And finally - please give a warm welcome to the actors taking on Anahita Dehbonehie’s “Swallow the Fire”, with direction from Philip Riccio.
Lara Arabian, reading as Nadine, Aaron Poole reading as Gale and L.A. Sweeney reading as Nour.
This is a project I hold very close to my heart.
I spent two months on Manitoulin Island prepping and shooting this film. The experience of living within the textures and silences of that land made its way into every frame we captured. There’s not a single moment of bullshit coverage in DADA... everything was constructed with purpose, and I’m incredibly proud of the images we created.
As a cinematographer, you dream of being on a film like this... one that trusts visual storytelling, that lets mood, light, and stillness carry weight. Every frame is intentional. Every composition is in service of the characters’ inner collapse and reformation.
Working with Aaron Poole on this was a gift. He’s bold and daring, with impeccable taste, and I felt deeply respected as a collaborator every step of the way. Aaron championed taking risks so that we could make something more singular, more honest, and more cinematic. It’s rare to work with someone who has such clarity of vision and the courage to follow it all the way through. I’m grateful to have been beside him for this one.
Critics have called DADA “a visual poem,” “an abstract memory-propelled road trip meltdown story,” and “a film whose images speak louder than its sparse dialogue.” I’m grateful people are connecting to it that way because we felt that intention while making it.
Thank you to Aaron, Breann, Maddy, and Aasttha for pulling this thing into being. It’s rare to be invited into something so emotionally raw, formally bold, and visually honest.
Here are a few stills from the film. I hope they pull you in the way they pulled me in behind the camera.
Go rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, whatever! :)
Special thank you to @daniel_shojaei@ontariocamera for getting me the Alexa 35 when it was literally brand new... That was a big deal for me :)
#DADA
Watch DADA Today
Available worldwide on: • Vimeo On Demand
Available in North America on: • Apple TV • Amazon Prime Video • Google Play
🔗LINK IN BIO #WatchNow #CanadianFilm #NowStreaming #indiefilm
BILLY, played by Aaron Poole, is back! What's Audrey's ex up to this season? Check out new episodes on @cravecanada for a few surprises
@aaronsghost #TheTrades #comedy #robbwells #trailerpark #rv #rvlife #boyfriend
“Trying to capture it in words feels like building a fence around an ocean.”
DADA returns to @paradiseonbloor for the first time since its @futurefilmshow premiere. January 27!
“A strange, atmospheric and artful debut that isn’t quite a horror film... if it is, it’s the kind of horror film Michelangelo Antonioni might have made: full of questions and mysteries.”
See DADA at VIFF Dec 6 and 7 with director/writer Aaron Poole in attendance. LINK IN BIO
