Desync

A young Filipina filmmaker attempts to overwrite a painful memory of her mother with a perfect narrative.

  • Minerva Marie Navasca
    Director
    Kamayan, Guardians
  • Asa Kazerani
    Producer
  • Chen Sing Yap
    Writer
  • Minerva Marie Navasca
    Writer
  • Laura King
    Director of Photography
  • Chen Sing Yap
    Editor
  • Dee Talusan
    Production Designer
  • Sarah Saunders
    Sound Designer
  • Elliot Beer
    Re-Recording Mixer
  • Holly de Vaal
    Production Manager
  • Jadyn Nasato
    Key Cast
    "Ana"
  • Jennifer Villaverde
    Key Cast
    "Celine"
  • Angelica Alejandro
    Key Cast
    "Joyce"
  • Tatiana Ashton
    Key Cast
    "Francesca"
  • Wilfred Moeschter
    Music by
  • Ellie O’Brien
    Casting Director
  • Minerva Marie Navasca
    Transmedia
  • Chen Sing Yap
    Associate Producer
  • Emilia Mieres
    1st Assistant Director
  • Kellsie McCullough
    2nd Assistant Director
  • Xander Pham
    Script Supervisor
  • Brianne Harvie
    Story Editor
  • Nathalie Cocq
    Props Masters
  • Xavier Liska
    Props Masters
  • Nathalie Cocq
    Set Decorator
  • Keaton James Browning
    Art PA
  • Alex Morris
    Production Design Consultant
  • Victoria Bacani
    Costumer
  • Jeff Pollock
    Camera Operator
  • Tarneem Allati
    1st Assistant Camera
  • Rowan Mikolic-O'Rourke
    2nd Assistant Camera
  • Eric Génier
    DMT
  • Kyle Mathers
    BTS Photographers
  • Gaetano Segreto
    BTS Photographers
  • Leo Wei
    Production Sound Mixers
  • Greyson Barit
    Production Sound Mixers
  • Cameron Coddington
    Production Sound Mixers
  • Rachel Millares
    Boom Operators
  • Isaac Stacey
    Boom Operators
  • Jacob Lea
    Gaffer
  • Khairul Hafizh Said
    1st Electric
  • Marco Ciardullo
    Key Grips
  • Evan Jones
    Key Grips
  • Keyana Sinclair
    Makeup & Hair
  • Kellsie McCullough
    Makeup & Hair
  • Safa Kay
    Makeup & Hair
  • Holly de Vaal
    Location Manager
  • Erin Zhao
    Set PA
  • Chen Sing Yap
    Post Supervisor & Online Editor
  • Hugo Hum
    Colourist
  • Eric Génier
    Assistant Editor
  • Sam Koabel
    ADR Engineers
  • Sarah Saunders
    ADR Engineers
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    2,200 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English, Tagalog
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Sheridan College
  • Canadian Cinema Editors Awards
    Toronto
    Canada
    No Screening - Awards Show
    Student Merit Award
  • UFVA Carole Fielding Grant Winner
  • Sheridan Screen Arts Awards
    Oakville
    Canada
    No Screening - Awards Show
    Best Narrative, Best Directing, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing
Director Biography - Minerva Marie Navasca

Minerva Navasca (she/her), the director of Desync, is a Filipina immigrant director and producer, entering her final year of the Bachelors of Film and Television program at Sheridan College. She is best known for her short documentaries “Guardians” (2021), and “Kamayan” (2020), which has been showcased in local and international festivals such as the 2022 TIFF Next Wave, the 2021 Regent Park Film Festival, and the 2022 CineYouth Film Festival.

In all avenues of her work, she aims to explore hyper-personal stories of cultural dysphoria and girlhood with intimate specificity. She grounds her films in her own experiences, stating “I want to make films about subjects that make me uncomfortable”. And so, Minerva delves into perspectives steeped in anxiety and internalised shame, stemming from her cultural background, queerness, and other aspects of her identity.

Minerva aims to re-frame disregarded narratives by prioritising Asian voices both in front and behind the camera. Through embracing the fearful challenge of vulnerability, Minerva hopes to spark conversations that alleviate audiences of the same shame she endured growing up. She continues to push for authentic BIPOC representation in media, and supports equal artistic opportunity, regardless of class and economic background, in Toronto’s schools and film industry.

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Director Statement

Due to the impoverished backgrounds of the majority of Filipino people, hard work has been the answer to living a better life. This mindset infects generations into believing that grit and resilience is necessary in order to get the work done, while repressing uncomfortable emotions to do so. This mindset carries over into immigrant and first generational families. Even though their new lifestyles have more opportunity for improvement, these families have not harnessed the tools necessary to communicate the need for support. Even after achieving the "American dream", immigrant communities are more isolated than ever; and so, the cycle continues.

In Desync, we see our protagonists believe that the way to earn love is to try harder, and end up destroying their relationship in the attempt to do so. Showcasing mental health conflicts within immigrant families is not only necessary in terms of establishing representation in media, but necessary to spark up a conversation about why immigrant families cannot showcase their love towards one another, even if they care for each other so much. We preserve the authenticity of the film by establishing a BIPOC-led team, with the creative leads being majority BIPOC and women-led.