The Living Stories Of Uncommon Ground

Hello Faith, and congrats on your film! Let’s dive right in. Your film has a fascinating premise, the blending of story and life. What inspired you to create this film? Was there a specific event or story that sparked the idea?

Faith Sparrow-Crawford, Director, Uncommon Ground

Faith Sparrow-Crawford (FSC): For too long, Indigenous people have not had the opportunity to share our stories with the world. Often, when Indigenous peoples are featured in film and television, we are portrayed as stereotypes or are homogenized into one people with a singular cultural identity. But in reality, our experiences, cultures, languages, identities, and histories are diverse. The tide is turning in the media and our people are finally being given the chance to share who we are on the screen. Indigenous people are taking the industry by storm and are taking our stories into our own hands.

With Uncommon Ground, I wanted to share a glimpse into Salish culture and highlight the stories I grew up hearing. I aim to show the world the resilience, beauty, and unwavering strength of Indigenous people against all odds. We have thousands of years of stories to share, and I want to bring our peoples unique experiences to the screen with this story.

The time is now! These stories are key to understanding and connecting with this land. Can you describe your process for writing the script? How did you approach the story structure and dialogue?

FSC: Writing this script was such an interesting and unique process, as we were trying to bring forward the depth and richness of the world from a much larger story into a short film, while also making a stand-alone, simple story about a young woman’s internal struggles, her experiences with the land, the people around her, and her culture. In writing this script, I tried to carry forward the teachings I have received in my community from story. Musqueam people come from an oral history. Our teachings, protocols, laws and lessons all are passed down through generations of stories. Sometimes, the lessons in story are clear, while other times they are layered, complex, and come to you as you reflect on experiences. I tried to ground myself in that mode of storytelling while writing this script with my father. We tried to make this story structured and straightforward in some ways, giving some exposition in dialogue, while leaving other aspects more layered and nuanced, allowing the audience to draw conclusions for themselves. We tried to strike a balance between exposition and structure, without going into too much detail so that those watching this story can be left with questions to answer in their own process and time.

That’s a difficult needle to thread, but if you can, it has huge payoff, especially when bringing the richness of deep cultural storytelling into the mix. How did you develop the characters in the film?

Faith Sparrow-Crawford and Bruce Crawford, Co-Writers, Uncommon Ground

FSC: The characters in this short film were developed over many years with my co-writer and father, Bruce Crawford. Uncommon Ground is a much larger story beyond this short film, and is actually one that we are developing into a series format. Each of these characters – Tawni, Jason, and Aunty Jade, were actually characters from various stories and other projects that both Bruce and I were developing. One day we sat down and were chatting about our other projects and had a realization that there was a much larger story we could pull all of these characters into. Once we had made that decision, it truly felt like all of the puzzle pieces fell into place. It felt as though the story of Uncommon Ground was already out there in the universe and we were just discovering it as we went along. Each of these characters have their own unique identities, perspectives, and ways of viewing the world around them. When developing these characters through story, we tried our best to put ourselves in their shoes, imagining how they might be thinking, what they would want, and base the story off of their perspectives.

Strong characters need strong actors. How did you go about casting the actors for your film?

FSC: I knew that the casting in this film would be crucial to delivering the story, considering that the actors would bring their own magic and perspectives to the story.

Growing up around performers, I hoped that I could pull on family to bring their talents to the screen for Jason and Aunty Jade. Both my brother, Malcolm, and my cousin, Quelemia, are phenomenal actors who bring such care and passion to their work, which I knew was so important for both Jason and Aunty Jade. I’ve admired their work and watched them perform throughout my life. I was so grateful that they agreed to be part of this story.

For Tawni, I knew I needed an actor who would capture the fullness of her character. Tawni is tenacious, confident, and deeply rooted in her teachings and abilities, but she is also young and terrified of what she is experiencing. When I first met with Leenah, she completely understood who Tawni is and explained that she saw so much of herself in this character. I could not have asked for a more perfect person to play her, she truly brought Tawni to life.

After it all came together, do you have a favourite scene or moment in the film?

FSC: I have so many scenes that I love in this film. One scene that particularly resonates with me is between Tawni, played by Leenah Robinson, and her aunt, Jade played by Quelemia Sparrow. In this scene, Tawni is emotionally breaking down, questioning her sanity, and feeling as though the experiences she's having couldn't possibly be real. Aunty Jade is so tender and reassuring toward her niece in this scene. I really wanted to capture the special relationship Indigenous girls have with their aunties in Uncommon Ground, it's a magical type of love and the strongest type of bond. But most importantly, in this scene, I wanted to emphasize this exchange of cultural knowledge between generations. Aunty Jade is so rooted in her cultural teachings, she knows that what Tawni is experiencing is rooted in spirituality, despite the fact that the western world may view Coast Salish culture as fantastical and metaphorical. Aunty Jade tries her best to explain her teachings to Tawni, all the while trying to honour her fear and simply love and comfort her niece in a moment of distress. There are so many layers to this scene, and the performances that Leenah and Quelemia deliver capture the characters' experiences so well.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the production of this film?

FSC: Uncommon Ground was an ambitious script to tackle in just three days of filming. It was an eighteen-page script, with quite a few sets to move between. There was a lot to cover and so many variables that could have made it impossible to complete. We were dealing with bright sunlight in a mostly exterior shoot and almost always felt like we were racing against the clock. Luckily, our team was so adaptable and worked together really well. Not only that, but everyone on set was positive, kind, and felt the importance of bringing this story to life. This was my first time directing and I really felt the weight of telling a story based in my culture and wanting to do right by my community. The entire cast and crew was so supportive and wanted to ensure that this project was done right, with an emphasis on care and putting people first, always. It was a heavy lift to make this film, but more hands make for lighter work, and I am so grateful to have had the team we did to make this project a reality.

