Whitby-raised emerging filmmaker wins Durham Region International Film Festival’s $10,000 incubator prize.

Whitby, ON: Durham Region International Film Festival (DRIFF) is proud to announce Mitchell Jaramillo and Siddharth Sharma, of Hold the Sauce Films, and their short film ‘Unfamily’ as the winning submission in its $10,000 incubator contest. The Emerging Filmmaker Incubator will provide producer Jaramillo, Sharma—the film’s writer and director—and their team with $10,000 cash, mentoring and in-kind services to produce their film and have it screened at DRIFF from October 24 to 26, 2024.

“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone at DRIFF for this opportunity. This film started as a personal project, but quickly turned into a universally resonant story we believe people from all walks of life will appreciate” says Jaramillo. “We started Hold the Sauce Films last year to create our own opportunities as actors, so bringing to life a film of this scale is a huge milestone for us. With DRIFF's generous support, we are confident this film will be our best work to date. Thank you - and stay tuned!”

The winning project, ‘Unfamily,’ is a drama about a young man who is facing deportation and seeks refuge with his estranged half-brother while supporting his disabled mother. However, nostalgic dreams of a warm, familial home quickly give way to the harsh reality of a struggling employment agency, his fight to stay in the country and to get over his internal struggles. It explores themes of family, sacrifice, and the pursuit of a better life, highlighting the complexities of immigrant experiences. The film poignantly captures the challenges faced by those seeking a place to call home, and the fragile nature of the connections that sustain them. 

Jaramillo explains that “We want to explore extreme chaos and deep stillness, which reflects the uncertainty most international students face. The chaotic nature of the story demands handheld/fast paced camera work inspired by the works of the Safdie Brothers, such as ‘Good Time’. And it’s through longer, more patient sequences inspired by Paul Thomas Anderson’s, ‘The Master’, where we’ll capture the profound stillness.”

Mitchell Jaramillo attended both elementary school and high school in Whitby (St. Bernard CS and Father Leo J Austin CSS) and continues to call Whitby home. As a Toronto-based producer/actor and co-founder of Hold the Sauce Films, his creative team brought five productions to life in their first year with a passion for storytelling dedicated to independent filmmaking and crafting captivating performances.

“The selection committee was extremely impressed with the incredible range of themes and approaches in this year's submissions, as well as the diversity of the applicants and the creativity of the submissions right across the board" says Peter Findlay, a filmmaker on the selection committee and member of DRIFF’s Board of Directors. ‘Unfamily’ stood out for us both for Mitch and Sid's dynamic partnership, and for bringing us a story that dramatically explores the challenges and precarity facing newcomers to Canada. We think this is a film that will speak to anyone who has run up against the system, and specifically to Durham's large and growing immigrant communities whose stories often don't get told".

The Emerging Filmmaker Incubator is presented by DRIFF with the cash prize sponsored by Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nations, Shaftesbury, Film Durham and DRIFF. The winner also receives mentoring from industry experts and a filmmaking equipment loan courtesy of William F. White International Inc., as well as in-kind audio post-production services from SoundLab and access to ACTRA Toronto’s Low Budget Guideline program.

The initiative aligns with DRIFF’s strategic vision which aims to foster, build, and promote a vibrant film culture in Durham Region that demonstrates inclusiveness while inspiring young filmmakers and providing them with a launch pad to success.