The Big Picture

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff sits with the cast and crew behind the environmental science fiction film,
Can I Get a Witness?
, at TIFF 2024.
Ann Marie Fleming reveals her inspirations and praises Keira Jang’s and Joel Oulette’s performances.
Sandra Oh reminisces about meeting Fleming and reveals why she is producing more lately.

Ann Marie Fleming poses a provocative thought experiment about what we would be willing to sacrifice for the environment’s protection through the dystopian world built in Can I Get a Witness? Set in the near future, this environmental science fiction film depicts a world that is recovering from overpopulation and a lack of resources. Their solution is to prohibit and limit the use of technology and also disallow anyone from living over the age of 50. In this introspective mix of live-action and animation, Kiah, played by Keira Jang, starts her job as a “Documenter,” where her artistic skills are used to capture the “dying ceremony.” Alongside Joel Oulette and actress and producer Sandra Oh, Jang gives a mesmerizing performance as she demonstrates Kiah’s struggle to cope with the moral implications of her job and her world.

The film premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival where Collider’s Perri Nemiroff sat down with Fleming, Jang, Oulette, and Oh to discuss the inspirations behind this film and their experience shooting such poignant content. Oh also reminisces about meeting Fleming for the first time and reveals why she’s choosing to produce more lately.

You can hear about all of this straight from the cast and director in the video above, or you can read the conversation in transcript form below.

‘Can I Get a Witness?’ Is an Environmental Science Fiction Film
“What would you be willing to sacrifice if you were able to get world peace?”
Image via Mongrel Media

PERRI NEMIROFF: I know what your film is, but because it’s getting a film festival debut, a lot of our audience will not be aware of it just yet. Ann Marie, I will give you these duties. Can you give a brief synopsis of your movie?

ANN MARIE FLEMING: The movie is about the future, and we’ve solved all the world’s problems. We’ve mitigated climate change. We’ve eradicated global poverty. We have true trans-species democracy. We just have to…

SANDRA OH: Don’t give it away.

FLEMING: …make a few little sacrifices for it. Young people have to do a little bit of service as you have to do in a lot of countries. If you have artistic inclinations, you can become a Documenter and be like a court reporter to world events.

Are we not giving it away?

OH: You can’t possibly give it away. The film posits the question: What would you be willing to sacrifice if you were able to get world peace? All the things that Ann Marie described. You can just hover that with that question: What would you be willing to give up?

Ann Marie Fleming Was Inspired By a Cannibalistic Satire
Image via Photagonist at TIFF 2024

Ann Marie, I have a big question about crafting this idea, especially because you have so many very interesting threads in this story. What was idea number one, the thing that started it all, but then also, did you have a break-story moment? Something you came up with that made your idea feel whole?

FLEMING: Very much the initiative for this is the climate. I’m from Vancouver. I used to live in the West End. Back in 2006, while people were discussing whether one or two trees should be cut down for a new bike lane, 10,000 trees were blown over in one night in a windstorm. There’s always thoughts of earthquakes, tsunamis… There was information on the news about the CPP — would the age limit going up for that? — because we didn’t have enough money in the coffers for our tsunami of aging population, and people are living longer. I just thought of Jonathan Swift, really, and I thought of his A Modest Proposal, which I don’t know if you know this. I’m a literature geek. He proposed for the Irish to eat their children if they needed protein. It’s just a very hard satire. This is where this came from; it came from a future with a ridiculous, hopefully absurdist solution to all of our problems.

For the three of you, when this script came your way, what were some of your first biggest burning questions for Ann Marie in terms of how to tap into the story and your characters?

KEIRA JANG: For me, it was such a luxury to be able to have Ann Marie as such a direct resource. I really love the world that was built. I wanted to know more about the day-to-day life and how these characters get by, and how they can build such a community comfortably with each other. That was mainly what we focused on in that sense and why we are willing to make such a sacrifice, and that cleared everything up.

Image via Photagonist at TIFF 2024

JOEL OULETTE: I definitely think that, too, just throwing yourself in Ann Marie’s world, trying to get comfortable in that space because I think my character is very optimistic, and he believes in what he’s doing. Trying to throw yourself in that and make it seem like an everyday thing was what I was trying to do.

FLEMING: If I might say, the first question you asked me is, “Do you think I can do this?” And I said, “Absolutely! Absolutely.” I chose both of these actors because they absolutely embodied what I saw, what I wrote, and I just can’t believe what a pleasure it was to see them bring these characters and this world to life.

OH: Ann Marie and I are longtime collaborators. When she brought me the script, I knew immediately that she was in a very interesting, deep new place of her work, and it’s a place where I wanted to follow. For me, contemplating end of life, contemplating death, and also at the same moment, contemplating the future and life is a place that’s really interesting to me. The world that she’s creating and where my character has to go towards the end of the film is some place that I actually wanted to contemplate.

Again, it is a fable. At the very beginning of the film, it’s kind of like a fable. There are things to learn in it. It’s up to you to take whatever you wanna learn in it. My character, Ellie, for me, was like a fantasy mom, someone who would be able to approach her circumstances in the way that I would want to be able to approach. That was a great practice to live in.

I love when people meet each other and they create a long-lasting collaboration. Can you tell me how the two of you met? And also, what is the first thing you saw in the other that signaled to you, this is a good creative partner for me?

FLEMING: I saw you in a short at the CFC.

OH: Helen’s?

FLEMING: Yeah, with Adam Beach.

OH: I did a short with Helen Lee at the CFC with Adam Beach called Prey. You saw me there; I saw your short film, You Take Care Now. I saw Ann Marie’s You Take Care Now, and I thought it was one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever seen. I was just like, “Who is this filmmaker?” I really remember that feeling.

