KITE, 6min,. Canada
Directed by Jerry Trieus
A short film about a dancer on a mission to experience flight. The journey is disappointing and filled with challenges. The result is a transformation as the dance artist finds strength through perseverance and ultimately freedom.

Get to know writer/producer Virginia Duivenvoorden:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Kite began as a stage piece where I incorporated film on stage in the form of projections. I knew that I eventually would like to also see it as a film on its own. It all began as a photograph by Brooke McAllister. in one of the photos, I was wearing a black skirt and dancing with a 7 yard piece of tulle fabric. I loved the photos. In 2021 I decided to choreograph a dance to match them. That’s when Kite was born. When I started the choreography, I was in too much physical pain to think about performing. That’s when Brynne Harper started working on KITE. We spent two years developing the stage piece and we shared it in three different performances two were outdoor performances and one on stage for a work in progress showing. I approached Kites in all aspects from building and flying them to studying the history. All of the processes became part of the kite story from the failed kites that never flew and then to the handmade windsocks , which were actually amazing. It became a story about transforming from looking outside oneself to looking inside and finding that sense of flight and freedom from within the body. That was a journey that I really needed to make in order to process what was happening in my body with the pain and other medical conditions that I was coping with during the creation process.

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

3- 4 years

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

Wind watching

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
For me it was being new to many aspects of film making and having to continuously learn along the way.
5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I felt emotional seeing that the piece was clear in its message and was being received very much in the way that I had hoped for. It was rewarding to see that the message of resiliency and strength had shone through.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
The first time that I tried editing my own camera work. It was a film with my students and we had a film permit for a public plaza in North Vancouver. Editing felt like choreography in so many ways and I could become completely immersed in the process.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
In all honesty I believe it’s Elf 😆
8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I am always on the look out for interesting professional development opportunities to help round out my skills and knowledge of the film industry.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
So far so good. I think the big challenge is choosing which festivals to apply to.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Turkey Dinner

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

Completing a second film and collaboration with Jerry called Seams and incorporating imagery from it into a new stage piece with a solo dance project called Echo Chamber.
I am also dreaming about a new concept for a dance that could potentially become a film. I would love to take that journey again towards developing another dance film.