Local student featured in new documentary

By Dan Hilborn
Published Feb. 26, 2005


A young woman from Burnaby is one of 16 university students spotlighted in a new film by Academy Award-winning producer John Zaritsky that will appear on the Documentary Channel this week.

Surina Sproul, a graduate of Burnaby North secondary who served as vice-president of the commerce undergraduate society of UBC last year, said the experience left her with a new perspective.

"When someone is witness to your life, it makes you think more carefully about what it is you're doing and what you want to do," Sproul told the Burnaby NOW as the film College Days, College Nights: Real Life on A Canadian Campus prepares for its world debut.

The documentary follows 16 UBC students over a 10-month period as they study, work, party, drink, play sports and participate in volunteer activities.

For Sproul, the film captures her campaigning for a position on the UBC board of governors, organizing a fundraising fashion show and going home, where she enjoys cooking with her mother and washing the car with her father.

"I remember I wanted some guidance, but (the filmmakers) told me to be my authentic self," Sproul said. "That's a testament to their commitment to making a true documentary. It's not some preconceived notion of what our lives are like, it's just people living their lives and being true to themselves."

While Sproul still does not know for certain what portions of the hundreds of hours of filming will actually make it into the finished product, she said Zaritsky captured several very personal scenes from her life, including the moment when she lost her bid to be elected to the UBC board of governors.

"During the campaign, you only get three or four hours of sleep per night," she said. "You put so much of yourself into it that you're running on adrenaline and then, at the end, it feels like such a letdown. Your opponents are all around you, but you hold yourself together and there are definitely some tears shed."

Sproul was even given a video camera to create a video diary.

The experience also gave her a new outlook on her future. This spring, she intends to take a two-month vacation in Asia and, when she returns, she intends to follow her passion into the field of brand development and market strategy.

"And I'll be stepping away from politics for a while," she admitted. "I think I want to be a little more established before I dive into something like that. After all, I'm so young, I have lots of time."

College Days, College Nights airs at 8 p.m. in three segments over three consecutive nights - March 1 to 3 - on the Documentary Channel, Shaw digital cable channel 92.