Indie Filmmaking is the ultimate expression of community collaboration and you had some amazing local talent on your team! How would you describe your directing style when collaborating with your actors and your team?

FSC: This was my first time directing, which was such an amazing experience to be able to learn and grow with the folks around me who brought their unique talents, visions, and perspectives to their roles on this set. I try my best to take a community-based approach to directing and really value the collaborative nature of filmmaking. It is important to me that everyone in a film cast and crew feel like they are part of the story and that their experiences can contribute to it. I try to be open-minded, knowing that it takes a team to bring a story to life on screen.

We had dreamed up this world of Uncommon Ground and I felt like the story was living in my head, but once the actors stepped in, it was now in their hands. Working with actors is one of my favourite parts of directing. I want to hear how they view a scene and character because they can shed an entirely new light on it that perhaps I hadn’t considered. My approach to working with actors is to be in dialogue with them, and to work together to find our way through the story. I learned so much about how to direct performance from watching my own acting coach, Deb Podowski. She takes such a careful approach to guiding actors in finding their way through a story and making their own mark on a character, giving them agency as well as guidance. I realized as a director, you can have a vision of what a character should be, but the actors have such a unique vantage point into the story because they’re the ones living it and feeling it, so creating space for exploration while guiding the narrative is crucial to creating a fulsome story.

Sounds like an approach that yields the best outcome from your cast and crew. Is there a specific aspect of the film that you are really excited about and would like to speak more to?

Stephanie Rennie, Executive Producer, Uncommon Ground

FSC: I truly feel so honoured and blessed to have had the opportunity to share a tiny sliver of a Coast Salish experience through this film. As a Musqueam person, I've rarely seen any depictions of my culture and my people on screen. Uncommon Ground is somewhat of a love letter to my people and an ode to our resilience. It was an opportunity to tell a specific story, rooted in the land around us, and inspired by the stories and histories I grew up hearing throughout my life from my family and community.

This short film is also just a brief glimpse into a much larger story I've been building for a few years alongside my father and co-writer, Bruce Crawford. Together, we've been developing Uncommon Ground as a television series, with the support and creative care of Stephanie Rennie and Amanda Strachan at Imoto Productions.

Indigenous filmmakers are taking this industry by storm, telling beautiful stories and sharing their experiences for the greater film community to see. I hope that Uncommon Ground continues to grow and that I can continue building out the world, the characters, and their stories.

We hope so too! Which filmmakers or films have influenced your work the most?

FSC: I have always admired the work of other Indigenous filmmakers who are blazing paths forward for emerging Indigenous directors to follow in. Filmmakers, directors and producers like Taika Waititi, Erica Tremblay, Jennifer Podemski, Sydney Freeland, Danis Goulet, and Sterlin Harjo, to name a few, are making waves in this industry. Though they each have made a variety of projects from different genres, the magic of shared experience for Indigenous peoples always shines through. Each of these creatives are so rooted in who they are as Indigenous people, and have told stories that I can feel and see myself in.

That’s a powerhouse list. What is the most important lesson you've learned from making this film?

FSC: I learned so much from this experience, it was such a dream project to create with such a phenomenal team. I was surrounded by so many supportive and talented creatives, all of whom have shared something with me that I’ll carry forward into all of the future projects that I do. But the most important lesson I learned in making Uncommon Ground was to stand true in my vision and to trust my gut. This was my first time directing and I had a lot of nerves going in to this project because I didn’t have any previous experience to refer back to and learn from but the most important thing for me was trusting myself, remembering my teachings from my community that apply in all walks of my life, and staying true to the story I was trying to tell.

That sounds like the best takeaway. What are you working on next? Are there any upcoming projects you're excited about?

FSC: I am currently developing another project that I am very excited about and hope I get the chance to make soon. It’s a dramedy short film, entitled “Take Care” that follows a Coast Salish family grappling with love and loss in the four days following the death of their matriarch. I’m developing this project with my cousin, Scarlett Sparrow-Felix, based on the experiences we had when our family lost our grandmother. When we are in mourning, we aren’t thinking clearly. Thankfully, in Coast Salish culture, we have traditions in place to help us move through grief and support us in laying our loved one to rest. The four days between death and a funeral are particularly important and are a time where our community steps in to wrap us in love and help the family plan to say our goodbyes to our late loved one.

We just want to keep sharing stories that provide glimpses into the unique and beautiful lives we live as Coast Salish and Indigenous people.

We want that too! How do you think you've evolved as a filmmaker over the years, and how has your approach changed since your first project?

FSC: As an emerging filmmaker, I haven’t had years under my belt to look back on and refer back to. However, I’d say overall my approach to filmmaking will always be grounded in putting community first. I want to make projects that uplift people, whether that be in their creation and production as part of cast and crew, or through the audience who views the story. I want to make sure that my compass for filmmaking is always led by compassion and rooted in my cultural teachings of walking gently through this world so that I can leave a better future for the generations to come.

And finally, what question do you wish we'd asked? And how would you answer it?

FSC: There aren’t any specific questions I’d wished you’d asked, but I would like to take an opportunity to express how meaningful it is to be a xʷməθkʷəy̓əm person sharing stories in my own territory amongst the talented creatives Vancouver film community. To be able to have the space to share stories that are born from and connected to these lands is such medicine for me. I come from generations of storytellers, and to be able to contribute in a small and new way to that legacy is an honour and I hope that it makes my ancestors and community proud. I can't wait to see more generations of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ creatives sharing who we are with the world through film in the years to come.

Thank you Faith! And we hope you enjoy every success this film deserves.