Tag: documentary

Alive & Dying Documentary

Posted on by Maria Bo in content creation, healing, youtube
BC ferry at sunset approaching Pender Island
Woman holding up a photo of herself and her late partner
Fish statues in the forest with ravens calling in the background
A house on Pender Island
Woman holding and looking at a freshly picked floral bouquet
Stella the cat laying on the floor looking at the camera
A bee pollinating a mint plant in the garden
Woman blowing the seeds off of a dandelion
Sunset view of a Pender Island beach

Synopsis

In 2008, a 14-year loving relationship was suddenly severed by suicide. Oneโ€™s devastating departure left the other to pick up the pieces. Platoโ€™s “The Allegory of the Cave” inspires the healing journey and life philosophy of “Alive and Dying” as symbolized by the life cycle of a floral bouquet. Join the survivor, 16 years later as she shares how she reassembled and reimagined life after her partnerโ€™s death, how to live well, and transcend any fears around death.

Warning, this film discusses suicide and death.

Background Information

This short documentary premiered at the Pender Island Film Festival on November 16, 2024. This documentary was shot entirely on the DJI Pocket 3 camera with the exception of the night lapse scene taken with the GoPro Hero 12. This is the first “cathARTic explorer” film about the journey of transcending trauma.

 Technical

  • Genre: Documentary
  • Format: 4k MP4 digital
  • Aspect ratio: 16×9
  • Length: 12.17 mins
  • Language: English

Note: YouTube implements an overlay bar of other videos (not mine). I have tried to disable it but doesn’t work. You will need to click the x to remove it.

Pender Island Film Festival – Madelin (left) & Maria (right)

Madelin Emery Bio – Madelin moved to Pender Island (S,DรYES) in 2014, where she joined and developed creative and playful community events, and in 2019-20 built a home and garden. After a 20-year career with Parks Canada, Madelin returned to the fields as an organic farmer and continues to create art through pottery and collage.ย  Learn more about her project Alive and Dying.

Maria Peronino Bio – A designer, content creator, filmmaker, crafter and blogger, Maria is based in Colwood where she lives with her husband. Her past films have screened in numerous film festivals and was a Hot Docs (Canadian International Documentary Festival) nominee for best short film. Her work has also been seen in feature films, TV shows, museums and published literature.

Feedback from the Film Premiere

โ€œA wonderful film, gently dealing with a sensitive subject matterโ€ – festival organizer

“Vulnerable, thoughtful and caring” – audience member

โ€œI was deeply movedโ€ – audience member

“Opened my heart” – audience member

โ€œBeautifully doneโ€ – audience member

“Very powerful” – audience member