A Place To Call Home

A Place to Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.

In January 2014, Brent Foster and Preston Kanak headed to Havana, Cuba to produce a short film about one man’s journey to find a place he could call home. “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar” is that short film. Their goal was to capture the essence of Cuba and create a portrait of the culture and people of Cuba. Preston states that, “what drives us to create and to tell stories is our desire to express ourselves in a visual medium. We make art that makes us happy and hopefully in turn motivates others to go out and explore. There is no better feeling than sharing a laugh or a story with a stranger and meeting new people on these journeys“.

So what does home actually mean in today’s connected age? What it means to most of us living in “modern” North America is not what it means to Cuba, or the Cuban people. “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar” documents the journey of one man who, at 8 years old, moved with his mother to America to start a new life. Our lead character, who has longed for a place to call ‘home’, revisits his past memories and childhood hangout spots in Cuba after having spent 15 years in the United States.

Behind The Scenes

A look at the making of “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar” is for those who are interested in understanding what goes into crafting a short film such as this.

A Place Called Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar – Behind The Scenes from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.

What’s In The Bag – Gear Breakdown

Packing for trips is extremely challenging. It has taken me years of experience to perfect for a still shoot. Now I start over learning how to pack for filming. I am continually learning with every trip I take and always trying to make the process easier. We all are! In the video below, Preston Kanak walks us through the kit that he took with him to Cuba to shoot “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar.” I find it most insightful seeing his film “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar“, watching him work from behind the scenes, and then to hear him express his thinking on what to take, the why. Then seeing the actual results in “A Place To Call Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar” pulls the whole film crafting experience together nicely. It isn’t the same as being there by any means, but sometimes just being able to get inside another filmmaker’s head can be an invaluable experience. Many thanks to Brent Foster and Preston Kanak especially for sharing all of this hard work with the rest of us.

What’s In The Bag – Gear Breakdown from Preston Kanak on Vimeo.
This film was shot In January 2014 in Havana, Cuba over eight days.
For more information on the project, including a BTS breakdown, make sure to check out the film’s web site at storyofhome.ca
Produced, Shot and Conceived of by Preston Kanak and Brent Foster.
Voice-over and Translation by Beau Stephenson beaustephenson.com.
The music was provided by The Music Bed.
Songs: ‘Bloom’ by The Dandelion War themusicbed.com/songs/bloom/3940 & ‘De Homo’ by The Dandelion War themusicbed.com/songs/de-humo/3919.
If you would like to read more on the project, check out:
Cinescape Collective’s Project Breakdown: cinescapes.ca/a-place-to-call-home-un-lugar-el-hogar-mio-short-film-breakdown/