Latesha Auger shares a personal story of struggle and triumph in her first short film
CBC Communications · Posted: Nov 09, 2020 7:00 AM AT | Last Updated: November 9
Latesha Auger in her own short film, Th Journey of Self-Love. (Being Black in Halifax)
Telling your own story through film isn’t easy. Telling it in your first film is even harder. But for Latesha Auger, whose film The Journey of Self-Love was included in a new short film compilation called Being Black in Halifax, it was also a dream come true.
“The process of telling my story was honestly scary,” Auger says. “There were a lot of things I was hesitant to speak about and didn’t, but what I did include in my documentary was inspirational.”
Auger is one of four emerging filmmakers from Halifax who created short films through the Fabienne Colas Foundation’s Being Black in Canada, a mentorship and creation program entirely dedicated to Black filmmakers.
It was Auger’s first experience with filmmaking outside of creating her own video projects for YouTube.
“My experience with this program was life changing,” she says. “It felt good to tell my story and be a part of the lights, camera, and action but it was also something I’ve always wanted to do. Since I was a child, I dreamt of being on the big screens and doing something in the film industry, so in a way that dream came true.”
Breaking the Cycle of Trauma
Auger’s film explores her own history with intergenerational trauma. Auger grew up with a mother who was suffering from addiction, spent time in nearly a dozen foster homes, and struggled to make her way alone in the world at just 18. Just as she was getting on her feet, Auger found out she was pregnant with a daughter of her own. She feared she wouldn’t be able to break the cycle of trauma.
Instead, Auger describes bringing her newborn daughter home as “the glue to our puzzle”.
“Although I wasn’t ready, I knew that it would be the kickstart of what we needed.”
Latesha went on to finish high school and graduate from NSCC. Now she works with Phoenix and with Halifax Housing Help. And her mom has been sober now for seven years.
“I’ve had to break the cycle of my generational trauma for three people.”
Forgiveness and Growth
Auger says she hopes the 11-minute film will show viewers the importance of forgiveness, strength, faith, resilience, and perseverance.
“The quote, “Who you were, who you are, and who you will be are three different people,’ that’s what I hope to share with others,” she says.
There is still hope for those who struggle with drug addiction, criminal records, and generational trauma. When someone does a 360 and can rejoin society, what resources or organizations are really geared toward helping these people instead of continuing to oppress them?- Latesha Auger
Auger also hopes the film will help shed light on the larger, systematic issues that affect working-class people.
“A lot of times people are shut out or looked down upon because of a lack of resources and financial struggle,” she says. “I’ve realized that the struggles my mom went through were deep-rooted and complex, but they have been her life experiences to pass on to others in her current work. It’s important to realize that people appreciate life experiences over degrees and certificates.”