SON OF A FARMER
SHORT DOCUMENTARY (2023)
Writer/Director/Editor: Nigel Edwards
Produced by: Windowbox Media
SON OF A FARMER seeks to portray the on-going doctor shortage through one physician's struggle to adequately serve rural communities on Northern Vancouver Island. Dr. Prean Armogam, an Indian-Zulu South African immigrant, has served as the resident family doctor in Port McNeill (Canada) for 16 years.
With doctor shortages at an all-time high across the country, forcing emergency rooms in rural communities to close down for days, Prean works 12-16 hours a day for up to 20+ days in a row to keep up with the demand for primary care in the region.
Prean now faces not only personal health issues exacerbated by the failing system, but poorly veiled racism when attempting to make structural improvements to better serve both patients and health care workers. With no formal plan set forth by the government to remedy this physician crisis, Prean is left in a tight spot not knowing how to continue to care for his community. Since releasing the film to the public, Dr. Armogam continues to be challenged and penalized by systems in place for speaking out. To this day, he still fights.
This film wouldn’t have been made possible without the unflinching support from the community on the North Island as well as the many people behind the scenes.
Special thanks to:
Alison
Kiyara
Nakita
Ben Cox
Brian Ceci
Deydra Baptiste
Nicola Pender
Magnafire Media
Co-Writer: Anna Longrigg
Aerial Drone: Rémi Vande Weghe
Supervising Editor: Fred Thorsen
Archive Imagery Courtesy of: United Nations Photo Library
Film Development + Scan: Metropolis Post New York
Colour: Mark Eid
Music Licensed by: Marmoset
We humbly acknowledge the opportunity to visit and film on the traditional territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw and Wuikinuxv people.
Writer/Director/Editor: Nigel Edwards
Produced by: Windowbox Media
SON OF A FARMER seeks to portray the on-going doctor shortage through one physician's struggle to adequately serve rural communities on Northern Vancouver Island. Dr. Prean Armogam, an Indian-Zulu South African immigrant, has served as the resident family doctor in Port McNeill (Canada) for 16 years.
With doctor shortages at an all-time high across the country, forcing emergency rooms in rural communities to close down for days, Prean works 12-16 hours a day for up to 20+ days in a row to keep up with the demand for primary care in the region.
Prean now faces not only personal health issues exacerbated by the failing system, but poorly veiled racism when attempting to make structural improvements to better serve both patients and health care workers. With no formal plan set forth by the government to remedy this physician crisis, Prean is left in a tight spot not knowing how to continue to care for his community. Since releasing the film to the public, Dr. Armogam continues to be challenged and penalized by systems in place for speaking out. To this day, he still fights.
This film wouldn’t have been made possible without the unflinching support from the community on the North Island as well as the many people behind the scenes.
Special thanks to:
Alison
Kiyara
Nakita
Ben Cox
Brian Ceci
Deydra Baptiste
Nicola Pender
Magnafire Media
Co-Writer: Anna Longrigg
Aerial Drone: Rémi Vande Weghe
Supervising Editor: Fred Thorsen
Archive Imagery Courtesy of: United Nations Photo Library
Film Development + Scan: Metropolis Post New York
Colour: Mark Eid
Music Licensed by: Marmoset
We humbly acknowledge the opportunity to visit and film on the traditional territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw and Wuikinuxv people.