Rob Chatwin likes to build puppets.
And if he can marry his passion for mental health advocacy with his love of film, the Collingwood filmmaker said that’s even better.
Last month, Chatwin was awarded the 2024 Robert G. Kemp Arts Award by the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, and will now have $4,000 he intends to use to create a documentary sharing the story of a Collingwood student with Down Syndrome.
During the day, Chatwin works at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto as a counsellor in the inpatient psychiatry unit and has often felt himself torn between the two: film and mental health.
“I’ve straddled the fence. There are two different worlds that I’m passionate about. When I work at integrating the two worlds, I feel the most complete,” he said in an interview. “I’m getting some traction now.”
Chatwin was born in British Columbia, moving to Collingwood in 1994 as his wife’s family is well-rooted in the area. He studied stop-motion animation at Emily Carr College of Art and has continued to pursue film while living here, sometimes as a freelancer for Mountain Goat Films.
Over the years, he said he’s tried out a few artistic mediums like cartooning, painting and sculpting.
“I’ve always been interested in art and creative expression,” said Chatwin. “I started to try hand puppetry for film. I’m most interested in it as a bridge to filmmaking,”
Chatwin’s vision for his 20-minute documentary will be to interview Collingwood student Kody, who lives with Down Syndrome. Once interviews are complete and with Kody’s input, Chatwin will create a puppet to represent Kody to perform his story in front of images of South Georgian Bay scenery. Kody will act as a co-director on the project, and the working title for the film is Kody’s Voice.
“Kody’s voice will be the soundtrack to the film, and what his experiences are living in this area,” explained Chatwin.
Chatwin met Kody through Chatwin’s daughter, who had worked with Kody.
“He just had so much energy and a zest for life, and it just really resonated with me,” recalls Chatwin. “I wanted to tell this young man’s story, and let him have a voice.”
Chatwin said he’s worked with Kody and his family along the way as a collaborative effort.
“Film is a powerful medium,” he said. “I really don’t know what he’s going to say, so that’s giving up control to him,” said Chatwin.
The award’s namesake Robert G. Kemp was a painter who lived in the Town of the Blue Mountains. Following his death in 1988, the award was created from a trust fund administered by the BMFA with the intent of providing encouragement and or recognition to the artistic development of an individual or group residing in the Southern Georgian Bay area.
Each applicant submits a project proposal that will benefit the community.
Now that Chatwin has the funds in hand, he’ll get to work interviewing Kody first. He hopes to have the film completed by the fall.
Once it’s completed, he intends to put the film on the festival circuit.
When Chatwin first received word that he was this year’s Kemp Award recipient, he felt like his search for purpose was being rewarded.
“It was great. I’ve really had a hard time cracking the grant market. I’ve done a lot of freelance work, but not a lot of independent,” he said. “When I heard back...I was very, very happy.”
Looking ahead, Chatwin said he loves merging puppetry with live action in film, and would like to explore that further. He’s currently making mental health videos with patients at Sick Kids, and has worked on an environmental documentary, also geared toward children.
“Humour is a big part. I did improv training at Second City years ago, and I think it’s a big part of both my clinical and artistic work,” he said.
Overall, Chatwin said he’s grateful to the BMFA and the Kemp family.
“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I’m excited to work with this young man and see what comes of it.”
For more information on the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, click here.
