friend; the American documentary about teen suicide “also struck a chord with me.”
“I want to see characters in a story when they’re in their quiet moments of grief, when no one else is around. How do they survive day after day after a tragedy?”
Shim admits Daughter isn’t an easy movie to watch as it delves into the dark and disturbing sides of grief.
For tickets to the Vancouver International Film Festival, which ends Oct. 11, visit viff.org.
