single-channel | 25.42 | Super8, 16mm + Sd video to digital, bw&colour | Canada
Synopsis
Experimental horror documentary about the multitude of fears surrounding change. A queer couple supports each other through the hardship of the first year of the pandemic while living a senior-style life in an old, previously uninhabited family home. Ghosts keep them company at night, and soon enough, the line between nightmares and daydreams becomes irrelevant.
Director’s Statement
“the house was there before me” is an autobiographical film about the external and internal processes I have undergone over the recent years while configuring my gender and politics around my body. The film relies heavily on intuitive and process-based filmmaking techniques, and therefore, the creation process took four years. Personal archiving practices, together with DIY film and video techniques, have influenced the aesthetics of this film heavily.
The development of this work was possible with the support of Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative.
Creative Collaboration:
Miranda Reid
Film Farm group 2019
Past Screenings:
2026 Istanbul Experimental Film Festival (upcoming)
2026 London Short Film Festival, UK
2025 MIX NYC Queer Experimental Film Festival, US
2025 BFI London Film Festival, UK
2025 Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Hawick, Scotland, UK
Watch PREVIEW on VIMEO
PW: Wood43
