The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

laughing out loud while reading it, and that happens very rarely. Canadian film and television direc- tor, producer and writer, Patricia Chica has two decades of experi- ence writing, directing, and producing award-winning film and TV for major networks and clients in North America, France and the UK. She is also a Chi Energy educator and strives to champion her team members through coaching, self-development and continuous growth opportuni- ties. The filmmaker divides her time between Los Angeles and Montreal. Why is TRIBES a passion project? As a filmmaker, Nino wanted to do something high quality and deliver a universal message that drives people to come together. Around 80 people were involved in the making of TRIBES . The set and train with an illusion of a tunnel were built from scratch. “Its metaphorical metamor- phosis: the structure of the project, the actual team behind the project, and the story with the subtextual part made it a passion project wanting us to get it as far as it possibly can go.” Patricia was also very passionate about supporting Aldi’s and Hunt- er’s vision as one of the producers. She helped promote the short movie at film festivals, gained the platform to release it online and elevated the whole team by using her chi energy practices. Jake was committed to doing more jobs than he usually would, such as casting and looking for locations. He also approached Nino to direct TRIBES as his ‘go-to director’. Nino confessed he appreciated Patricia’s and Jake’s work ethics.“Both Patricia and Jake can handle a lot of things at the same time, which I typ- ically have a harder time with.” He further added, “This is a personality thing, and I think in life as in story: one has an objection and an obstacle, and we all had a clear objective for what we want to see from this project, and we moved forward towards that and assembled the team.” On the subject of self-identity, Nino replied, “I am an ideologist inter- ested in people. I look at everything through subtext.What is this person saying without talking? As a filmmaker, I had to find myself first anyway.We are very different in the way we see the world, and I feel like you have to embrace why you are different and find something where you are similar because there’s nothing worse than inauthenticity.” Jake describes himself as a spiritual person because it helped him have a balance while living in Hollywood. “You have to have the consciousness to go along with the drive of wanting to make your dreams come true as otherwise it can be ego-based.” He used a quote from Ram Dass, which says, “I am what you think I am, but I am also what I think I am as well.” He further elaborated that we are all just humans in the physical realm, which is only one part of our journey, and the second part is when we drop the physical, and the rest is unknown for all of us. Patricia agreed with Jake, “I believe that empathy is bullsh*t” (she’s cur- rently writing a book about it) because if it isn’t transcendent to compassion, empathy is a source of misery and suffering. This is what we haven’t understood where the con- nection with others happens.We have to make it compassionate, find that heart connection with everyone, and see the community within the human aspect with each individual. And the beauty about this short is that it tran- scends a sociopolitical and teaches spiritually elevated subtext. It makes us think about our own biases in society, how we perceive people and identities. How we define ourselves also in different subgroups, and how we connect with others.” What did TRIBES teach Patricia, Nino, and Jake? In the making of TRIBES, Nino had to take his ideology and put it into action as he believes having an ideol- ogy and not using it is useless.“If your actions do not match your beliefs, they are no good.” He also confessed that it was hard for him because he never had anything like that before in his entire career. “It was a strange sort of process where I looked for the positive things I could focus on and become better and do better.” Patricia explained she has learned to support other directors. “I usually direct and produce my own films, and I wanted to have that experi- ence working with people that I get along with, people that have a similar grander vision for their careers.” Jake shared he learned a lot from the character he played. It allowed him to relate to somebody else by becoming that person. For example, he showed up and walked around the set dressed as the character in the film so he could stay in that mindset. “My char- acter in this film is one step behind everybody,” he explained. ”But in real bitefilmreview TRIBES Producers: Jake Hunter and Patricia Chica & Director: Nino Aldi