Private Project

A Close Eye

A young man is forced to question his life decisions after being confined to house arrest but his patience wears thin as his mental health begins to dwindle.

  • Kelvin Omori
    Director
    Tuition
  • Jaskaran Gill
    Writer
  • Blay Armah
    Writer
  • Kelvin Omori
    Producer
  • Blay Armah
    Producer
  • Jaskaran Gill
    Producer
  • Devante Goulbourne
    Key Cast
    "Brandon"
  • Crystal Rose
    Key Cast
    "Mom"
  • Alexandrine M'Banga
    Key Cast
    "Sarena"
  • Eric Parris
    Key Cast
    "Roger"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 22, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kelvin Omori

Kelvin Omori is a Canadian filmmaker, exploring Blackness in society and popular culture through film. He founded his production company ‘Komatik Films’ in 2016, producing music videos for local artists after an internship with Director X. In 2018, Kelvin directed and produced his first short film, “Tuition,” which won numerous awards at international and national Black film festivals. His second short film, “A Close Eye,” was nominated for an Academy Award at the BronzeLens Film Festival and licensed by REVOLT TV in 2020. Kelvin holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Windsor and a certificate from UCLA. He is an alumnus of the OYA Media Group emerging filmmaker’s program, where he co-produced the web series “Bloom Room”. Recently, Kelvin joined his former mentor Director X's Operation Prefrontal Cortex to direct their Guided Meditation series in 2022.

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Director Statement

This project and script was developed, co-written and pitched by Jaskaran Gill and Blay Armah. Many people in Armah and Gill’s community turn to criminal behaviour because of the hardships growing up in low-income communities. Both Gill and Armah grew up in Jane-Finch and have seen childhood friends go through the difficulties of the prison system. Armah himself has gone through home confinement, therefore the experiences to be filmed are very real and personal to him. Having to cope with the stress of dependency, limited freedom and loss of close relationships led to depressive episodes. Gill has also witnessed her friends deal with these issues. Often times young men deal with this depression using vices because they don’t have access to healthier ways to deal with it. This is a pressing concern for many young men, who are expected to rehabilitate in order to be productive members of society but their means to do so are restricted. The contention lies in trying to navigate this contradiction or relinquish back into old habits. Unfortunately for many, the pressure becomes too much to handle, thus having a profound negative impact on one's mental health.