New Harry Killas Documentary Chronicles Creative Breakthroughs of Aging Artists
“There were a number of powerful creative breakthroughs we talk about in the film, which is very moving,” says Collective Agency director and ECU faculty member Harry Killas. (Image courtesy Harry Killas / Collective Agency Project)
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Showing Oct. 2 at Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University, Collective Agency tells the story of a group of seniors learning the art of photography.
A new documentary by filmmaker and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) faculty member Harry Killas tracks the artistic development of a group of seniors learning the art of photography.
Titled Collective Agency, the film centres the voices of its subjects as they recount their artistic trajectories.
“We decided to make the film without narration so there’s minimum interference between the audience and the person speaking, which makes it feel as if you're connecting to them,” Harry says. “We wanted to present the artists as a composite, so we might imagine each person speaking for everyone. And I think people engaged in creativity will find something that resonates with them. That’s what I hope.”
The subjects of Harry’s film were enrolled in a program called The Collective Agency Project led by curator Ann Pollock which included mentorship and instruction from artist and ECU faculty member Birthe Piontek and artist Christos Dikeakos. Artists Henri Robideau and Barrie Jones also lent support during the process.
“We decided to make the film without narration so there’s minimum interference between the audience and the person speaking,” Harry says. (Photo courtesy Harry Killas)
The two-year program to teach seniors critical and technical photography skills, which began during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, was run in collaboration with the City of Vancouver. The Collective Agency Project culminated in an exhibition at the Pendulum Gallery as part of the Capture Photography Festival and a collaborative photo mural adorning the Hillcrest Community Centre.
“The project highlights the meaning created through lifelong learning and intergenerational dialogue and counters prevalent notions of ageism,” according to the program description.
The film debuted in May 2024 at VIFF Centre and will have its North American premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival in October 2024. It also earned Leo Award Nominations for Best Direction Short Documentary, Best Sound Short Documentary and Best Musical Score Short Documentary.
Harry notes the storytelling process posed several challenges, such as how to represent a narrative that had largely concluded by the time filming began.
“When they brought me in, the project had been running for almost a year and a half, maybe longer,” he says. “So, it’s an interview-driven film; people are recalling their experiences, their anxieties, and their work. And there were a number of powerful creative breakthroughs we talk about in the film, which is very moving.”
Birthe Piontek (left) and Ann Pollock in Collective Agency. (Film still courtesy Harry Killas / The Collective Agency Project)
These breakthroughs are especially poignant given the skepticism many of the seniors confess to having initially harboured. In their retelling, the arc of their educational journey became a story of finding — and taking ownership of — their unique artistic voices.
“When I saw the work, I thought, ‘That’s gutsy,’” Harry says. “I think one of the secret ingredients is they were mentored by excellent teachers who are also artists. Birthe was an immensely powerful presence for the artists because she’s so brave in her own work and she gave them permission to be brave as well. Many people spoke about that.”
The film also included contributions from a slew of ECU alums including co-producer, production manager and post-production supervisor Sara Page (BFA 2020), editor (and ECU faculty member) Rafi Spivak (MFA 2016), camera operators Emilio Vargas (BMA 2022) and Luis Miguel Villarreal Farias (BFA 2020), composer Eva Pekàrovà (BMA 2019), sound recordist Oskar Gonzalez Flores (BMA 2020), sound recordist, digital imaging technician, assistant editor and camera operator Warren Ting Cheong Tang (BMA 2023), and production assistant Sabira Pashkevich (BMA 2020). ECU faculty member Devan Scott also contributed as camera operator, colorist and mastering engineer, while faculty member Matthew Stephanson contributed as foley artist and audio engineer.
Emil Vargas (BMA 2022) on camera and Warren Ting Cheong Tang (BMA 2023) on sound during the film shoot for the installation of the The Collective Agency Project exhibition at Pendulum Gallery. (Photo courtesy Harry Killas / The Collective Agency Project)
“I’d worked with a lot of these artists before, many as students, so that was very rewarding for me,” Harry says. “They really stepped up and were fantastic — a pleasure to work with. It was a great experience.”
Collective Agency will screen at the Reliance Theatre at ECU at 7:30pm on Oct. 2 and will be followed by a panel discussion with Harry, Birthe, editor Rafi Spivak and program participant Keith Martin.
The Collective Agency project was produced by the City of Vancouver Public Art Program in partnership with Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation’s Arts & Health: Healthy Aging Through the Arts, and funded through the development requirement for Opal by element.
Visit ECU online to learn more about studying in the Film + Screen Arts program.
