Interview with Patricia Sims - Producer, Director, Writer, Filmmaker, Founder CanazWest Pictures

Please share with readers a bit about your journey to our current career. Were there any signs growing up that this was in your future?

Ever since I was very young I have always loved storytelling, and I had always wanted to explore new places, and learn about things through experience and adventure. I developed a deep curiosity in nature and animals at a young age and wanted to understand what makes things tick. As a young person I loved sharing with people what I was learning and sought creative ways to express these experiences to shed light on a subject or situation, or inspire new ways of understanding. I am still doing this today. I tend to combine my love for the arts and science in the stories, subjects and characters that I explore in my films, and believe that one reflects the other.

What is working in this industry like? What do you most love about the work you do? What is the most challenging? Which of the many hats you wear is your favorite?

As a creative filmmaker, this industry can be tough going, there is no getting around that. It is competitive but it can also be very rewarding. For sure it is never boring. As an independent producer and filmmaker, you end up wearing many hats. There are so many moving parts to take care of. I have many roles: producing, business affairs, directing, writing, videography, photography. I love directing and shooting, those would be my most favorite. The most challenging aspect of independent filmmaking is securing funding and moving projects forward to green light. Getting to make the film and bringing the story to life is the fun part!

Art Deco Chic show 

Photos by Drew Sweica-Schmidt-

In 2005 you founded CanazWest Pictures. What inspired you to launch this company? What services does it offer clients?

I founded Canazwest Pictures in Victoria, BC, a few years after moving here from Toronto because I wanted to tell great stories and inspire audiences. Canazwest Pictures is an independent production company. We develop and produce our own content, and also collaborate with other filmmakers. 

Vintage Collectors Claus Jahnke, Melanie Talkington & Ivan Sayers 

Photo Patricia Sims

This production company evolved from one I had in Toronto called Canaz with my co-filmmaker Michael Clark. Michael is a creative director, post-production designer, editor, and animation developer. He moved to Victoria a few years after I did, and we continued to work together on numerous productions, and still do today. Michael now has a post-production studio with his partner Jordyn Lee Hager, called PeZo2 Media. They did all the post-production design and editing on Ravishing Rags. We are also developing new projects together.

Left - Edie Orestein studio, Right - Edie Orenstein, Milliner
Photos by Patricia Sims

You have a new film series called Ravishing Rags. Where did the inspiration for this series come from?

Ravishing Rags was inspired during the story research that I was doing with the co-writer for the series, Anne Hainsworth. Anne and I were developing another series concept and during the research we interviewed Ivan Sayers. We were both blown away by Ivan’s knowledge and wonderful charisma. That led us to meet the other two main characters of the series, vintage collectors and historians Claus Jahnke and Melanie Talkington. Ivan, Claus, and Melanie are the founders of SMOC - the Society for the Museum of Original Costume in Vancouver. 

Ravishing Rags Promotional Video

Anne and I soon discovered a treasure trove of amazing characters and stories in the world of vintage fashion collections, which led to the creation of Ravishing Rags. TELUS Originals commissioned the series and here we are with the finished product premiering on October 5th! We’re all very excited about the Ravishing Rags project and are looking forward to

 producing more stories on the subject.

Thursday, October 5th, the Museum of Vancouver will be showing one of the films? Please share a small sound byte of what viewers can expect to see.

Ravishing Rags is a 3-part documentary series and on Thurs Oct 5 we will be screening the first episode, which is called “A Blast from the Past.”

"An eclectic group of collectors and fashionistas are on a mission to protect their priceless vintage clothing from the ravages of fast fashion."

What do you most hope viewers will learn, or take away, from watching the Ravishing Rags series?

Vintage fashion teaches us a lot about social history - where we’ve been and where we are going. As we know, design and fashion often repeat themselves. It’s fascinating to reflect on earlier designs to see what they represented for social history - and predominantly for women - in earlier times, and to see how these designs are often reinterpreted in modern times. Most importantly, fabrics and design were created with a lot of care and detail that we don’t see today in the world of fast fashion. Vintage clothes are better made, out of higher quality textiles, and they last a long time. Rather than throwing away what’s in your closet, it can have a second life - it can be recycled, reused, and repurposed.

Claus Janke collection, Photo Patricia Sims

The thematic underpinning to the series is really about sustainability and the preservation of quality so that we don’t need to continually buy new clothes. It is about taking care of what you have, and not just throwing it away to become landfill. We all have too much stuff, we live in a consumptive society that is not sustainable.

Do you have any other exciting news you'd like to share with readers?

The complete Ravishing Rags series will be available for free on TELUS Optik TV Channel 8, or on the https://watch.telusoriginals.com online platform, starting October 6, 2023

Left - Director/DOP Patricia Sims and Melanie Talkington behind the scenes.
Right - Art Deco Chic show back-stage with Ivan Sayers, Director Patricia Sims
Photos by Drew Sweica-Schmidt

        

I'd love to close with one of your favorite quotes - one that lifts you on down days, or is a motto that guides you.

"It’s better to lose yourself in your passion, than to lose your passion".

Links - 
Instagram (Ravishing Rags) - @ravishingragsseries
Website (CanazWest Pictures) - www.canazwest.com/

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Patricia Sims -   
Founder Patricia Sims is a Fellow International of The Explorers Club (FI’20), and a Fellow in The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She has collaborated with celebrities, explorers, scientists and artists who are dedicated to wildlife and habitat conservation, and creating awareness about our relationships with nature.

CanazWest Pictures - 

CanazWest Pictures creates purposeful, high-quality content with a primary focus on compelling stories that portray the interrelationships between people, animals and the environment in diverse cultures and locations around the world. In 2005 CanazWest Pictures was founded in Victoria, British Columbia, on the beautiful west coast of Canada. CanazWest Pictures is an active member of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC).