Episode 356: Ken Kabatoff

Filmmaker and screenwriter Ken Kabatoff (Travelers) took home the big prize at the DGC BC’s Greenlight competition a couple of years ago, and the short film he created with that financial backing – The Doukhobor – is one of the most impactful horror films our host has ever seen. The Doukhobor draws its inspiration from the story of the Freedomite Doukhobors, and the abysmal treatment this group of pacifists, freethinkers, and anti-materialists (whose members included Ken’s own family) received at the hands of the Canadian government. Ken is also the filmmaker of two terrifying horror shorts – LUTO and LUTO 2 – as well as a recent video in which he attempted to remake his first LUTO film shot for shot using AI (a video that is horrifying for reasons not related to it being a remake of a horror film).

In this riveting conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Ken talks about making horror films for audiences who live in horrifying times, the bravery of Freedomite Doukhobors (and how their history impacted his short film), and what his recent experiment taught him about AI.

Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment