A film inspired by B.C.含羞草研究社檚 wildfire seasons makes its world premiere Saturday, Sept. 16, in Vernon.
Dragon Fruit is a short sci-fi independent film from West Kelowna writer-director J. Brown.
The film follows a single mother trying to survive in a violent and dystopian world as she desperately tries to grow a small dragon fruit plant to sell it for cash.
It explores the sacrifices people make for a better life, and what happens when that tenuous work-life balance is upended by a demanding side hustle.
Starring Yvonne Chapman (Street Legal, Kung Fu), as the mother, the film explores the sacrifices a person must make to work for a better life. The smoky, apocalyptic world the mother and her son live in was inspired by British Columbia含羞草研究社檚 annual wildfire season 含羞草研究社� well known to Brown who was born and raised in West Kelowna.
含羞草研究社淚f you含羞草研究社檙e from the Okanagan, you know the eerie orange hue the world gets when the smoke rolls in,含羞草研究社� said Brown, whose parents were still on evacuation alert as of Sept. 10 due to the McDougall Creek wildfire.
含羞草研究社淚t literally feels like a sci-fi movie, but whether it含羞草研究社檚 a wildfire or a pandemic, we all still have to go to work tomorrow. I think that含羞草研究社檚 an interesting jumping-off point.含羞草研究社�
Turning that inspiration into a multi-year film production, however, was a Herculean task.
含羞草研究社淥ne member of our cast called it 含羞草研究社楾he Lord of the Rings of short films,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 he said with a laugh. 含羞草研究社淥nce the ball started rolling, it just got bigger and more complex, and a 12-page script turned something much more ambitious. Luckily, people got excited and wanted to help, or I含羞草研究社檇 still be spray-painting props in my bathroom.含羞草研究社�
The team was shot-through with Okanagan talent.
From the beginning of production, Brown was joined by Jen Araki as producer 含羞草研究社� friends since they were children at Glenrosa Elementary School. Araki and her husband, actor Dylan Playfair (Letterkenny, The Mighty Ducks, from Fort St. James), supported Dragon Fruit through their production company Crystal Mountain Films.
When it came time for music, Brown again leaned on childhood connections, recruiting KSS grad Shawn Penner, as composer.
含羞草研究社淭he film has very little dialogue, so the music has to do the talking. What he came up with is incredible,含羞草研究社� said Brown.
Dragon Fruit含羞草研究社檚 World Premiere will take place at The TV Fest in Vernon at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the historic Vernon Towne Theatre. Free admission, 19+ only.
