Personal favour, promise of pizza began Portraits from a Fire lead’s journey

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William Magnus Lulua was 13 when he went to an audition as a favour for a family member; the promise of pizza afterward was also an enticement. The boy, his mother and grandmother piled into their truck on their reserve and drove into Williams Lake, B.C., where Tsilhqot’in filmmaker Trevor Mack was holding auditions at the Sandman Hotel. Lulua’s aunt had tried out earlier and encouraged the rest of the family to go. “We wanted her to feel like we supported her ambitions,” says Lulua’s mother, Dancing Water Sandy.

Lulua agreed to give it a shot – without nerves or ambition; acting was not something he had given much thought to.

Mack and his director of photography gave him some lines to read; he had them memorized by the time it was his turn.

They gave him an emotional scene at the end. “I tried to procrastinate and just talk about the things I like. I was, like, I’m not good at getting emotional, so I’ll try telling a couple of jokes,” recalls Lulua, who is Tsilhqot’in, Secwépemc, Cree, Scottish and Irish. He talked to them about what was on his mind – the pepperoni pizza.

“And I was like, ‘Okay, this is the kid,’ ” Mack recalls. “Kind of like, ‘Wait a second, this is me when I was young.’ ”

Review: Canadian drama Portraits from a Fire bursts with joy and energy

Mack says that all day, people auditioning were full of nerves – trying to get everything exactly right, from the handshake on down. “And he just walked in with this energy, this carefree energy, no filters,” Mack says. “Just pure expression. And that was something I was grateful to see. And who he was reminded me of who I am still, without my socially conditioned shields and filters that I’ve had in my journey of becoming an adult.”

Mack’s film, Portraits from a Fire, is not strictly autobiographical, but the character is very much based on Mack. Tyler, Mack’s proxy, is a funny, clever 16-year-old living – like Lulua – on a reserve, with ambitions to become a filmmaker. He lives with his emotionally detached father Gord (Nathaniel Arcand). His mother is absent; it appears she has died after a fire. Tyler befriends a mysterious stranger, who urges him to explore his family history for his next film, and is shocked by what he finds out.

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Portraits had its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival and is opening in select theatres Nov. 1, ahead of a VOD release on Nov. 9. At VIFF, Mack received the BC Emerging Filmmaker Award. And Portraits won the award for best Canadian feature film at the Edmonton International Film Festival.

Mack shot on location in British Columbia at the Tl’etinqox (Anaham) Reserve in August, 2019; Lulua had just turned 14 and had no experience (other than playing the black sheep in a school play when he was 5). “I think I had that kid little brain on – “Okay, I’ve got to do this. Just do what I’m told,’ ” Lulua, who is now 16, says about filming Portraits.

He received advice on-set from co-stars Asivak Koostachin (who plays the mysterious stranger) and Arcand – a veteran actor whose television experience includes Heartland and FBI: Most Wanted. And he was buoyed by Mack’s encouragement, patience and passion.

“We were pushing ourselves to create something that hasn’t been created before. And we did it in our own Tsilhqot’in, stubborn, comedic way,” Mack says.

The film’s first public screening, ahead of the VIFF premiere, was held on the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation in the Nemaiah Valley. Lulua’s family was there; his Kye7e – his grandmother – gave a speech and, instead of flowers, she presented him with a bouquet of dried meat. “And, might I add, that bouquet of beef jerky lasted me the car ride home,” Lulua says.

At the film’s premiere in Vancouver, Sandy was emotional; Lulua felt a little awkward. “There’d be times I’d be looking over at William and I’m doing the ugly cry, because I’m Mom and I’m proud,” Sandy says. “And I look over at William and ... he’s just got his hands on his tuque.” (When he’s not shooting a film, Lulua always wears a tuque – even to his own movie premiere.)

Afterward, they were a few blocks from the theatre, and a man on the street recognized Lulua. He told him: “I’m going through a hard time right now and watching your movie and your performance has given me some direction,” Sandy recalls.

Lulua thinks about that encounter a lot. “I really worked hard, I tried my best and I’m glad it helped somebody. Maybe it will help more people.”

Still, Lulua isn’t sure he wants to do more acting. He is really into sports and playing guitar. And he’s thinking about a career as a teacher or youth worker.

Whatever Lulua does with his future, Mack believes his performance will make a difference.

“I’m super proud of the work that he’s done. I’m proud of the human being he is. And the Tsilhqot’in role model that he’s become. For people to see, for the youth to see, you can do anything,” says Mack, 29. “Our kids are like, ‘Wow, we can be movie stars; I didn’t know that. Can we be astronauts? Can we be the prime minister?’ Yeah, yeah, we can. There are ways. And so now William is a living embodiment of the potential of our nation. He’s the living embodiment of the potential for our youth.”

Portraits from a Fire opens at select theatres on Nov. 1 as part of Landmark Cinemas Canada Spotlight Series. It is available on VOD across Canada on Nov. 9.