Dir. Statement// “Zeen" is a Caribbean patois word, originally from Jamaica, meaning “do you understand?” Or, more casually, “Do you get me?” As a title for this film, it is full of irony.

Some of the best social commentary contains elements of comedy and similarly, some of the best comedy contains elements of social commentary. In many ways, comedy allows us as storytellers to be more bitingly honest, satirical and caustic than we would otherwise be permitted. It allows us to tell the raw unfiltered truth… even when it’s the things we don’t want to hear.

And the truth is that people like Chad, the protagonist of “Zeen?,” exist. I’ve met them. I went to school with them.

The film industry is full of big personalities and big egos. Some of them are wonderful, caring, intelligent individuals. Others use things like performative grandstanding, bluster and ruthless deception to get what they want, all for the purpose of gaining a certain kind of validation by being thought of as a “filmmaker.” To them, being seen as a “director” or (as in Chad’s case) a “visionary artist” is more important than the stories they have to tell, the ideas they want to explore, the feelings of the people they work with or, as in our film, the implications of their work.

I’m reminded of the lyrics to a song by Sixto Rodriguez:

"And you measure for wealth by the things you can hold And you measure for love by the sweet things you're told And you live in the past or a dream that you're in And your selfishness is your cardinal sin.

And you want to be held with highest regard It delights you so much if he's trying so hard And you try to conceal your ordinary way With a smile or a shrug or some stolen cliche."

The aim with "Zeen?" is to take the above-mentioned character and throw him into the cultural deep end of issues like race, privilege and identity represented by characters like Francis and James in the film. Seeing how Chad responds, or obliviously ignores such issues can be a mirror into our own behaviour as artists, as Canadians or simply as human beings. Have we ever thought or behaved like Chad? Have we been enabled or rewarded by society for thinking in such a way? What does that say about us as a culture?

However, I also felt it was crucially important for the film to represent true Caribbean culture. To not only show what isn’t but what is.

And in Caribbean culture I knew I would find a charismatic and soulful people who, simply, are not afraid to make fun of themselves.

But importantly for me, I wanted Caribbean's to tell this in their own words, using their own stories. This meant I couldn’t go the traditional route of writing a conventional script for actors to perform, thus in a way “speaking for them.” Instead, I borrowed from the Neo-Realist tradition of casting non-actors and having them play essentially, versions of themselves. For example, Francis’ monologue during the rehearsal scene was an entirely improvised moment that was a summary of the actor Andon Campbell’s real life experience growing up in Grenada for the first 17 years of his life. In it he speaks simply and honestly about the hardships of growing up in a third world country, the immigrant experience of moving to Canada and in a larger sense, the indomitable, enduring spirit of the Caribbean people.

How often, like Chad, do we ignore these stories for the sake of our own ends or simply, because we’ve taken all we have for granted?

And again… I know people like Chad. Do you?