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The Day of My Death

Growing up in the conservative, small town of Alliston, Ontario, South African/Canadian actress Dayle McLeod didn’t know anything about her heritage until her ancestors started appearing in her dreams instructing her to learn their mother tongue, Zulu, and travel to South Africa to undergo the rigorous rites of passage of the traditional healer or Sangoma. This short, personal documentary shot entirely on iPhone captures The main ceremony the ‘Intwaso' in Zulu, the ‘Day of Your Death’ and its three month to preperation, under the strict tutelage of elder Sangomas in the township of Mamelodi. Through reconnecting with the rites of passage of her people, Dayle finds empowerment and healing within herself that has ripple effects throughout her whole lineage.

  • Dayle McLeod
    Director
    Orphan Black, Law and Order, Burden of Truth, Charlie Says, The L.A Complex, The Expanse
  • Dayle mcleod
    Writer
  • James Genn
    Producer
    Ginny & Georgia, Burden of Truth,
  • Dayle McLeod
    Key Cast
  • Nicole Sison
    Editor
  • Zwelibanzi Tshabalala
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    spiritual, cultural, african, initiation, decolonizaton, lgbtq, ancestralhealing, healing, ancestral, trauma
  • Runtime:
    44 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 CAD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada, South Africa
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Iphone 13 pro
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Dayle McLeod

Dayle McLeod/Nyoka Yomfula is a queer, 2s, filmmaker, actress, author and musician.

As an actress you've seen her on Amazon's 'The Expanse', the CW's 'Burden of Truth' & 'The L.A Complex', orSyfy’s ‘Orphan Black;Echoes’

Her folk music albums 'In Bloom' and 'Snakes' have been featured in CTV's 'Kims Convenience', IFC’s; 'Charlie Says' and the award winning web series 'Avocado Toast'.

Her book 'The Big Dream; My Terrifyingly Beautiful Shamanic Initiation into the Arts' was released in March 2020

The Day of My Death is her first documentary short commissioned by the Toronto Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts that she shot on her iPhone

Dayle lives in the Catskills Mountains with her dog, Mr.Peanut Butter, where she is an active community member and activist tending to life-carrying pregnant people and the dying.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

‘Ancestral trauma’ is a hot button topic right now, as we witness the effects of indigenous wisdom erasure in climate change, tribal wars, genocide and the rise of facism.

Our problems look insurmountable, but when we turn to the keepers of the old ways, there is an embarrassment of riches; ancient & organic technology for the multi level healing the individual, the culture and the ancestors that is available to us.

Through the ancient and powerful ways of storytelling, this radically honest, messy, documentary is a powerful example of the kind of wholeness that is possible when we embrace decolonization and engage with our own indigenous ways of healing.