When it comes to devastating tragedies such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, comedy can bring much-needed release.
The same applies to the high-stress move to emigrate from your native country to start from square one in a new community.
Such is the story of Zha Babaieva and the motivation behind their short film, “20 Crickets,” an absurdist comedy being shot in Sudbury this weekend.
Sudbury.com caught up with the cast and crew during their first of four days of filming on Saturday, at the long-vacant École Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague building on MacKenzie Street.
“Experiencing war is really hard, and you can’t take it seriously all the time,” Babaieva told Sudbury.com during a brief break in shooting.
“The whole message is mostly about Ukrainian forced immigrants — we don’t use the word ‘refugee’ because we’re not refugees on paper,” they said. “But, refugee.”
Newcomers deal with a lot of fears, which are addressed in “20 Crickets” through the use of cricket creatures, which each represent a different thing, such as imposter syndrome and depression.
“It’s basically about being an immigrant in a new country and dealing with survival guilt,” Babaieva said.
Although many Ukrainians have left their native country, the war back home sticks with them.
“Our mentality is still home, so we’re here to remind that my country's still not safe, but we’re here and trying to live true, but it’s about new friendships in Canada with new people who are helping, and to feel seen and appreciated and continuing to live your life,” Badaieva said.
The writer/director relocated to Sudbury from Toronto last winter and said they’ve found their people in the local film community. They previously served as cinematographer for the short film, “Closure,” which was posted to YouTube earlier this year.
“20 Crickets” is their biggest film to date, and Babaieva said the creative atmosphere surrounding it has been an inspiration.
“It feels good to be seen,” they said. “There’s something in the air here, but there are so many talented artists.”
The following is a crowd-funding video for “20 Crickets” featuring Babaieva:
On Saturday, sets within the historic MacKenzie Street school were filmed in, including a bedroom, while three subsequent filming days will bring the cast and crew of approximately 25 people to other locations in Sudbury’s downtown area, including such places as Bay Used Books and the roof of the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
“20 Crickets” is the third in a series of three short films to comprise the first season of the local MotionArc Studios’ SCRIPTFEST series. Season two is slated to begin in late October.
“It’s really a film collective of passionate artists who love cinema,” producer Mathieu Séguin said.
“I think it’s really important that we make cinema up north to tell northern stories, and the only way to do this is to practice making films, and short films are the best way to do that.”
For the first season of SCRIPTFEST, 12 scripts were pitched from which the crew selected three to film, including Babaieva’s “20 Crickets.”
“They’re all amazing, diverse stories,” Séguin said. “It’s such a fun place to be when you’re in a creative zone with other creatives; that’s really where the magic happens.”
Various people and companies came together to support these films, he said, noting that the local Ukrainian community was particularly keen to assist in the production of “20 Crickets,” with the Ukrainian Seniors' Centre even providing the crew with food.
Equipment rental companies sponsored the film with free rentals.
“We get to play with the same tools that Hollywood uses,” Séguin said.
Although some crew members came from outside the region, he said the primary force behind the short films has been Northern Ontarians.
“We are here to show there are really talented people out here, and we will build a sustainable film industry where we support our own,” he said.
Post-production on the first three short films is slated to take place throughout the winter months, with their premier expected to take place next spring at Sudbury Indie Cinema.
The short films will later be posted online to the Dogme95 International YouTube page.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.