SPOON MAN - WATCH AND SHARE - WEEZ GONNA MAKE A MOVIE!!!
STORY TELLER
I'm a storyteller with a strong penchant for biography. I believe the best films, or stories of any medium, mix humour and pathos well. They walk back and forth between tears of joy and tears of sadness. For me, those are the most memorable moments in real life as well as recounting them in story.
FILMMAKING
Who goes to work with the developmentally disabled to start a film career? It's not a normal root but when I was 24 (now a while ago) I moved into a community where I made a commitment to care for and live with people with developmental disabilities. It was a community called L'Arche, founded by the lauded philosopher and humanitarian, Jean Vanier. BA in hand, I had been writing in magazines, making independant films and writing music, some of which scored my films. I took an illogical leap and put my filmmaking and musical career on the side burner for one year.
SCHOOL OF LIFE
One year turned into six as L'Arche became a serious education in relationship and the development of a compassionate society. It wasn't long before I found ways to use my storytelling talents in the community.
NO MASKS
Editing the community's newsletter and then creating a series of documentary films I focused mainly on the profiles and biographies of some incredible and horribly overlooked people, many of whom had lived through and continued to face a world that has blatantly rejected them. These were thematic portraits that centred on the spirit in side of these individuals who were completely themselves, bare, honest, no masks.
Inspried by the vision of Jean Vanier, my stories started to take off into publications like The Toronto Star, and stations such as Vision TV and SCN. The road has proved an amazing ride ever since.
STORYTELLING WITH A PURPOSE
I've worked with some large charities and led documentary production at specialty channel in Canada for a couple of years, slugging away on miniscule crews and budgets. It was a challenge and an amazing opportunity because it required me to use all my skills, and creativity, so I directed, wrote, produced, filmed, edited and composed music for five feature documentaries in a little over a year. I've since moved full freelance, spicing up my creative options and broadening my storytelling palate.
I believe in the adage to entertain with a message - much of my work has offered a compassionate, humanitarian and social concience, but in the end storytelling is storytelling and art means you communicate with emotion and passion - it's the call of free spirits.
PROPHETS OF PEACE
My recent DVD series which I am proud of, focuses on the gifts of people with developmental disabilities and the lessons they offer society. It's a culmination of all the portrait documentaries I have created in this area, including "Revel in the Light", the story of Rebecca Beayni, an inspirational young woman living with cerebral palsy, who presented the video at the United Nations in New York in a symposium on disabilities issues.
Check out my personal website: WWW.DEIREN.COM
RELATIONSHIP IS THE ESSENCE OF LIFE!
It's all about community. Let's stay connected. Fill out your e-mail address to receive my funky little newsletter, with updates on my new film and music productions, events and ideas!
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