When We Were Poor

After inheriting all of her aunt’s personal papers, a woman unpacks them five years after her death.

Her aunt, who was a child of the 1960s and later an environmental activist, has left items which range from the minutiae of daily life to journals.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Lynn Matheson

Filmmaker’s statement

Five years after my aunt Judy’s death, I wanted to make a tribute to her and try to express some of what she meant to me.

Unpacking her belongings both moved me to tears, made me laugh out loud and wonder, “Why did she keep that?”

I wanted the piece to be in keeping with how she lived her life – Judy was rough around the edges, she wore rubber boots, she built her own log cabin. I wanted the film to be organic and real.

About Lynn Matheson

Lynn is a committed – some might say obsessive – lifelong learner with a public relations degree, MBA and certificate in international Chinese studies.

While studying, she worked in public relations and government administration developing the ability to juggle multiple tasks which she hopes prepares her to transition into the film industry.

She has taken courses at AFCOOP and Centre for Art Tapes, notably the FILM5 program and Media Arts Scholarship. She has produced, crewed and created a number of shorts, and recently produced a WIFT-At 1K Wave Atlantic feature.