Private Project

The Best

A South Asian bodybuilder internally pumps himself to hide his true feelings in the wake of a life-changing tragedy.

  • Ian Singh Bawa
    Director
  • Ian Singh Bawa
    Writer
  • Nic Altobelli
    Producer
  • Malachi Ellis
    Producer
  • Mandeep Sodhi
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ian Singh Bawa

Ian Bawa is a South Asian filmmaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He's best known for his films Offline, The Champ, Imitations, and Tapeworm. His short ‘Strong Son’ premiered at 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. His last film, 'My Son Went Quiet,' premiered at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival and 2024 Fantasia Film Festival. Ian is the director and host of SuperChannel’s feature documentary, ‘Seeking Fire’, and the CBC Gem documentary series ‘Finding Diamond’, which also stars and is co-hosted by Ian’s dog, Diamond. In 2024, Ian won the Hot Docs/Doc Institute Breakthrough pitch contest for his feature documentary, Brown Envelope, which also awarded him a development deal with CBC for the film.

Ian is an alumni of the 2021 TIFF Filmmakers Lab, 2021 ReelWorld E20 Lab, 2021 Netflix’s Diversity of Voices Initiative, and in 2023 completed his residency at the Norman Jewison Canadian Film Center – Director’s Lab. Ian’s latest short film, ‘The Best,’ will have its World Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. He is the recent recipient of Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program, to which awarded him funding for his first feature film, ‘Strong Son,’ set to shoot in the fall of 2024.

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Director Statement

When my father first told me that my mother was dying, he forbid me to let her see me cry. He said if she saw me upset, it would make her sad and she would die faster. I held in a lot of my emotions from then on.

After her death, things didn’t change in the way I handled my emotions.

It has taken many years since my mother’s passing, but eventually I was able to find a stable balance in my life in the ways I express emotions.

But then something changed.

On October 21st, 2020, I found my father dead in his room. The emotional strength I had fought to build since my mother’s passing crumbled. I shut down. I felt alone.

The Best is a film about how men (specifically Sikh males) deal with their emotions, and how it can induce internal suffering if not expressed. This is a therapeutic film, not only for me but also for anyone who has ever experienced traumatic loss. Grief is a powerful emotion and my goal is to present what I have gone through with this film.