Mayday
This is the story of Nicole Provost, a 23-year old UBC Student with Asperger's Syndrome who single-handedly founded the Mayday Youth Choir, a first of its kind in British Columbia which caters to children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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Raymund SantosDirector
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Raymund SantosProducer
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Raymund SantosWriter
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Project Type:Documentary, Short
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Runtime:12 minutes 30 seconds
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Completion Date:June 22, 2018
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Country of Origin:Canada
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Country of Filming:Canada
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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New York Mental Health Film FestivalNew York
United States
October 13, 2018
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Chilliwack Independent Film FestivalChilliwack BC
Canada
November 24, 2018
Canada Premiere
Official Selection, Nominated - Chilliwack Spirit Award, Nominated - BC Doc Award -
Canada Shorts - Canadian & International Short Film FestSaint John, New Brunswick
Canada
Award of Excellence
Raymund is a Filipino-Canadian filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. He graduated from Far Eastern University, Manila with a degree of Bachelor of Arts, Major in Mass Communication. He worked in a Post-Production house as a Writer/Producer for two years before his family moved to Canada in 2006. He studied Film Production in Vancouver Film School and worked on independent shorts in various positions. After his self-inflicted hiatus from film production, he is returning to his roots and rekindling his passion for story-telling with his first documentary short.
I was working as a server in one of the club houses in Vancouver when I saw the Mayday Youth Choir perform. I was in awe and inspired immediately. For the longest time, I was waiting for the right story to tell that would push me to go back to my passion in story telling. Right that moment, I knew in my heart that I have found my story.
I introduced myself to the choir as they were preparing to leave, looking for the choir director and to my surprise, a very energetic Nicole introduced herself. I saw her during the performance conducting the choir but didn't realize that she was also the choir director. I have to be honest that I was expecting for someone older, or parent-like. I just didn't expect someone that young is the brainchild of the group.
Not until my first interview that I learned that she was also in the spectrum. In the next few months, I joined the group in their events from fund-raising performances to flash mobs. More and more, I got to know the group but most importantly, I got to know Nicole. This is her story-- Inspiring, heart-warming and full of hope.