Carleton University student filmmaker Delroy Goveas is back in business with his second short film, Find Me Yesterday, which follows a woman who travels back in time after receiving a somber letter from her ex-husband.
The film comes after his debut project, Lady and Coffee, a crime dramedy with a touch of romance, released in August.
Influenced by directors like Quentin Tarantino, Wong Kar-Wai and Edgar Wright, Goveas says his creative process blends humour, drama and introspection while staying true to his artistic voice.
The Charlatan sat down with Goveas to discuss his artistic journey, working with limited resources, and balancing filmmaking with student life.
The Charlatan (TC): How did you get your start in filmmaking?
Delroy Goveas (DG): My interest in filmmaking started by simply watching films. That’s the case for many filmmakers. Some start in video stores like Tarantino; others watch a film in the theatre and fall in love with the idea of filmmaking.
I started filmmaking last August. I made my first project, the unreleased People We Aren’t, with a small crew of four people, myself included. We just went around Chinatown and Lansdowne here in Ottawa. From there, I just kept making more projects.
TC: Do you have any filmmaker inspirations or people you look up to?
DG: Tarantino. he’s very intense and uses fun dialogue, and that came up in my last film, Lady and Coffee. Wong Kar-Wai is another, I really love his work, he does a lot of romance films. He uses lovely colouring and wonderful editing.
The last director I would point to is definitely Edgar Wright. His is a very quick, very cohesive style.
TC: While you’re making films, you’re also a university student. What’s it like to create films on a student budget and schedule?
DG: A lot of the projects I’ve done have been outside of my semesters, which made it easier. But I have done films during the semester, like a short I made in February and another for Digi60, a 60-day film competition in Ottawa.
It’s always a balance. I think film is a passion that drives me to dedicate time to it just as much as school. For budgets, it’s usually using money from my personal income. It’s hard, but it pays off. We often collaborate with other filmmakers we trust, and that really changes how you make a film.
TC: Tell me about Find Me Yesterday. What’s the movie about, and how is it different from your last project?
DG: It’s a romance fantasy about a woman who receives a letter from her ex-husband telling her he has cancer. After boarding a train and getting off, she lands on a beach where she meets a younger version of him.
It’s a story about love and moving on. Unlike a lot of time-travel films, it’s not about huge consequences — it’s about reliving a moment one more time and dealing with the feeling of whether you did anything good.
TC: What’s your end goal for filmmaking?
DG: I’d love to be a huge director, but for now, short films have been everything. They’re entertaining, whether it’s working with people I know or writing the next script. You’re showing people how reality is and how it can be.
There’s a philosopher and film theorist named André Bazin, who said that film embalms time. It keeps time preserved in a medium that everyone can watch and understand. That’s always been important to me. Eventually, I want to make feature films that have a lot of love and care. Maybe even award-winning.
TC: What motivates you to keep going with filmmaking when things get tough?
DG: There are a lot of challenges, and everything can feel like an uphill battle. The hardest part is starting.
When I have issues, like with casting or filming, I talk with my team. It’s a very collaborative process. It requires you to work with everyone, not just to help them improve, but to improve yourself, too. There are times you might not do as well, or they might not do as well, but it’s always about growth.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan
