Chandra Vandry talks about SAMSON, a documentary on Canine Stroke and Recovery

Chandra Vandry lives in Austin, Texas with her husband William, her first experience in filmmaking was co-directing Got Pain? with him. The Vandry’s have a research non-profit called the Vandry Hope Foundation and have been working with research on chronic pain and disease for many years. The film Got Pain? chronicles their work in finding solutions for people with chronic pain. Their newest movie Samson came from the first-hand experience of a sudden and unexpected case of canine paralysis. After chronicling Samson’s progress, she decided to make a film, to give hope to others who experience this with their dogs. A lifelong animal lover, Chandra has three fur babies, Samson, Delilah, and Eli.

indieactivity: Give a background of your personal experience with the story of this film?
Chandra Vandry (CV): A few years ago, my dog Samson became suddenly and unexpectedly paralyzed from something called Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) or canine stroke. Veterinary science does not know why it happens, but it usually happens to dogs during activity, a piece of cartilage breaks off a disc and blocks blood flow to the spinal cord, causing a stroke that results in paralysis to one or all limbs. Samson had the worst kind of stroke, being paralyzed in all four limbs. My husband and I documented his condition and progress for ourselves, with no intention of making a film. Later, after we had successfully produced the documentary Got Pain? we decided to make a film about Samson’s story. We wanted to bring to light everything we had discovered about canine stroke, especially the lack of help from Veterinary science for dog owners. We found they push expensive MRIs and surgery, costing around $5,000-$7,000 that does not cure the paralysis, and they offer little to no advice or hope. Many owners opt for euthanasia. We felt our experience could help other dog owners whose dogs suffer this terrifying and debilitating condition.

The Official Trailer for SAMSON written, directed and produced by Chandra Vandry

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What was different about directing this film from other films you have done?
Chandra Vandry (CV): Our first film Got Pain? was about presenting our research and work with chronic pain, and while there were some emotional moments, it did not have the raw emotions of Samson. We had to pour out our initial fear and hopelessness, then the pain and frustration we experienced dealing with the Neurology Veterinarian. It was difficult revisiting some of those moments from when his paralysis first happened. While I wanted to express our frustration, I didn’t want to just attack Veterinarians. There are many great caring Vets out there, but unfortunately, many of the problems that plague our medical system also plague Veterinarians, as many aspects of the field have become just as surgery and pharmacy driven as human medicine.

Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Chandra Vandry (CV): I feel like there is an oversaturation of really poor quality/bad Indie Films that have flooded the market, making it harder for gems to be discovered in the rough. Granted, I am sure every Indie Filmmaker thinks their film is that gem, but I have seen many on Amazon that are truly terrible; bad acting, bad storyline, and backed up by many 1-star reviews. This has led to Amazon reduce their pay-out rates to almost nothing and remove many Indie Films from their platform. While there are more and more streaming opportunities available, it seems the standards have been lowered too far, causing viewers to have to sift through so much bad material, they possibly get disenfranchised from giving any Indie films a chance. That being said, while some distributors will take anyone, it is difficult to get with a really good distributer without a large budget.

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Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
CV: I think our films are very honest, our intent is to reach the heart of the viewer, not through flashy graphics, but with honest heartfelt content. Our first documentary Got Pain? touched many people, we were actually bombarded with emails of people looking for help, that we could not even respond to them all. We feel Samson will touch dog and animal lovers on a deep level, and hopefully give someone suffering what we went through knowledge and hope.

How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
CV: Your movie can’t make an impact if no one sees it, so marketing is imperative. Like I said before, there are so many movies available to stream, if you don’t stand out or drive people to watch your film, it will quickly get lost. Marketing itself has become a whole new beast, with viewers trying to avoid commercials and advertising, and social media crammed with so much content. Again, it becomes more and more difficult to stand out and get noticed. Those lucky few that can get celebrity endorsement or go viral can shoot to the top of the heap, but for everyone else, it is daily posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, trying to gain a following, and trying to figure how to grab people’s short attention spans.

What do you hope audiences get from your film after they watch it?
CV: I want them to feel there is hope, not just for dogs with canine stroke, but for every difficult situation. Tragedy always strikes suddenly, but holding on to hope can make the difference between overcoming or losing a battle. It is about doing everything you can for your pets, your loved ones, or even yourself and never giving up.

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What else have you got in the works?
CV: I hope to do a project in the future on nutrition and health, exposing some misleading documentaries out there on veganism and fad diets. Nutrition is another area that has become so over-saturated with information that it becomes harder and harder to discern what is really true. You can read two side-by-side articles telling you exactly oppositive things. There a lot of people out there struggling with obesity and health issues and trying to find answers, while we can’t give away our research, we can try to give people a good foundation to start from, presented with accurate data and research.

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