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The Film

In the not too distant future the very way we communicate has been forever changed by the Mnemenoscope: an electronic device that allows one to visually broadcast their memories, dreams and desires onto a screen for all to see. Every night, Patrick Lyons (a young tech savvy wallflower) plugs himself into this device and records the haunting nightmares of his childhood. In his dreams he is forced to wear the same pair of cherry-red Gumboots in which he waded through disaster.

Patrick has been estranged from his abusive father Leo for the past twelve years; all stemming from a near fatal accident that he believes Leo was responsible for. And while society is focused on the world of the future, Patrick searches for closure in his past, an opportunity that is fading as rapidly as his dying father’s health. There’s one more problem, Leo is paralyzed and can only communicate via the fuzzy and corrupted images produced by the Mnemenoscope. Counting down to his final heartbeat, Leo desperately tries to prove his love for his son by projecting his side of the story onto the screen. As Patrick sifts through the distorted mind of his father he is led to question whether memories are really as reliable as they seem.

Gumboots is the story of a relationship lost in the fog of time, the limitations of memory and the tragic consequences of our desperate reliance on technology.

My Story

My name is Dillon McManamy, I am a young man and like most others I didn’t always get along with my dad. Growing up, I was often estranged from my father, a man who to me was legendary in both his feats and disappointments. He too spent his whole life chasing after the myth of his father, a trend in my family that extends well beyond our records.

My father isn’t perfect, but I love him. And every time he falls ill I worry that I don’t say it enough. Last week I saw him for the first time in half a year, he was living in the worst part of town and getting by on pennies. Despite this he leant me one hundred dollars to make this film.

When I have kids of my own I want to be more than a memory to them. Memories are flawed and it seems the more you chase after them the more they fade. A film however is a document that defies time, grows richer with distance and reminds us of the mistakes we all make. This film I hope will forever preserve the memory of my father.

I am also an award winning filmmaker and screenwriter based in Toronto. My work has been recognized with accolades such as IATSE 873’s Gordon Eldridge Memorial Award and the Universal Studios Canada Scholarship in Filmmaking. I recently co-wrote my first feature, The Marksman with fellow emerging filmmaker Stephen Dunn and it was selected as a finalist for Telefilm’s Pitch This! Competition at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. You can watch our pitch here. 

Meet the Crew

Justin Elchakieh (Producer) is a Ryerson Film Student whose work includes an array of independent, government, commercial and web-based projects. Justin co-produced and directed “Kindergarten Registration,” a commercial for the Ottawa Carlton District School Board, which aired in Cineplex Theatres during the winter of 2010. He directed and starred in a Nestle’s Turtles Commercial, which aired during the 2008 Grammy Awards. Justin currently produces and co-stars in “Vegan Meal Time”  a web based comedy show, which has been viewed over 1.3 million times and has a dedicated fan base of over 5000 and growing. In August 2011, Vegan Meal Time performed live at Dundas Square, the beating heart of the city of Toronto. The event had 300+ in attendance, and over 17,000 unique online viewers.

Marianna Angotti (Cinematographer) spent this past summer filming up and down the British Columbian coast as part of a Graham Slaughter’s Canadian National Geographic feature on orcas. Marianna has worked on several award-winning films such as the 2011 TIFF Student Short Showcase Winner BLINK (2011) and Lie Down & Die (2011) which was an official selection for TIFF 2011 and the Air Canada Enroute Film Festival. Marianna was also a camera assistant on the award-winning short Man Up in a Balloon (2011), and is collaborating once again with director Danielle Sahota's on her latest project, 'The Chords We Played'.

Kailee Clayton (Production Designer) grew up in the suburbs of Ottawa where she was exposed to both the arts, and sciences. Her mother- an antiques collector and connoisseur of fine art, and father- a quirky physics engineer who spent many late nights teaching her how to use a saw, guided Kailee towards her current trajectory in Film. Last year, Kailee acted as Second Assistant Director on Blink- an official selection of the Air Canada En Route Film Festival and the winner of the TIFF Student Showcase (2011) and worked as Propsmaster on award winning Production Designer Zazu Myers’ film In Lieu of Flowers. Now in her third year of Film Studies at Ryerson University, Kailee is working towards achieving status as a Production Designer within the Toronto community.

Patrick Cederberg (Editor and VFX) is an accomplished film editor, sound designer, digital compositor, and co-owner of the Toronto-based animation firm KoalaMotion and has already made a solid name for himself in the business start-up underbelly of Toronto. By day, he works tirelessly to create animated promotional material for mobile-based app developers like DrinkOwl, web security companies like SmartSignin, and rapidly-expanding game-changers like TouchBistro, amongst many others. By night, he sleeps. When he's not editing films or animating, he spends his time writing and recording music, which, among his other creative endeavours, both personal and professional, can be viewed here.

Marty Bernie (Composer) is a young Toronto-based film composer. He is currently finishing his final year of contemporary music studies at Humber College, were he has received high honours in 'Composing for Picture' and 'Music Marketing' sections. He has worked on several short films and is currently working on a series of business advertisements for YouSaveHere.ca. Additionally, Marty was one of a select group of recipients of the Humber New Venture Funding, which helps young entrepreneurs with startup expenses. Marty has received mentorship from such composers as Jim McGrath (Degrassi, Kids in the Hall), Richard Evans (Glenn Martin, DDS) and Don Breithaupt (6Teen). View his portfolio here. 

Why Your Donations Matter

As residents of Toronto we receive some of the lowest per-capita arts funding in all of North America. As film students not only do we have to cover the costs of our projects and tuition but we are also disqualified from receiving what limited grants funding is available.

Your contributions will go directly towards designing and dressing our sets, renting our equipment, building make-up prosthetics and feeding our volunteer crew. By donating you become a member of our team and we will keep you posted every step of the way with weekly behind the scenes videos showing you exactly where your dollars are going.

The video posted above is the result of a week and half of planning, a couple hundred dollars and the tireless work of our dedicated crew. Just imagine what we can achieve with the money you donate today!

If you’re as poor as us and can’t contribute financially you can help by sharing this campaign via Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.