When former Victoria real-estate agent David Strasser returns to the city next week, he’ll be wearing a different hat that might take some old friends and clients by surprise.
Now a full-time filmmaker based in Vancouver, Strasser will be back June 22 to present his feature debut, Raw (not to be confused with the horror movie of the same name), at Cinecenta.
The drama, shot on Salt Spring Island, is the story of a drug-addicted delinquent’s life-changing experiences while under house arrest at his uncle’s organic farm. Raw draws some ironic contrasts between drug trafficking and the bootlegging of raw milk from local organic farms.
Filmmaking seems worlds away from the 38-year-old’s decade in Victoria, where he was a top Re/Max agent and co-founded Binab Strasser Marketing Systems with Jason Binab. He also helped found the Russ Hays Accent Inns Cycling Team and served as its athletic director.
He initially moved to the city in 2004 to train with the Canadian National Rowing Team. Although he discovered “the Olympic dream wasn’t my dream” after training under Olympic rowing coach Mike Spracklin, the experience was beneficial, he said.
Strasser, then fresh out of UBC law school, where he also studied philosophy and psychology, later dabbled in real-estate investing and teamed up with Binab at Re/Max before launching their joint venture.
He has since discovered similarities between filmmaking and real estate. “The cornerstone of filmmaking is that it’s a collaborative process,” said the Bolivia-born filmmaker. The micro-budget film, initially crowd-funded, was produced by students he met at Vancouver Film School, which also provided production resources such as camera equipment.
“In any business enterprise, to be successful takes a very collaborative mindset. You cannot do any of this alone, except writing the first draft, and I’ve learned about the importance of gratitude.”
It was in 2001, while at UBC, that Strasser began developing a strong interest in filmmaking, inspired by American independent filmmakers such as Darron Aronofsky and Quentin Tarantino.
“I watched [Aronofsky’s drug drama] Requiem for a Dream and I thought: ‘This is the only medium I think I can communicate my feelings about the world through.”
As fulfilling as his business career was, he felt a lack of spiritual fulfilment. Fate intervened when his 18-year-old nephew died as result of a violent crime in 2013. “Part of my grieving process was that I started writing,” said Strasser, who decided on a “humble project” that would combine personal-transformation and food-production themes.
Strasser said he was inspired in part by news stories about police raids on establishments such as Rawesome, a private market in Venice Beach, California, that sells unpasteurized milk and other raw-food products.
“There was an article with photos of tactical officers dressed head-to-toe in raid gear storming this little organic grocery store. They found a total of five litres in that raid,” said Strasser.
“You think of that cliché of farmers in coveralls with straw hats, almost Amish-looking, as officers approach with automatic weapons.”
He also researched the story of Canadian dairy farmer and raw-milk advocate Michael Schmidt.
“It landed me on Salt Spring Island, which is a hotbed for local organic food production,” said Strasser, whose film also features WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a movement linking visitors with organic farmers and growers to promote cultural and educational experiences.
“So many kids with troubles come to volunteer on these organic farms and it changes their lives,” said Strasser.
While some Vancouver Film School faculty initially expressed doubts about shooting on Salt Spring, the filmmakers were warmly welcomed, he said.
He credits Island Trust representative Peter Grove with finding four farms that were willing to donate use of their land for the 13-day shoot, and with arranging transportation, goods and services.
They filmed at the Bond farm, a 100-acre homestead originally owned by colourful Salt Spring Island settler Sugar Billy.
“Everyone was overwhelmingly hospitable,” said Strasser, who was deluged with offers from locals willing to be extras for a big barn-party scene shot from sunset to sunrise.
Island businesses donated food during the production, author Brian Brett (Trauma Farm) shared stories about rural life during the research process, and musicians performed for the party scene and other sequences, including local bluegrass/jugband Ferocious Timbre Mouse.
“There was quite a buzz in town,” said Strasser, whose collaborators also got a taste of Salt Spring’s reputation as a transformative island.
Star Jesse Platt, who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, quit drinking, smoking and using drugs to help him dramatize main character Jakob’s rehabilitation, and actor Nina Winkler quit her job and became a yoga instructor.
“They say the ground beneath your feet will eventually provide nutrients for your soul,” said Strasser. “You could feel that.”