Episode 165: Sheona McDonald

The YVR Screen Scene Podcast

Dead Man’s Switch: a crypto mystery and Into Light don’t appear to have much in common beyond the fact that both are currently streaming as part of the 2021 DOXA Documentary Film Festival. Dead Man’s Switch: a crypto mystery is a heart-pounding documentary feature about Gerald Cotten, the CEO of Quadriga (which was at one time Canada’s largest crypto-currency exchange), whose sudden death in 2018 left a myriad of questions, chief among them: what happened to his investors’ 200 million dollars? Into Light is a poignant and profound documentary short that follows a mother and child in Yellowknife who navigate the complexities of gender identity together. Despite the gulf between these films, they're also inextricably linked – and what ties them together is Sheona McDonald, who directed both. The Vancouver filmmaker speaks with Sabrina about the whys and whats and hows of her remarkable work, and the responsibility she feels towards her documentary subjects. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment