Home Away From Home

When two wildly different college students embark on a journey away from their hometowns, they must relearn the meaning of home.

Home Away From Home tells the stories of nanotech engineering student Oscar McCormack, and glassblowing student Natalie Rebmann. While on the surface these students seem incredibly different, there is a lot that they happen to share. Notably, both students have made the difficult decision to embark on a journey of adulthood by leaving their respective hometowns to create a better future for themselves. The very idea of home keeps changing for both of these individuals. So even though home has never been consistent, how do Oscar and Natalie define this changing concept?

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LET'S TAKE A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES

DAY 1

DAY 2

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The Team

Emma Looman -
​Director

​Hi! I'm Emma Looman, I'm from Ottawa Ontario and I am the Director and and Writer of "Home Away From Home"! My favourite memory growing up is having a sleepover on my 13th birthday, in our parents' campter that laid untouched in the garage! We blasted music, laughed, danced, and asked each other MANY "Would You Rather?" questions. This may seem chiche, but the people I am closest to, such as my family and friends, make me feel at home. Whether it's back in Ottawa, where I have good friends from high school who make my guts hurt with laughter, or here in Oakville where the people I live with help me through more challenging moments of the year. No matter where I am, the people I associate with make me feel like I belong. 

Alastair Gray - 
​Post Production Sound Supervisor

Hi! I’m Alistair, I am from Port Perry, Ontario, and I am the Post-Production Audio Supervisor for Home Away From Home! One things that reminds me of home is the smell of Italian Bistros and ambulance sirens since our town had several excellent restaurants and we lives next to two medical facilities growing up. My favourite memory growing up is the trimmed birthday parties my mother would organize every year. 

Haoyu Tu - 
​Assistant Camera

Hi There! I’m Haoyu Tu, I’m from Shijiazhuang, He Bei, China, and I’m the Assistant Camera for “Home Away From Home”! My favourite memory growing up would be walking the dog with my family every night. I didn’t get to attend high school in my hometown, so most of my fond memories are from my junior high years. My house is located in the city centre and is very close to my junior high school. Thus, my memories of my hometown are of students, cars, and pedestrians.

Alan Haw -
​Assistant Editor

Hi! My name is Alan Haw. I am from Maar, Malaysia and I am the Assistant Editor for “Home Away From Home”! What makes me feel at home is the warmth and hospitality extended to me by my landlord’s family when I first embarked on my journey to Canada. I was alone, far from my home country, and surrounded by unfamiliar faces. It was a daunting experience, but the kindness and care shown by my landlords made all the difference. My favourite memories growing up are undoubtedly the family trips we took overseas.When I was younger, my family and I had the incredible opportunity to various countries almost every year, and these experiences have left an indelible mark on my heart. 

Rochelle Bonnick -
​Producer

My name is Rochelle Bonnick I am from Whitby Ontario and I'm the producer for home away from home my first childhood home holds most of my favorite childhood memories like waking up at 5:00 a.m. to eat Eggo waffles and drink hot chocolate while watching my favourite Disney movies with my dad or ploting with my three siblings to stay up late and sneak out of bed to watch movies and TV shows while my parents slept. They were none the wiser (except they were). That home will always be near and dear to my heart. As much as I hate my family, I love them to bits. Whenever I am away from home for an extended period of time, I would get CRAZY homesick. So, as cheezy as this may sound, home for me, is where my family is.

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Ema Pollo - 
​Picture Editor

Hi! I’m Ema, I am from Tirana, Albania, and I am the Picture Editor for “Home Away From Home”! One thing that reminds me of home is sharing experiences with other immigrants. We all have similar experiences moving to Canada even though we come from many different places. There is always a feeling of community that reminds me of home. My favourite memory growing up is spending every summer at the beach in a village made up of all of our friends. Everyone knew each other, and we all ahd an amazing time!

Aidan Gabert - 
​Assistant Camera

Hi! My name is Aidan. I am from Abu Dhabi and I am the Assistant Camera for “Home Away From Home”! What makes me feel at home is oddly enough the smell of Arabic spices. Spices like cardamon, allspice, and za’atar remind me of home, they were extremely well-presented at my house and stores back home so just the smell of one of them will brig me back. My favourite memory of home is camping and hiking in the desert with my friends. 

Eric Cervania - 
​BTS Photographer

Hi! I’m Eric, I am from Oakville, Ontario, and I am the BTS Photographer for “Home Away From Home”! One thing that reminds me of home is food that my parents would cook for me. When I go to restaurants tha that have similar ingredients it reminds me alot of my Filipino culture and the main dish that reflects our family. My favourite memory growing up is playing video games like Mario Party and Mario Kart on the GameCube with my sister and cousins. I remember it was so much fun that we laughed and the emotions we experienced because of how competitive we were. 

Connor Evans -
​Director of Photography

​Hi! I’m Connor Evans, I’m from Mt. Saint Louis, Ontario, and I am the Director of Photography for “Home Away From Home”. To nail down a single favourite memory is so difficult. I really loved skiing cross country and downhill. That was probably my favourite hobby. I loved playing soccer, hanging out with friends and family. It’s hard to nail down a specific event, but I am  very nostalgic person. It’s always been a very interesting emotion to me. I grew up in the countryside, so anything outdoors reminds me of home. The seasons are very apparent where I lived, unlike in the Toronto area which isnt’ as obvious. So when the leaves turn red, yellow, and orange, or when it rains and Fall begins, Halloween time, when it snows as well, the sunny days, that sort of stuff always brings me back. 

Xavier Liska - 
​Transmedia Producer

​​Hey there! I'm Xavier (he/him), I am from Oakville, Ontario and I am the Transmedia Producer for “Home Away From Home”! One thing that will always remind me of home is the smell of a firepit. Me and my family have a few bonfires every summer. My favourite childhood memory would be our summer road trips to Nova Scotia to visit my dad’s side of the family, and visiting New Brunswick and sometimes PEI (which funnily enough is where I now live when I’m not in school). 

Kat Quirk - 
​Location Sound Recorder

​(Hi! I’m Kat Quirk, I’m from Grimsby, Ontario, and I am the Location Sound Recorder for “Home Away From Home”! Growing up, my favourite memory was catching butterflies in the backyard with my Dad-Dad (Grandfather) during the summer. Hangin out with my family in the backyard was always the best part of my summer. Any forest trails made me feel at home since I lived right next to Bruce Trail, so most after school and weekend activities were to hike through the woods once i was old enough. 

John-Michael Crljen - 
​Assistant Transmedia

Hi! my name is John-Michael, I am from Oakville Ontario and I am the Assistant Transmedia for "Home Away From Home"!  Something that reminds me of home is the smell of coffee. Growing up, my mother was a frequent coffee drinker and always seemed to have the coffee maker brewing a new batch a few times a day. As i got older, I also started drinking coffee often. The smell of brewed coffee, like at a cafe, reminds me with a warm feeling of home. My favourite memory growing up was the anticipation for Christmas through Dcember, and concluding the holiday season with New Years Eve, as a new year begins.