hollywood north: vancouver filmmaker set out to show different sides to refugee issue

Anasa sa Visser\'s short film Bordered tells the story of two Syrian female refugees trying to reach out to an American veteran and border patrol while walking from the United StatesS. into Canada.
If you haven\'t decided on a weekend plan, do yourself a favor and make time for the Vancouver Short Film Festival (VSFF).
On January, it was staged at the Vanke Chengpin theater. 25-
VFSS is a great way to pack a lot of stories in a few hours.
New film Bordered by Vancouver resident vissa Visser, a fictional 15-
The minute short film that looks at refugees through the eyes of a pair of Syrian women and an American border guard is one of 39 films on this year\'s VSFF roster.
Recently, Visser took some time out of his trip to Pakistan to answer our email Q &.
In a new short film by filmmaker Anaisa Visser, Camilla Maha and Magda Ochoa played two refugee women.
Bordered will attend the Vancouver Short Film Festival in January. 25-
2018 at Vanity theater.
Wendy D/PNGQ: Why do you want to add edge?
What inspired you?
A: From 2015, when I became more aware of the refugee crisis in Europe, I felt that I could not do anything.
I want to use my storytelling skills to try to deal with the complex emotions that some Western countries generally consider to be refugees.
I decided to dedicate this story after the first iteration of Trump\'s Muslim ban.
I \'ve seen some videos and interviewed refugees who risk their lives to Canada in the cold, and I want to capture the feeling of being willing to do anything to find a place that can be called home.
I live in many places and have experienced some common problems related to displacement, cultural shocks and language barriers.
Q: Do you know the current refugee situation from this film?
It takes a lot of research to make this movie, and I learned a lot.
I watched a lot of videos about family learning to integrate into a new country and how difficult it is.
Getting to a safe place is actually just a step in the lifelong process of adapting and absorbing.
These people come from skilled backgrounds in industries that are sometimes irrelevant in their new country.
When they don\'t speak the language, their higher education is less useful.
Basically, for people like Samira and Fatima in the movie, going to Canada is really just the tip of the iceberg.
I have also learned about the religious differences in Syria and how they lead to tensions between refugees and between host countries and refugees.
Middle East politics has a long and complicated history, and unfortunately I do not predict that the conflict will end soon.
All I want is to be able to see the world really come forward and take care of those who have been destroyed by international conflict and their countries and homes.
Q: The core of the film is American film. S.
There are a lot of problems facing their own border guards.
Can you tell me about the character and what you want him to convey?
A: One of the things I want to do is to make a movie in which I paint a multi-faceted question.
There is no good or bad in this story: These people don\'t know each other at all.
I created a role where his view of refugees was influenced by patriotism, but also by trauma.
In the end, both Lei and the refugees saw terror and experienced things that no one should have experienced.
This is where they connect.
In an in-depth understanding of the impact of violence on people and the feeling that mankind is completely hopeless.
I hope Ray\'s role will tell viewers who feel they don\'t fully understand other cultures or religions.
In the end, we don\'t need to know much about these things --
We just need to see how destructive war and violence are in order to connect with refugees.
Q: Vancouver has been your home since 2009, but until then you have lived around the world.
How did the trip inform you as a filmmaker/writer?
My father is a decent Mozambican in Pakistan and my mother is Dutch.
My mother\'s family moved to Africa in her 70 s and has been working in developing countries since then.
In 2000, we moved to Florida for the time being, and my mother studied for her PhD at Florida State University.
My parents broke up there.
My mother\'s second husband was French so when she married him we moved to France where I went to high school.
I moved to Canada in 2009 for a bachelor\'s degree at Emily Carr University and have been in Vancouver since then.
I have come into contact with many cultures and lifestyles, which is undoubtedly the foundation of my work.
My interest in human rights and well-being is rooted as an immigrant, doing so again and having a family with a diverse culture.
I am deeply frustrated by those who do not see that humanity deserves basic human rights and decency, no matter where they come from, what their ethnic background is, what their beliefs are.
Film producer Anaisa Visser\'s new short film tells the story of two Syrian female refugees in contact with an American veteran and border patrol while trying to walk from the United StatesS. into Canada.
Javier Sotres/PNGQ: Do you like the short film format?
A: I like how fast we see the results!
I\'m writing a feature, which is a very slow process.
I\'m thinking about the next few years, not months.
It takes time and dedication to make any movie, but if the time is short, your turnaround speed will be fast, so you will get the product faster.
Another aspect I like is that shorts are just an explosion of ideas and ideas.
You\'re not trying to instill a complicated story into your audience.
You just give them a little taste and let them take it from there.
It is more about creating a feeling than about a story.
Q: What would you like Bordered\'s audience to take from the movie?
A: Ideally, the film will make people think about how they see others.
Especially those who are different from them.
On the one hand, this sounds old-fashioned.
On the other hand, obviously, we still need to tell these stories because people continue to discriminate and hate without mutual understanding.
It may also be a gentle reminder for North American audiences that while we are not close to the Middle East, the conflict there has an impact all over the world.
Q: How important is the holiday experience for filmmakers like you?
Well, this is my first short film as a director who is about to attend the festival.
Bordered has just started its festival so I\'m not entirely sure what it means to me after all this.
Mainly now, it\'s an opportunity to showcase the film, and for my team, some recognition has been given for the great work they do.
If they decide to work with me again, it will be more valuable than any festival or award.
I look forward to attending some film festivals and meeting with other filmmakers.
In order to be inspired by other people\'s works, I like to go to the festival.
There is no shortage of talents. I always learn from other people\'s work.
Q: What are you going to do next?
A: I am currently working on a master\'s degree in film production and creative writing in UBC.
As part of my MFA, I am writing my first feature film script.
I would love to do a feature sometime in the next few years.
At the same time, my focus is on improving my writing and director level so that when the next writing and/or director opportunity comes up, I am ready to grab it and go all out. dgee@postmedia. comtwitter.
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