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back home film image, director Nisha Platzer

back home

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World Premiere

In 1999, 11-year-old Nisha Platzer lost her older brother, Josh, to suicide. Twenty years later, her search for a specialized medical treatment leads her to the door of someone who was once exceptionally close to Josh. And so it is that she finally has the chance to truly know her brother through his chosen family. Captured over five years in which synchronicities continually manifested, Platzer’s documentation of these encounters gently asserts that both grieving and healing are meant to be communal experiences.

The resulting back home includes candid interviews, lyrical visuals, evocative motifs, and segments in which filmstock has been hand-processed in seawater, plants, soil, and Josh’s ashes. Eloquently edited, the film establishes a meditative pace that allows a viewer space to reflect upon what’s being imparted and draw parallels to their own experiences. And, as it builds to a quietly staggering close, Platzer’s film instills in a viewer a desire to connect with those they hold dear.

 

Q&A Sept 30 & Oct 2

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Global BC Logo

Director
Cast

Nisha Platzer, Swan, Sara Kendall, Sam Bligh, Zac Bligh, Rebecca Bligh

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada/Cuba

Year

2022

Language

English

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Self Harm, Flashing strobe lights

18+
90 min
Catalyst Program Alumni Documentary Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

John Bolton

Producer

Joella Cabalu, Nisha Platzer

Screenwriter

Nisha Platzer, Jenn Strom

Cinematography

Suzanne Friesen, Flávio Rebouças

Editor

Jenn Strom, Milena Salazar

Production Design

Alexander Nolan

Original Music

Todd Macdonald – Norvaiza

Director

Nisha Platzer headshot, director back home

Photo by Erika Lind

Nisha Platzer

Nisha Platzer (she/her) is a queer artist and filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada. Her last short film, Vaivén (2020) won the Best Film Award at aluCine Latin Film & Media Arts Festival and competed at Raindance Film Festival, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, International Documentary Film Festival of Buenos Aires (FIDBA), and Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival. Platzer studied at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) in Cuba. She teaches handmade film workshops and is a member of Iris Film Collective. back home, her first feature documentary, was recently presented at the Canadian Docs-in-Progress Showcase at Cannes Docs.