C A N N O P Y
Art is True North
Showing is Telling: How Myth of Man reimagines interactive cinema
(L-R) Kiowa and Jamin Winans, by Dane Thibeault for Cannopy
INTERVIEW ─ Where other filmmakers worry you may take something away from their work that they did not intend, the Winans’ are asking you to do so.
Words by Katarina Zeni | Illustration by Dane Thibeault | Interview by Michael Zarathus-Cook
ISSUE 15 | KENTUCKY | IN FOCUS
CANNOPY x Double Edge Films
The struggle to balance time and artistic creation can get the best of us, filmmaking partners Jamin and Kiowa Winans continue their all-encompassing (and all-draining) independent filmmaking journey in their latest cinematic work, an epic silent-film entitled Myth of Man. Coming up on the 15-year anniversary of their 2009 film Ink – which garnered them something of a “cult” following – under their production company Double Edge Films, the Winans’ are sharing their newest labour of love after spending the last decade crafting it. From selling their house to fund the project, to hand-crafting each prop, costume, sound, and over 3,500 VFX shots, the Winans’ have pushed the boundaries of independent and – what critics previously called Ink – “DIY” cinema. Having dedicated years of their lives to the project, the Winans’ are a standout duo in an economy normally driven by the need to pump out movies for the masses. This work ethic, and the creative process surrounding Myth of Man’s production, are paralleled in the film's narrative arc itself.
Watch Myth of Man today at www.doubleedgefilms.com
Laura Rauch as Ella
Ella (Laura Rauch), the main character in Myth of Man, is an artist who makes and shares stories; both the stories the general public want to see and ones she believes they need to see. When her work seemingly takes on a life of its own, Ella takes it as a call to share her view of the world with everyone she comes across. She tells it as it is, in her own way, no matter how long it takes or how much it exhausts her. The Winans’ are doing nothing short of the same.
Myth of Man approaches the importance of art and creation through demonstrating what happens when self-expression and creativity aren’t supported, and in this particular universe, outlawed by the totalitarian state the characters exist in. One specific scene of a character named Seeg (Anthony Nuccio) making street art, yet doing so in a way that parallels a soldier entering a battlefield – barrel rolls, big (paint) guns, running from the law and all – comes to mind here. Although many parts of the film work to enforce this messaging, some scenes are quick to the draw and left me wondering what significance they had to the rest of the piece. However, their versatile effectiveness does not go unnoticed. In a world where our attention spans are only captured by manipulated algorithms, fast-paced media, and emotionally-provoking dialogue, these scenes are a much-needed practice in the simple joy of observation.
Like the characters in their film, if at all the Winans’ thought their art would be outlawed in the real world, they clearly were not deterred by this realization. Making the unconventional choice of producing a nearly two-hour-long silent film centered around a disabled main character for our social milieu that seems to be slowly taking steps backwards on the topic of diversity, this film seemed destined to be all Winan and no winning—at the box office that is. A refreshing, albeit daring move in an industry zeroing in on deep data and remakes of the same tired tropes. The Winans’ are reaching for something beyond simply keeping in step with the statistically-derived conventions of commercially viable cinema. They seem to be starting a cinematic conversation that we’re forgetting how to have: one of intimate and urgent whispers between filmmaker and audience. A leap of creative faith, a blind trust that there is still an appetite for awe and wonder beyond the paltry offerings of the almighty algorithm.
Even without the asset of spoken dialogue – a sure-fire plot carrier – the Winans’ have more than enough material to deliver their story. Having a deaf-mute protagonist in Ella, who not only sees the world differently than those around her, but benefits from this perception speaks to the concept of “Deaf gain.” Through Ella and her counterparts, Deafness – and disability – is portrayed not as a lack of, but rather an enhanced way of understanding one’s surroundings. In so doing, the audience is invited into this vastly enhanced space of discovery. What do you see? What do you want to see? What do you feel?—Myth is merely a fodder for feeding these sorts of interactive questions and visual cues. A sprawling and precious triumph in the simple and earnest belief that showing is telling.
On the whole, Myth of Man has no fail-safe hollywood-esque selling point. The film’s selling point is its uniquely interactive quality. Where other filmmakers worry you may take something away from their work that they did not intend, the Winans’ are asking you to do so.
