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Aaron Rota

Yeah, she’s my wife.

Mockumentary Film Official Selection
Director

C

confused about what kind of romantic relationship he wants, Duncan decides to commit himself to something a bit… unconventional.

D

irectors Statement: 

As wonderful and fun as they can be, romantic relationships take work. After some tough breakups, my brain was trying to work out this question: is there a way to get all the good parts without the bad?

This is where the character of Duncan came from. Duncan has decided he isn’t going to put up with the work a human relationship takes. Instead, he’s found a way to make a different kind of relationship work for him.

Porn has been in my life since I was very young and, unfortunately, I’ve developed a relationship with it. Porn facilitated a safe space to explore aspects about myself and my sexuality while I was developing. Since then it’s acted like this reliant ‘sidechick’ who’s always there to comfort me and escape with. Someone who has endless variety, flavor and can seemingly satisfy any sexual need. Plus it doesn’t ask for anything in return, it doesn’t have physical or emotional needs, you don’t have to work on your relationship with it, deal with any drama or heartache. It purely exists for pleasure. All you need is access to the internet.

Yet Porn often leaves me with shame and feeling disconnected to myself, which is why I’ve been working to annex it from my life. Though the availability and convenience of it makes it a hard habit to kick.

With this sketch, I wanted to explore a character who doesn’t resist this convenience. Instead, he celebrates and dedicates himself to it. Even to the extent where he no longer needs a relationship with another person. For him, he’s found a way to only get the good parts.

I’m very excited for audiences to see Nathan’s performance as Duncan. He brought many layers and ideas to it, taking it beyond what was on the page. And along with our Cinematographer, Lila, we were able to find moments that were unexpected and exciting.

Though we played into the absurdity, we worked to find the truth in our exploration of this idea. I feel it has potential to resonate with the audience and frame this topic in a way they haven’t seen before. Potentially posing questions like “do our relationships change because of easy access to technology?” and “does our affinity for pleasure override our need for connection?”

Biography

Aaron Rota grew up just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. His mother, a Hollywood Award-winning underwater cinematographer, exposed Aaron to the film industry at an early age. He kicked off his professional career in acting and stunts by appearing in films (Fantastic Four), television shows (Supernatural) and commercials (Save on Foods). Growing up, Aaron was drawn to creating imaginary worlds and stories, which led him to make films of his own. Aaron directed a short film, “1968,” which was an official Selection at dozens of film festivals around the world (including San Francisco Black Film Festival, the Toronto Black Film Festival and the Regina International Film Festival). Aaron co-wrote & co-directed an award winning short film, “Wayne,” which was an official selection at many festivals in Canada and the United States (including Toronto International Short Film Festival and Golden State Film Festival). Aaron earned his BFA in Film Production at Ryerson University and started a production company with his brother titled "Rota Productions." He’s currently in Vancouver making independent films and finishing up his first feature-length script.

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