Rheanna Toy is a filmmaker and creator based out of the Vancouver area. She has made short films that have screened at multiple film festivals including the NSI Online Film Festival, and Seattle Transmedia Film Festival, among others. Rheanna has spent the last few years focused on building a small video marketing agency, learning about how story can help businesses and organizations spread their messages. She is expanding right now and exploring new ways to create and stay connected to her filmmaking roots.
Serisa, an art student, examines her various identities in a work of performance art that she performs for the camera and a group of her friends.
We had the opportunity to show your film during our 2019 festival (our last in-person festival!) - tell us a bit about the journey of bringing this film to life
"Serisa 26" in some ways came about by accident, at least for me. My business and filmmaking partner at the time, Brandon Siemens, had documented Serisa's original performance at the Vines Art Festival for one of our client contracts. He was inspired by her performance and asked if she would be interested in making a filmic version of it. I came on set to assist Brandon and run the second camera, knowing little about Serisa or the project. However, once filming began I became immediately fascinated with Serisa. I kept the cameras rolling after her performance, and I was surprised to see some of the identities she talked about in her performance coming out of her "off stage". I started to envision how the film could come together. Seeing that I was so inspired by Serisa, Brandon kindly offered to hand over the director role to me.
I see a lot of myself in Serisa. I have many 'versions' of my personality, which I have become even more aware of because of my meditation practice. I sometimes find it strange how complicated my identity is, and it is something I am still coming to terms with.
What was your biggest victory with this project?
My biggest victory with this project was allowing myself to be in the moment. I have a tendency to get bogged down with the big picture, and I'm a planner. I am drawn to documentary, likely because I am drawn to unlearning my desire to always know what comes next. With "Serisa 26" I was able to see something in the moment and capture it without any forethought. I mean, I came in thinking I only was there to help Brandon! This project reinforced to me that I need to keep my eyes open and my wits about me because interesting stories show up in unexpected places.
What was your hardest lesson learned?
Because this project was so spur-of-the-moment for me, I didn't really face that many challenges. The whole process was short, simple, and easy. I can think of one lesson learned that I can share, although it wasn't necessarily a hard one. Coming from doing corporate client work, I was nervous that Serisa's friend would ask me to remove the part at the end where she sings to Serisa. I find that many of my clients get self-conscious about (quite frankly) the silliest things. This is such a tender and sweet moment though, I knew I had to leave it in. I almost removed it though. To my surprise, she didn't say anything about it! This reminded me that you never know what will and will not be ok unless you ask/try. Although this wasn't a fight, it reminded me that it's always best to fight for the moments that are filled with honesty and meaning, no matter how small.
Where do you look for inspiration?
For creative inspiration I go into nature. Vancouver is great for that. My favourite thing is to put on some instrumental music and stare out my window at the sky, or go for a quiet walk in a forest.
What's a favourite piece of Canadian media for you right now?
To be completely honest, I've been indulging in more foreign films right now, especially with the streaming site MUBI. But, I'd highly recommend my brother Adam Toy's podcast through Global News Radio called "This is Why".
What are you working on now? And what's next for you?
I'm currently on board to produce and edit a short fiction film called "Wok Hei" directed by Joel Salaysay. It's an exciting project for me because Joel and I are old friends and former film school colleagues. It is about an Asian-Canadian woman who reconnects with her heritage by restoring a rusty family wok. We're currently in the fundraising phase. Stories featuring Asian perspectives are so important right now, especially with the recent conversation about anti-Asian hate and racism spurred by the pandemic. In terms of my own directing and writing work, I'm exploring new horizons. I don't quite know what's next for me, so I'll have to let you know!
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RSVP on Facebook and join us April 18th 2021 for Choice Cuts to reacquaint yourself with Serisa and catch up with Rheanna at our Q+A!