Director's Works
Rick Hansen Foundation, Just Because He Can Dylan Maranda
After a brief stint as a child actor in a touring theatre group, Dylan attended the Simon Fraser University SCA Film program for film direction. He then pursued directing commercials to try and convince his parents he could make a living doing art. His advertising work has gone on to be honoured by the Cannes Lions, The Young Director Awards, The 1.4 Awards, Shots Awards, AICP Awards, The Clios, The LIA Awards, D&AD, The One Show, The Gerety Awards, Strategy News, and Booooooom to name a few. In 2022 and 2023 Dylan was a finalist for Young Guns, the global top 30 under 30 ranking for creative professionals. After years away from narrative filmmaking, his directorial debut short film "Master of the House" had its global premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
A film created for the Rick Hansen Foundation— a national charity committed to helping change design culture and remove barriers to accessibility in our communities, schools and workplaces, among many other missions. After seeing the brief I thought about my cousin, Cole, who has cerebral palsy. I remember a story of when he was forced to walk to an appointment after his ride didn’t show with his phone dead. Despite the difficulty and pain— he had to attend: there was no other option. When we were slotted for a cinema ad buy, I formed the idea. When faced with obstacles that limit accessibility, those with physical disabilities have to face them head-on. I wanted to reflect that with this “unskippable” ad buy. One single, slow shot— unflinching in the face of a monumental task. Forcing a viewer to experience what my cousin Cole, and many others with physical disabilities, face on often a daily basis.