FLEMING: And we almost made a film together back in the early ’90s that didn’t go through. It took a long time, and then we collaborated on Window Horses, which is an animated feature that we did together.

It’s meant to be. I love it.

Image via Photagonist at TIFF 2024

I’m shocked I remember this other follow-up question that came to my mind. It was when you were talking about putting your material in their hands because one of my absolute favorite things about making movies is that it’s a team effort, and everybody brings something new out of the original script. Can you tell me some new qualities of your own story that you only found through your collaborators here?

FLEMING: A lot of this film was meant to be animated because this is a world where a lot is asked, and it takes a lot. You have to repress feelings to be able to do your duty, really. Kiah is an artist, and she’s drawing all of these events, and the illustrations come alive to show the emotions that can’t be shown by real people. When we were shooting, it was such an emotional experience for everybody. The film, when w were editing it, we went, “Oh my goodness!” There’s still animation in it, it’s still important, it still tells another part of the story, but I couldn’t believe how beautiful the film was. It was like a nature bath. I couldn’t believe how invested all of the actors were and all of the crew. People say this, but it was really truly a collaboration. Everybody can see their hand in it.

‘Can I Get a Witness?’ Features Standout Work from Keira Jang and Joel Oulette
“I had no idea what to expect.”
Image via Photagonist at TIFF 2024

Keira, this is going to be really awkward for you! This is the make Keira blush portion of our conversation, because when I looked up that this is your first feature, honestly, my brain couldn’t quite compute it. Given the fact that the performance is incredible, I have a feeling there are going to be many more features and lead roles in her future. Can you each tell me something about her as a collaborator that you appreciated and you’re excited for more filmmakers to experience themselves down the line?

FLEMING: I found Keira through an open call and even though she had probably the least experience of anybody that I saw, she just had this quality, and she had a different read on this character, like she found the person I wrote. I feel like I should talk about both of you because I’m gonna say the same things about you. These two people showed up every day so prepared, so invested. It was such a pleasure. I say this all the time, that I’m totally not blowing smoke. It was just a wonder. Every day I went, “Thank you, Keira! Thank you, Joel!” There’s no way that you can tell that these are first feature performances and your understanding of the material and what you gave. We were all just shaking all the time, just going, “I can’t believe it. They’ve done it again.” It’s true.

OH: Just them being able to be the present actors that they are creates such a beautiful contrast between the generations and what each generation is going through. You have this openness, and there’s something in the youth that cannot accept the reality of really what’s going on. And it makes sense because Keira’s own youthful innocence, so grounded in the character, but also her own, makes that storyline resonate even more. You get so much more emotional dimension. They only know what they know. We know, as we should, much more. That just makes this great dynamic. And it’s because of them.

You’re really great at discussing the content of this film without ruining anything. I’m very impressed by that.

Image via Mongrel Media

I’ll narrow it down to the two of you now as scene partners. While watching the film, it is incredibly obvious to me that this does not come to life as strongly as it does unless it has wonderful chemistry from the two of you at its core. Can you each tell me something about the other as a scene partner that you appreciated and think teed you up for success in the film?

JANG: You had so many more words to say than I did. I just really appreciated that. Just coming to set every day, you were so cheerful and just approaching it with such a good attitude that I think was contagious for everyone, that it just made me feel so comfortable. Especially [since] this is my first time doing a movie, I had no idea what to expect. Working together every single day, I just knew it was gonna be a good time. I knew that I was going to be safe and comfortable to just do whatever I wanted and not feel judged by anyone, but especially important to not be judged by your scene partner because that made a world of a difference.

OULETTE: I think it was a lot of fun, and it was really amazing to witness this as your debut film. It’s surprising. You’d think you’ve done like a thousand before. It was just really special. Every day was a new experience for us. It was like our own little field trip on our bikes. Powell River was beautiful, and just seeing you in your element and so grounded was just really eye-opening and inspiring.

Sandra Oh Is Focusing on Producing More Films
“It’s really just to get closer and closer to the creative source.”
Image vai Photagonist at TIFF 2024

Sandra, before we end, I wanted to make sure to ask you about being a producer on this, and producing more and more lately. What sparked the interest in, or maybe the need for you to produce more, and also, what do you hope to bring to this industry as a prolific producer now?

OH: Did you just say prolific? Fantastic. I think that I entered into the realm of producing the way that I did because, at a certain point, I had just a certain amount more power in my career. But it’s really just to get closer and closer to the creative source. Not every place you can have a direct line to the creative source. That’s really why I moved into it, because that’s the kind of relationship that I want to be a part of from the very beginning, to help foster and also to help support and champion. How that ripples out, I’m not exactly sure except, here’s something that Ann Marie was interested in. It matches where I’m interested in.

I don’t know how many hours, days, we spent talking about it. Also, what happens is that she’s talking to me, she’s working stuff out all the time, trying to figure out all the time what she’s doing, just getting deeper, and also for me, as well. Things have shifted climate-wise, but also tech-wise, AI-wise — the incoming of AI. Even in the earliest discussions, trying to figure out how we put in all the elements of the unknown and of what we as human beings are really not consuming but controlling and creating right now. It’s really just to have a hand in that conversation. That’s really why I am interested in producing. If that brings everything else along, which I think it does, I’m happy to do that as well.

Special thanks to this year’s partners of the Cinema Center x Collider Studio at TIFF 2024 including presenting Sponsor Range Rover Sport as well as supporting sponsors Peoples Group financial services, poppi soda, Don Julio Tequila, Legend Water and our venue host partner Marbl Toronto. And also Roxstar Entertainment, our event producing partner and Photagonist Canada for the photo and video services.