World Premiere
Septentrion Shadows

Daughter of the Sun

Directed by Ryan Ward

Hosted by Writer/Director Ryan Ward, Producer Mackenzie Leigh, Executive Producer Ross Mollberg, Cinematographer Craig Range, Production Designer Eva Kozlova, Composer David Bertok, Costume Designer Amanda Lee Street, Additional Cinematography Mandeep Sodhi, Cast Nyah Perkin, Lennox Leacock, Courtney Sawyer, Ryan Giesen, Laura Mac, Brian Eggleston, Cooper Lee Smith

Credits  

Director

Ryan Ward

Executive Producer

Sandrine Cassidy, Ross Mollberg

Producer

Mackenzie Leigh, Ryan Ward

Writer

Ryan Ward

Cast

Ryan Giesen, Lennox Leacock, Laura Mac, Nyah Perkin, Courtney Sawyer, Ryan Ward

Cinematographer

Craig Range

Composer

David Bertok

Editor

Mackenzie Leigh, Ryan Ward

contact

Memory Pill

Canada, USA 2023 116 mins OV English
Genre DramaFantasy

Sonny (Ryan Ward, SON OF THE SUNSHINE) and his daughter Hildie (Nyah Perkin) share a strong bond. The duo is struggling — Sonny lives with Tourette Syndrome, which makes keeping a job and a permanent home nearly impossible and makes it hard for Hildie, who grows up isolated with few friends. Jumping from one motel to the next, Sonny runs from his family, who think Hildie needs stability. There’s also the matter of a very powerful secret Sonny harbours, and he keeps his distance from strangers. When they are unexpectedly joined by Glover (Lennox Leacock), Hildie’s smitten classmate, they form a patchwork family and cautiously join some travelling outcasts who make the best of wherever they lay their hat. As bonds grow, Sonny and Hildie relax around their new friends, but the group has a darker purpose for them both, threatening their very existence

The World Premiere of DAUGHTER OF THE SUN isn’t the first visit to Sonny and Hildie’s world; rather, it’s the midpoint and continuation of director and actor Ryan Ward’s Canadian Screen Award-nominated first feature film, SON OF THE SUNSHINE, where we get a glimpse of Sonny’s former life and his secret. Based on aspects of Ward’s childhood, this deeply personal, ’70s-inspired coming-of-age fantasy finds its heart in Manitoba, with moving performances by Ward, Perkin, Leacock, and Courtney Sawyer as the mysterious Samara. Ward, who is no stranger to the supernatural world, playing Ash in over 800 performances of EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL, incorporates magical realism, family dysfunction, actors with disabilities, a traveller/nomadic lifestyle and a theme of hope battling despair. With cosmic overtones, stunning cinematography by Craig Range and Mandeep Sodhi, and an ethereal score by David Bertok, you’ll experience the humanity of living on the fringe and the beauty of a father’s love for his daughter. – Carolyn Mauricette