Randall Okita: See For Me At Tribeca

DGC Ontario Director Randall Okita’s See For Me is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. Ahead of Tribeca, we caught up with Randall to discuss his sophomore feature, the importance of representation in film and how he has applied his work as a visual artist to his films.

How does it feel for See For Me to premiere at Tribeca?

I don’t think we could be more excited. I feel immensely grateful to launch the film with this kind of spotlight, especially after the challenges that the team (and the world) has survived while making this film. It feels so special to be screening at Tribeca, a festival that we love and one that has community and resilience in its DNA. 

Can you tell us more about See For Me

See For Me is a thriller about a blind house sitter named Sophie, who is forced to defend herself against murderous invaders with the help of a woman on the other end of an app called See for Me that is designed to assist the visually impaired. 

The film stars Skyler Davenport, a visually impaired actor. Can you tell us more about the importance of representation for persons with disabilities? 

I think representation is at the core of a good story, and the more authentically we can tell stories, the richer they will be. Unfortunately, like many communities, the disabled community has endured a long history of being erased or misrepresented. I was honoured to bring this story to life in collaboration with Skyler and to be able to include and reflect on some of their personal experiences dealing with adult-onset vision loss.  

What skills from your work as a visual artist apply to your filmmaking?

A sense of flexibility and experimentation, that the process can be tailored for each project and that it’s okay to think way outside the box sometimes.

What do you love about working in Toronto/GTA?

Everything! The resilience, the energy, the diversity, and the community.

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