Weiye Su’s seven-minute experimental film opens with a shot of a window. As light fills the screen, Su narrates his experience with Saskatchewan’s vast expanses of land and sky. The window fades into a wide shot of the Prairies in the winter. A woman, superimposed over the flatlands, turns to look at the viewer. She is Evelyn Cherry.
Su’s film, called “Evelyn and I,” is an odd beast. Su describes it as “docu-experimental...sort of like mockumentary.” It combines factual elements with artistic flourishes. It’s a hard film to classify, but it does fit into one category: The Best of Saskatchewan competition. “Evelyn and I” is in the running for the Ruth Shaw Award at the Yorkton Film Festival (YFF).
“I didn’t expect to be nominated,” Su said.
“Evelyn and I,” in Su’s words, explores the lives of “two generations of Saskatchewan filmmakers.”
“I wanted to talk about what’s happening now and what happened in the past,” he said.
Su centers himself as the contemporary filmmaker in the movie, detailing his connections with a figure from Canada’s film past: Evelyn Spice Cherry.
Cherry was born in Yorkton in 1904. She established herself as one of the most important voices in Canadian cinema. In the 1930s and 1940s, she contributed to the influential British Documentary Movement. In 1941, she joined the National Film Commission (later named the National Film Board), working in their Agriculture Films Unit. Late in life, she founded Cherry Films Ltd., which focused on social and environmental issues. She died in Victoria, B.C., at the age of 90.
Su, a university student, first heard about Cherry during a Canadian film theory class. He was drawn to her work, but he was frustrated by the lack of coverage on her career.
“[There’s] not much information about her,” he said.
Due to the sparse details on Cherry, Su took an experimental approach with his film on her, combining facts with his personal flair. He used an actress (Norma Adams) to portray Cherry, having her walk through the prairies and narrate her thoughts.
“[There’s] a lot of fictional style [in the movie],” he said.
In the winter of 2017, Su took his camera to the Saskatchewan prairies, capturing the harsh beauty of the endless snow and ice. It was bracing experience.
“I grew up in tropical cities,” he said. “[I] managed to survive.
“Winter is beautiful.”
Su found common ground with Cherry in their shared love for Saskatchewan’s prairies, a fact he highlights in the movie.
“I’m a landscape lover,” he said. “That’s what connects her and I.”
Su will be attending YFF on May 25.
“I appreciate the nomination,” he said.
“Evelyn and I” will be screened at the Ravine Room in the Gallagher Centre on May 25 at 3:20 p.m.
