Alexander Farah (BFA 2014) has been awarded Best Editing at the 2024 Vancouver Short Film Festival (VSFF).

“It’s very endearing to earn the respect and recognition from my local peers. It’s humbling to be awarded for my work in this way,” Alexander says in reaction to receiving the award. In 2023, he was awarded Best Editing for the short Lay Me by the Shore (2022) which makes this year’s VSFF win his second year in a row.

Alexander was chosen for his contributions to the short film Motherland, directed by Jasmin Mozaffari, who was recognized this year by VSFF as Best Director. The winners were announced during a ceremony held on June 2 at the Vancouver International Film Festival Centre in downtown Vancouver

Motherland “follows Babak, an Iranian immigrant to the US during the Iran hostage crisis in the 1970s, as he confronts anti-Iranian prejudice when he meets his Canadian girlfriend’s parents for the first time.”

The editor-director relationship between Alexander and Jasmin thrived thanks to a strong foundation. The two connected after Alexander was impressed by Jasmin’s short Firecrackers (2013).

“We serendipitously worked together on a few music videos in 2019, and have since struck a very close friendship,” he says.

Their rapport and shared sensibilities resulted in an enjoyable and fruitful collaboration. “We worked together, side-by-side for about 75 per cent of the editing process,” Alexander says. “There was a very natural ebb-and-flow to our working relationship.”

Since Motherland was such a personal project for Jasmin, Alexander understood that he was “trusted to handle [her] vision with utmost care and protection.” Their working dynamic on the film was informed by the many deep discussions they had on a wide breadth of subjects ranging from film and technique to family and relationships.

These conversations influenced Alexander’s editing approach and as the two grew closer, the process became more intuitive. “So much of editing is not editing. The same way that so much of writing is not writing,” he says. “An editor functions a bit like a therapist at times. I think it is within that tight-knit and intimate relationship, where closeness develops and a true bond is formed.”

Alexander has not only won local awards but received international acclaim for many of his endeavours, including his work on the music video for the song Meet You At the Light by Desiree Dawson which won Best Music Video from South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in 2022.

Visit Alexander’s website and follow him on Instagram to see more of his work.

Visit ECU online to learn more about the Film + Screen Arts program at ECU.