On September 30th, 2023, the movie Float by Sherren Lee, had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). The movie is an adaptation of the hugely popular book by Kate Marchant. The film will be distributed by Elevation Pictures this coming winter and doesn’t need the festival circuit in the hopes of making it to mainstream movie theatres. You should see it not just because it’s shot in beautiful British Columbia, and stars some wonderful Canadian talent. It’s the feature film debut of a wonderful director who grew up in Montreal and Toronto. You should see Float because it’s a moving and compelling story that is more than worthwhile.
We spoke with Sherren Lee just before this historic first screening.
HNMAG: You were born in Taiwan?
Sherren Lee: In Taipei.
HNMAG: Your parents are both from there and then you moved to Montreal. Why did they decide to move?
Sherren Lee: My dad’s family were already in Canada but they were in Toronto but my mom thought Montreal was more romantic. When we were kids, we would wonder why we moved there instead of Toronto. Our parents claimed it was for our education, to learn French. When we were older, my mom said “No, it was just prettier here.”
HNMAG: She wasn’t initially wrong as by Quebec law, you had to go to a French school.
Sherren Lee: Yes.
HNMAG: I think that was due to Bill 101.
Sherren Lee: I didn’t know the laws had changed.
HNMAG: Yes, it was an important protection for the future of French in Quebec. My great-grandparents moved to Montreal around 1900 and spoke neither English nor French. They chose to learn English because it was apparent that French was the language of the working class. They felt to become financially successful, it would be better to learn English. If new citizens continued that trend, Quebec could become like Louisiana where much of the language and culture was lost. How old were you when you moved to Montreal?
Sherren Lee: I was six years old.
HNMAG: Did you speak English or French at that age?
Sherren Lee: No.
HNMAG: Now you’re trilingual or more. Do your parents also speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, and French?
Sherren Lee: They don’t really speak French. We grew up in a household where if we wanted to keep secrets from our parents we would speak French.
HNMAG: You went to school in French but you also went to McGill for University. What did you study at McGill?
Sherren Lee: I have a bachelor of commerce.
HNMAG: Did you go to a French Cégep?
Sherren Lee: We moved to Toronto when I was twelve but I went to a French High School. My parents wanted us to continue a French education.
HNMAG: How did you switch paths from commerce to filmmaking?
Sherren Lee: My dad insisted when we immigrated that we go to one of the five best universities that he picked out. I never questioned it. I just knew that I was going to do that but I wanted to be an actor as a kid. My intention was to finish my degree and then start auditioning and become an actor. I directed a play at McGill in my last year. It was part of the student-run McGill Drama Festival. Even though I had acted for years in local and school productions, I never thought about directing. I got the notion to try directing when I saw a flyer for the festival and I never looked back. I haven’t acted since. After graduating, I worked in the business side of production before I made my own movies. One thing that drew me to acting was to experience different lives, put yourself in different shoes, and learn about the world around you. When I directed, I realized I got to do that on a bigger scale for every character and I get to explore something and have a bit more control than an actor.
HNMAG: You have directed several episodes of Kim’s Convenience. Is that where you started a working relationship with Andrea Bang?
Sherren Lee: That’s the first time I worked with Andrea. She’s amazing! That show was a very specific role and Float is a totally different role for her. It was amazing to see her completely shift.
HNMAG: What happens when you’re in water and you don’t believe you can float?
Sherren Lee: I have personal experience with that. You panic. It’s pretty scary. You either find your way to a ledge or somebody comes for you.
HNMAG: If not, you sink. if you don’t believe it, it’s not going to work. You have to have trust in the process. Trust that your body is going to float. When you were young and something happened such as playing ball in the house and a vase broke, were you too frightened to confess?
Sherren Lee: It was so difficult. I have a memory of breaking a cassette deck. The cassette door came off after a ball hit it. We had an allowance, so we taped it shut and put money taped to the tape player. We wrote a note as an apology. We left it out for my dad to find it. It was an easy fix and he gave us the money back. He said, “It’s fine, it’s fixed.” We were so worried that he was going to be so upset.
HNMAG: At what age does that fear go away?
Sherren Lee: I don’t think it goes away. I still don’t tell my parents everything.
HNMAG: Float might be the only feature film, other than The Sweet Hereafter, that is based on a book set in the US but the movie takes the same fictional town and then sets it in BC. The book was set in Holden, Florida. Why did you change it to British Columbia?
Sherren Lee: We wanted to showcase Canada. We thought Tofino was the most beautiful beach town in Canada. Wanted to shoot in BC and showcase its beauty. The majority of the cast is Canadian and the entire crew is Canadian as well. We wanted it to be a Canadian production and showcase our country.
HNMAG: Have you been to BC before?
Sherren Lee: I have but this was the first time I ever spent an extended amount of time here. I loved scouting because it was like going on a personal guided tour.
HNMAG: Why did you keep it as the same fictional town name?
Sherren Lee: We just wanted to, as much as possible keep things from the book. These are fun things for fans of the book to hold on to. There is something else we kept that is very specific for those who have read the book to look for. Perhaps they can let you know what that is after watching the movie.
HNMAG: I noticed some steam coming off the water. Did you shoot in the Fall?
Sherren Lee: We did. It was around this time two years ago. It was getting cold in the water and they had to be in there for a long time. Even though it was heated, it was still colder than body temperature. It looked really cool and romantic.
HNMAG: Has the movie played at other festivals yet?
Sherren Lee: This will be the first one. It’s the premiere. We are happy to be showing it here with all the local talent.
Float is a wonderfully performed and directed movie that shows how lucky we are to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s a story that strikes a chord with anyone who has struggled to live up to family expectations and the courage to express how you really feel. There have been too many great Canadian movies that most of us don’t see with Hollywood dominating our movie theatres. Let’s make sure that Elevation Pictures pushes this one for a wide release.