Stakaya, 12min., Canada
Directed by Bruce Crawford, Malcolm Sparrow-Crawford
In the heart of a corrupt city, David, a young Indigenous man trapped in the criminal underworld, encounters Raven, a mystical guide who awakens his inner strength and leads him on a transformative journey to become Stakaya, the wolf. With newfound power, Stakaya must navigate world of mystical beings, balancing the fight against corruption with the threat from those who seek to exploit their abilities.

Get to know filmmaker Malcolm Sparrow-Crawford:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

As an Indigenous filmmaker and actor, writing and telling our stories has always been very important to me. Both my father and I have been in the film industry for many years. My dad's been a stunt performer/coordinator for nearly 30 years and I've been an actor for 11. At a certain point we started writing together. Being an Indigenous man, I want to see our stories be brought to life. Stakaya was heavily influenced by my culture. A lot of elements were inspired by my culture. Stakaya was a name given to me by my great grandfather when I was 7 years old. It means Wolf in our language. I've always loved that and it inspired me to make something fun and heartfelt. Filmmaking is scary. It can leave you feeling very vulnerable because you're putting yourself out there. But my father and I combined what we knew through our individual experiences to make this film and we're both extremely proud of the final result.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

It actually took a lot longer than expected. We did this film with almost no budget. It was just a bunch of friends that got together to make something fun. The idea came about when the strikes were going on and we were all itching to get back on set in some way. But then things picked back up slowly and shooting days were fewer and farther in between. Overall I'd say it took about 6 months to finish filming.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Spiritual Awakening

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle was simply time and getting everyone together to film. After writing the script with my Dad, we decided to just film it. We were fortunate enough to be able to use free locations on my reserve as sets and they were absolutely stunning to shoot in. But we started the shoot during the writers strike. Everyone had more open schedules, but shortly after we started, the industry started to pick up again. Fortunately for us there were little to no constraints on the filming locations we chose because it was all free. So we were able to take our time and get the shots right rather than rushing to get the finished product.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I'm just glad people were able to enjoy something that was so fun to make. Any time you put your ideas onto the screen there's a bit of fear as to whether people actually enjoy it. Fortunately we had an amazing cast and crew full of extremely talented stunt performers to bring some of that action we were aiming for into the film. The story itself is one of finding your own voice and it made me really happy to see that people enjoyed that and wanted to see more.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Like most other actors there's always been that thought in the back of my mind wanting to make films and for me it was always about timing. I wanted to do something fun that was enjoyable to show up to perform every day we were on set and I think we did that.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

This may sound funny, but it's the Lion King. If we're talking about sheer numbers that wins by a landslide. I was addicted to it as a child to the point where my parents started calling me Simba. It's still one of my favourite movies of all time. The older I got the more I realized that it was inspired by Hamlet, which definitely lead to my love of Shakespeare and pushed me towards getting an English Literature degree in university.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Nothing. It's really been an amazing experience as a first time filmmaker. I will definitely be recommending it to filmmaking friends in the future.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

10. What is your favorite meal?

Well I grew up in a Native fishing community. Anything prawn related, you have my heart.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

My father and I are looking to continue developing the Stakaya story. We have a lot more written, but as of right now it's just a timing thing for everyone who was involved.