PIRATE SOUND Crafts Soundtrack for ‘Help Us Remain’ Short Film in Support of 2SLGBTQI and Alzheimer’s Communities

Toronto-based music and sound company PIRATE SOUND has partnered with Cossette, Egale Canada, OPC Productions, Outsider and Artjail to create an emotive short film supporting those with Alzheimer’s who identify as 2SLGBTQI (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex).

In light of January marking Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada, Eagle Canada, the country’s leading organisation for 2SLGBTQI people and issues, has launched ‘Help Us Remain’ to urge Canadians to pay closer attention to a community facing a hidden battle. The campaign reveals that 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia often experience heightened displacement and suffering within the healthcare system, which exemplifies the necessity for increased support and awareness. 

The three minute 15 second short film brings the issue to the forefront of public consciousness, portraying the untold stories of 2SLGBTQI people who are living with or have a connection to dementia. The narrative centres around Ann, a trans woman who is battling early-onset dementia whilst trying to hold onto the identity she fought for. Weaving flashback moments in with scenes from the present day, audiences watch as Ann’s remarkable life journey is played out to her. Unable to advocate for herself and her identity, Ann’s partner must step in to push for the gender-affirming care she can no longer ask for on her own.

To help bring the campaign to life, PIRATE SOUND donated its time, skills and effort working closely alongside the Cossette creative team consisting of Anthony Atkinson, Jacob Greer, Nicole Ellerton, Chris Walker, and Kyle Elich, composing an original score, sound design and capturing automated dialogue replacement (ADR) performances from the film’s lead actors. 

Chris Walker, senior art director at Cossette, commented, “This project has been a beautiful experience from start to finish. In many ways, this was a case of trusting our partners—production, talent, and post production—and letting them do what they do best. All throughout, we had people giving it their all, and bringing their personal experiences to the film to enrich it and tell an authentic story about queerness and dementia. 

When I talk about this project, most people say they hadn't really considered how those two issues intersect or what that might mean for someone. Our hope is that by showing the journey of this trans woman's life, people will be more aware of what's at stake for someone like her to lose, both through memory loss and as a result of cis-hetero focused healthcare.”

Alex Nursall, sound director at PIRATE SOUND, said, “Getting to work with the team to create an audio landscape and music that helped to tell the story, along with drawing out meaningful performances from the hero actors who, until that day, had never been inside a sound studio, was all a wonderful experience. There’s such importance in continuing to tell queer stories and in helping those who may not be able to tell their own anymore.”

Kyle Anderson, sound director, sound designer and engineer at PIRATE SOUND, added, “This job was one of those rarities where the message and art surrounding it is more important than ego or credentials. Where everyone so earnestly pools together their skills and insight to give it the justice it deserves. Lucky to have been part of it and humbled by the creativity and sensitivity of everyone involved.”

Ian Boddy, composer at PIRATE SOUND said, “This was a really enjoyable piece to score as the content demanded subtlety and space for the story to breathe. It was also an interesting challenge to create a thematic thread that was able to follow the story as we jumped forwards and backwards in time. I was very honoured to have been able to participate in the telling of this story.”

The ‘Help Us Remain’ campaign will also feature an immersive audio gallery experience, open to the public on January 26th and 27th 2024 at The 519 in Toronto. The gallery will showcase 10 personal images paired with evocative memories from 2SLGBTQI communities that demonstrate the importance of queer memories and illuminate the concerns around cognitive decline and dementia. Visitors can also watch the campaign’s short film that will be played throughout the gallery’s opening to the public.

If you are interested in learning more or supporting Egale Canada please visit https://egale.ca/.