In recent years, I have discovered great interest in life's mundane and simple aspects. Even when extraordinary moments happen, they can quickly become forgotten, something that we perhaps only think of when we are left alone with our thoughts. This makes me appreciate the stillness and absence of events within our eventful lives.

I moved to Canada in my early 20s, longing for something more significant from different environments. This led to a newfound appreciation for where I came from. The landscape of BC reminds me of my childhood surrounded by urban nature. Looking back now, there was always a sense of conflict in my family between the attachment to that naturalistic livelihood and the wealth outside of it. There was an emotional and sentimental value within this duality. My artistic yearning has always driven me further away from my roots and loved ones. Only within the last few years of isolation have I realized how much I have neglected in the pursuit of making art.

At the heart of Auganic are Kailan and Nick, a married couple with unaligned goals living on an isolated farm. When the promise of wealth presents itself in an atypical circumstance, it puts the indifference of their relationship at the forefront. The gold symbolism is a simple metaphor for unique and more accessible ways to make money today. Some require more personal commitments than others. It can be a harsh reality to many people, and I find it worth exploring. Would Kailan compromise his goal for his husband? Could this opportunity save them or break them?

I consider this film to be a modern folktale. Through Auganic, I want to explore these themes through the lens of queer men. There has been a lack of support for queer filmmakers in Canada, both in front of and behind the camera. While the world seems to open up for us on the surface, there is still a level of performativity. In many ways, we are still sidelined from telling our own stories. I aim to tell heartfelt stories from a different perspective and reclaim our space. Raising our voices is more important than ever when people want to keep us silent.