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Can I Get a Witness? film image; woman sketches under blue sky as illustrated birds fly by

Can I Get a Witness?

Special Presentations

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For a work set in the future, Ann Marie Fleming’s film is remarkably folksy. She takes us to a time when humanity has survived the global environmental crisis, but only at a steep price. As the film opens, Kiah (Keira Jang) is preparing for the first day of a new job, while her mother Ellie (Sandra Oh) is readying herself for a new journey of her own. Over the next two days, Kiah and her co-worker Daniel (Joel Oulette) perform their duties as official witnesses; together, they’re helping fulfill a global mandate to protect all life…

Can I Get a Witness? is a film in which the important facts emerge gradually; as it builds to its powerful conclusion, the pace is leisurely and the style is deceptively casual. Fleming has a great ear for dialogue, and she directs with a strong attention to the nuances of human interaction. Jang and Oulette give subtle and convincing performances, and Oh is wonderful as always.

 

Sept 27: Q&A with producers Alexis King, Raymond Massey & Ruth Vincent and actors Joel Oulette & Keira Jang

Oct 2: Q&A with director Ann Marie Fleming, sustainability coordinator Devon Ellis-Durity and editor Justin Li

 

Supported by

Media Partner

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, Sandra Oh

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

English

Film Contact
18+

At Vancouver Playhouse

19+

At Fifth Avenue

110 min
BC Spotlight Drama Q&As at VIFF Romance Women Directors
Sleepy Dog Films

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Haydn Wazelle, Sandra Oh, Ann Marie Fleming

Producer

Ruth Vincent, Raymond Massey, Ann Marie Fleming

Screenwriter

Ann Marie Fleming

Cinematography

C. Kim Miles

Editor

Justin Li

Production Design

Cheryl Marion

Original Music

Brent Belke

Ann Marie Fleming headshot; Can I Get a Witness? director

Ann Marie Fleming

Ann Marie Fleming is an award-winning visual artist, writer, director, animator and cross-platform media maker who has worked in a variety of genres (animation, experimental, documentary and drama). Her work often deals with themes of family, history and memory.

Ann Marie’s 2003 feature documentary The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, based on the life of her magician and acrobat great-grandfather, won both the Grand Jury and Best Documentary Prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Best Documentary Prize at the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival in Canada. And her animated feature film, Window Horses, received numerous international awards, including Best Animated film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Gijon International Film Festival in Barcelona.

Filmography: The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (2003); The French Guy (2005); Window Horses (2016)

Photo by Erik Whittaker

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