Brazilian-born Elton Hubner shares stories through film
Credit to Author: Margaret Jetelina| Date: Thu, 04 Apr 2019 05:23:16 +0000
Elton Hubner always has a story to share. And he has lots of inspiration to draw from. Born in Brazil to a family of European immigrants, Hubner is what you might call a global citizen, having lived in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and having travelled to 30 countries before coming to Canada in 2012. But, while it took some time to settle on a permanent home, he always knew he wanted to tell stories, first as a journalist, a photographer, then as a videographer and filmmaker. His most recent project is an award-winning documentary called The Fit Generation.
Canadian Immigrant caught up with Vancouver-based Hubner recently to talk about his film.
Why did you decide to call Canada home?
Canadians have always had a reputation of being super welcoming, so I decided to come check it out. On my very first day in Toronto, I heard a voice inside myself: “This is the place you’ve been looking for.” I’ve been here ever since.
Tell me a bit about your professional career before you came to Canada.
I knew I wanted to tell stories since the age of 15. I studied journalism, got a master’s degree in media studies from the University of Berlin, and worked as a reporter and photographer for a few years while living in Brazil and Germany. My very first article in Canada was published by Canadian Immigrant magazine back in 2012. Meeting CBC’s pioneer videojournalist Saša etricic opened my eyes to the amazing world of video production and it led to my transition into filmmaking.
Was it challenging to establish yourself after coming to Canada?
Certainly, but it was a welcome challenge that should be perceived as a great investment in a better life and a future with plenty of opportunities.
What is your documentary The Fit Generation about?
It’s an inspiring documentary that challenges our concepts of aging and makes us reflect about the choices that we make in our lives.
In the film, we follow six amazing individuals in their 70s and 80s in British Columbia. They are facing cancer, arthritis, heart attacks, bone fractures, knee replacements, fatigue and the loss of loved ones, but they won’t give up or stop having fun. On the contrary, they ski, play hockey, teach fitness classes and run marathons.
How do they live? What motivates them to keep going? Most importantly, what should we do if we want to be as happy and active at that age, too? These are the questions that are answered in the film.
And the film is getting noticed …
Yes! Our small production team and everyone involved are very proud of the recognition that the documentary has received internationally. We’ve won a handful of awards in the U.S. and in Europe, including San Francisco and London. We just got nominated into two categories at the Nice International Film Festival as well.
We’re scheduling a few screenings in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler now and the movie will be available online this summer. Everyone can find out more about the film at thefitgeneration.com.
Any new films planned next?
Our next documentary, in its early production stages, is about the amazing life of Gwen McFarlan. She’s a Canadian cancer survivor who is trying to break a world record in the marathon run at the age of 85. This is an incredible story of resilience and the ultimate example from someone who’s teaching different generations on never giving up on your dreams.