Foxy

Director’s Statement

Dear Madam, Please allow me to draw your attention to a topic that is, quite literally, always under wraps (and scarves and wigs…). A topic that is mostly ignored yet screams a message that is more relevant now than ever before. This “topic” just so happens to be… my bald head. Now, I’d be lying if I said my palms weren’t sweaty while writing the above introduction. At the age of ten I lost all of the hair on my body (eyebrows and all) which has caused me anxiety attacks, situational depression and constant paranoia of being looked at as abnormal or ugly. Approximately 554 thousand Canadians have or will develop alopecia areata at some point in their lives and have or will experience related psychological distress. How does a hair loss condition that causes no physical pain, provoke such intense heartache? My name is Trista Suke, I am 21 years-old and I am the writer, director and star of FOXY, a feature film intertwining an autobiographical narrative, real-life documentary interviews, and original, broadway-esque musical numbers. Now I know what you are thinking…you are intrigued but awfully confused. However, once you give FOXY a watch, I promise that everything will begin to make more sense. FOXY wasn’t an easy idea to bring to life. My deepest insecurity and biggest fear was suddenly getting broadcasted for everyone’s entertainment… I was terrified past the point of tears but I knew I had to do it for myself and consequently many others along the way. We all have something right? Something that separates each one of us from the “norm.” Something that causes us to squirm in our seats at the thought of it coming up in conversation. But we MUST recognize that this something deserves to be celebrated and cherished because it is possibly the most beautiful thing about us. Having written the screenplay solely based on my own experience and watching this project eventually come to life, I firmly believe FOXY has the power to change people’s perception on alopecia and all things that make us out of the ordinary. And, furthermore, the power to impact lives – because I know FOXY has completely changed mine. Stay foxy, Trista Suke