With the help of a Telefilm grant, Ian wrote and directed OHM—a short film shot on 35 mm in Vancouver in 1999. OHM follows a transracial character who offers questionable workshops on enlightenment. It was screened at the 2001 Virginia Film Festival whose theme that year was transraciality. Ian's short predates features like The Love Guru with Mike Meyers in 2008, and Kumaré, the 2011 documentary about a man who impersonates a spiritual leader. 17 years later, with identity politics and issues of cultural appropriation receiving the heated attention they deserve, OHM is still relevant and controversial. The film refrains from judgment, trusting in the audience's own capacity to be critical.

Category
Film