My own project is Oakalla, a ten minute rendering of a painful story which has diminished with the passage of time. Oakalla was an experiment in prison reform which degenerated into a hated warehouse of society's mistakes and failures. The entire complex fell to the wrecker's ball years ago, and now only exists as artifacts in museum storage and as bitter or ironic memories held by thousands of people in our province. Oakalla was notorious for what occured inside its decaying walls, but also for a decades-long drama performed by politicians determined to eject the crumbling facility from a beautiful and much coveted urban landscape. Many have a story to tell, and fortunately for me, they often speak well.
Following completion of the Doc Course I plan to begin production of a longer version of Ghosts, in which I will develop some of the themes which continue to fascinate me, as well as give voice unresolved issues from Oakalla's past which several marginalized groups are eager to have return to the public's consciousness. Oakalla history is very deep and incredibly complex. You can dive into it as deeply as your lungs and imagination will bear. As a busy crossroad for the risen and the fallen, Oakalla hosted a more representative sampling of our people than any other public instiution - the desperate poor, the career criminals, political activists, illegal migrants, the sexual transgressors, misguided youth, religious zealots, outlaw financiers, and so many more. The film seeks to uncover compelling stories which have contemporary currency, and which need to be valued.
Crew photo for Oakalla, filmed in Burnaby, B.C. from July 14-16. The crew, L. to R. was: Alejandro Zuluago (Camera B), Andres Salas (Sound & Prod. Stills), Ron Jack (Writer/Director), Greg Masuda (Camera A), Sameer Khan (Lighting & Grip). Oakalla lands harbour many ghosts, and some refuse to remain buried. We witnessed the most recent example in the run-up to the recent B.C. Provincial election when there was was a spirited tussle over the issue of the government plan to site a remand centre in the now decommissioned Youth Detention facility across the street from the B.C.I.T. campus on Willingdon. One Vancouver Blog, CityCaucus.com ran a focus piece on February 10 entitled "Remember Oakalla?" which attempted to skewer Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan. The mayor's wife was on the ballot, offering to represent the newly drawn provincial riding which includes the massive condo complex built on the old Oakala Prison property. The NDP succeeded in turning out the vote in Deer Lake and Mrs. Corrigan crushed the sitting Liberal, who was never truly comfortable speaking to an ill defined Law and Order issue.
Derek Corrigan worked as a guard at Oakalla in the 1970s, and as an experienced lawyer and probation officer, he was positioned to become a guiding voice on City Council at the time of the New Year's Day mass escape at Oakalla (1988), which offered a golden opportunity for an effective campaign to have it closed down. In an interview conducted for the film the savvy political warrior offered insightful remarks and a few salty memories about Oakalla and its necessary fate. His voice and others will add authority to the principle themes of my film.
Over the years, thousands of weapons were improvised by the inmates in Oakalla Prison, and the Burnaby Village Museum has a representative sampling. Here L. to R. are four of the most common types: 1. a shank made by patiently wearing an edge onto a piece of scrap steel 2. a shiv made by melting a metal point into a plastic toothbrush handle 3. a fork stolen from the mess hall and modified 4. a crude variation on brass knuckles - using steel nails, wood scrap and twine.
