BROTHER FRANK

feature film by Iris Fraser

Brother Frank is a narrative feature film currently in post-production. Shot on 35mm and VHS, it was made on an extremely frugal budget as a labour of love by all those involved. Before it can be released or screened however there are many high-end stages of post-production that need to be funded.

Please help us bring this project to completion. We’re excited to share this film and would love any amount of contribution to make that happen.

Synopsis

The film follows a young woman, Odessa, as she grapples with articulating her ideas as a video-artist.

When Odessa returns home to visit her father, he piques her interest with what he calls an operatic tale; Odessa learns of Brother Frank, an 85-year-old monk and sole habitant of a 390-acre monastic estate near her hometown.  The monk’s church wants to sell the property and put him in a home, but Brother Frank is adamant about staying. Acting against his 70-year-long vow of poverty, he opens a bank account for the first time in his life, in hopes of buying the farm and living out his days in the Monastery. The church ostracizes him, but he remains on the property on Squatters Rights.

Spurred by the tale, Odessa decides to visit the monk, hoping to ask Brother Frank to be in a video essay she would like to make about craft and handwork, art forms that are close to her heart and that she feels are disappearing in the digital age.

Coincidences and recurring imagery float by Odessa’s awareness, but her young insecurity holds her back from capturing all the poignant moments on film. As Odessa and Frank bond over their mutual enthusiasm for craft and music as humble pastimes, the sunlight streams in and lights their gentle conversations in ways that make Odessa wish she were more brave with her camera. Through jilted conversation, Odessa finds out more about Frank’s unfortunate situation with the monastery he refuses to leave, until an unexpected turn of events changes the course of her visit.

Cast & Crew

In the spirit of the story of the film, the cast consists of a large group of craftsmen and artists. Minor characters, in roles as themselves, include some of the first studio artists of Canada's craft renaissance of the 60’s, to notable underground comic book artists, cult cable access TV personalities and contemporary artists & experimental musicians from Toronto.

The film’s starring role, Odessa, is played by Emma Wardle. After completing a degree in theatre at McGill and further training with Neighbourhood Playhouse (New York) & Second City (Toronto), she makes her feature film debut with Brother Frank. She is supported by Jack Burke, an awarded stage actor, in the role of Brother Frank. The role of Andy, a friend of both Odessa & Frank, is played by Don Miller, a carpenter and conceptual artist, who has exhibited internationally. This is Don’s first role as an actor.

All Participants including the leading actors, every minor actor, Director Iris Fraser, Producer Dan Bekerman, Cinematographer Michael LeBlanc, the music and venues involved and even the farm-to-table caterer, used the thesis of the film to form a lifestyle on set and in production with the idea that working process and lifestyle translates visually onto the film. From working in analogue mediums to living in an actual monastery while shooting and eating local food from surrounding farms and businesses, every stage of production helped shape the nature of the film.

In spirit of the story of the film, the cast consists of a large group of craftsmen and artists. Minor characters, in roles as themselves, include some of the first studio artists in the craft renaissance in the 60’s, to notable underground comic book artists, cult cable access TV personalities and contemporary artists & experimental musicians from Toronto.

In that spirit, for larger contributions we are offering artworks from a slew of artists pictured on screen as well as some of those behind the scenes. Look in the photo gallery to see the perks available.

What will your contribution do?

$10, 000 is the bottom end of required funds for the hard costs of post-production. More than that will help speed up the process but the funding goal is to get what we absolutely need.

That money will cover gear & facility rentals and fees to specialists involved with sound mixing, dialogue editing, ADR and foley work, soundtrack rights and recording of original music for the soundtrakc, audio mastering for theatres, transferring vhs to 35 mm, onlining the picture edit from negatives, colour correction, optical printing & answer prints, or digital intermediate colour correct, effects and HD prints.

In an ideal scenario we would also like to use what could be the last opportunity to cut our negatives and do the entire process on film with no digital intermediate. But both HD and 35mm processing is very costly.

How to contribute

We will be accepting donations through paypal and secure credit card transactions.