By Jia Yi Fan
I came into the New Brunswick (NB) film industry like a wrecking ball, breaking the traditional path beginner filmmakers take to ease in and produce their creations, very vaguely paraphrasing Cat’s words.
This journey wasn’t without its ups and downs.
I’ve been applying to grants and artist-in-residence opportunities since June 2025. Defeated by rejections after rejections, I told myself that if I didn’t get the Telling Our Stories grant, I would give up on making my film. It would be a sign that this was just not for me.
In mid-January 2026, I was notified that I got the funding. While I was delving into research, I learned that 9 days prior, my interviewee announced stepping down from drag. I had a mini crisis. But then, I realised that I came at a pivotal time in his life.
Lo and behold, things fell into place, and on April 18-19th, 2026, I drove down to shoot Normand, I, a short documentary about the life of Normand Hector, also known as Normani, the only Black drag queen in New Brunswick.
This experience broke many firsts for me: first time in Saint John, first funded movie (aka with a budget that’s not 0$) and first time working with a professional crew (aka not with my high school classmates).
This film was the result of many interconnected events. I picked up a promotional flyer for the Queer Heritage Initiative of NB at a Garrison Night Market in Fredericton, not knowing that the image featured the Len & Cub book. Then, I read the aforementioned book. Fast forward some time, I met Meredith Batt (one of the book’s co-authors) for the first time at a Fredericton pride event, then again at another pride event in Moncton, where I struck up a conversation and got wind of my interviewee's name. I watched Normani perform at Moncton’s 2025 pride closing concert but without grasping their name.
Making this film a reality also touches upon two of my three 2026 New Year resolutions:
learn video editing skills (on my list since 2022) and make a movie
queer joy.
This is a perfect example of Normand’s words: “everything happens for a reason.”
Overall, it was a wholesome time for me.
Laughter resonated.
Tears were shed.
Healing occurred.
The air felt warm and fuzzy like a sunset by the waterfront.
We were incredibly lucky with the weather -- despite Saint John's reputation for being notoriously foggy and rainy, our Saturday evening shot was sunny and pleasant. Plus, we were able to finish early every day.
Behind-the-scenes highlights
Despite Normand saying that he was completely transparent when I mentioned not having to answer every interview question, I was able to catch him off guard when inquiring about his hidden skills. Laughter was my only response.
Normand made us guess the shape of a hockey puck-shaped award, but for non-hockey fans like myself, I resonated when Juliet answered, after a pause: “I was afraid to say a circle and get it wrong.”
From filming a thong-shaped designer necklace to Chelsea’s fingerprint-erasure award rescue, to Steph showering everyone with compliments, to Juliet indulging me for every last minute emergency, to Cal being my extra pair of hands, I enjoyed every moment of the ride.
What do I wish funders knew
There is so much untapped talent out there. These people just need someone to believe in them, like Cat did for my film.
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Normand, I is made possible thanks to the New Brunswick Filmmakers Co-operative’s Telling Our Stories grant. Many thanks to The Venetian, AREA 506 and Saint John High School for letting us film at their location.