Daniel Foreman- Director/Writer
Daniel Foreman is a registered member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and has been involved with film and music since before he can remember. His father’ s love of North American film combined with his Mother’s passion for French cinema has helped shape Daniel’s style and sensibilities. Beginning with music videos, he soon branched out to shooting on a film camera and editing on a Steenbeck.
After a run of successful live action digital shorts, he turned to animation and began exploring Indigenous mythology. This led to a Best Animation win at the American Indian Film Festival in 2018 which in turn led to being Fast Tracked in Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program. With this seed funding, the suspense thriller feature film “Abducted” was given life. The film is currently on the film festival circuit and in negotiations for distribution.
Daniel is presently in development for the dramatic episodic television series “Daughters of the Wolf.” and the second season of the live action/animation series “Legendary Myths: Tales of Wisakedjak”.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
This film has its genesis from a serial murderer who has been hunting at-risk women in the Edmonton area for decades. The police have a character sketch but have been unable to track down the suspect. This resonates with me as literally thousands of Indigenous females have disappeared across Canada with very few convictions.
Growing up in a Northern Canadian prairie city, I have seen the gritty underbelly of urban life with addiction , homelessness, prostitution and gang violence. Years working and volunteering in the inner city have led to seeing ingrained patterns and the difficulty in breaking them.
One of my goals with this movie is to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and to do it in a way that captivates the audience.
Fully developing each character was very important to me for both the male and female roles. I wanted the women to be very strong yet with a soft, vulnerable side. They needed to be real and relatable as we follow their journeys.
Shaping the antagonist in this kind of movie is vital. Where does this character come from and why does he act the way he does? His humanity must shine through, no matter how damaged it has become. This person becomes someone you may know.
The protagonist has been raised by his grandmother and sister without any positive male role models; he is on the cusp of manhood. Without leadership or any of the rituals that Indigenous cultures use to initiate boys to men, he must take the hard road and evolve on his own.
Underneath everything are the relationships between the characters. Family is paramount, whether it is through blood, a close bond between friends or with a beloved pet. There are ups and downs in any relationship and different paths may be chosen. It is up to each individual to choose between the red path that is full of hope and possibilities or the black path that can take a person down a dangerous road.
Funding provided by Telefilm Canada, Government of Alberta, the Indigenous Screen Office and producer investment.