Nine years ago, Mike Laughlin didn’t know if he was going to survive. Now, he shares his story.
A product of the inaugural Kingston Canadian Film Festival (KCFF) Doc Factory cohort, You Were There For Me premieres on Mar. 2 at the Baby Grand Theatre. The documentary follows a Kingston firefighter, Mike Laughlin, as he reflects on his journey to becoming a captain, and how his struggles and experiences as an amputee have shaped him. Directors Juan Huerta Galicia, ArtSci ’24, and Colin Lo, ArtSci ’24, both recent Queen’s graduates, were inspired by Laughlin’s resilience and strength in the face of adversity.
Current Queen’s student, Luc Lafontaine, ArtSci ’25, was the film’s editor, tasked with cutting hours of footage down to meet the 20-minute run time. As a film and media student, Lafontaine found the editing process similar to his screenwriting experience, taking a broader concept and finding a narrative throughline. Lafontaine focused on the theme of community to tell Laughlin’s story.
“The common theme I identified was all these different people in Mike’s life stepping up when he really needed them,” Lafontaine said in an interview with The Journal.
You Were There For Me depicts Laughlin’s rise to captaincy, reflecting on his injury, recovery, and mental health struggles. The documentary details his accident, the recovery process, and his mental health struggles following the accident, highlighting the importance of community when overcoming life’s challenges.
The KCFF Doc Factory initiative seeks to provide experience, resources, and mentorship to aspiring filmmakers. After graduating, Huerta Galicia was looking to get involved with film and came across the new mentorship program. He applied, was accepted, and began to work on telling Laughlin’s story. Huerta Galicia had made a short video for Laughlin a year prior and felt the story warranted a longer project.
The mentorship helped Huerta Galicia, guiding him through the structure of the film, as well as tricks for storytelling and advice through the editing process. Mentees are provided specialized training, through a combination of lectures and screenings, led by program director Ahmed Ismaiel Nour. Huerta Galicia also received assistance with the legal complications that arise when working on a documentary. Filming a documentary is more than just setting up a camera and interviewing subjects, it involves consent forms and legal requirements that can be challenging to navigate.
“I was thankful for the documentary program, they always gave all the information, so I could look, see what was there, and keep moving forward,” said Huerta Galicia. He directed a short video for Laughlin before the Doc Factory program, and upon meeting the firefighter, was immediately impressed with his strength and easygoing demeanour.
After being accepted into the program, Huerta Galicia called his friend, Colin Lo, to co-direct, taking on the role of prepping for the interviews and filming with Laughlin. Lo was excited to work on the project and was equally inspired by Laughlin’s resilience and positivity.
“He’s [Mike] a friendly person,” Lo said. “As we were filming a lot, we just became friends.”
The film isn’t intended to be negative, rather the story follows Laughlin as he confronts the demons of his past and learns to live in the present. The team hopes to raise awareness about mental health struggles and inspire people who feel like they might be at rock bottom to build themselves back up.
“In the worst moments of his life, he starts to see that at the end of the day, there’s always hope and there’s always a chance to look forward,” Huerta Galicia said.
Through adversity, Laughlin’s friends and family rallied around him to help him conquer his circumstances and eventually rise to captaincy. The documentary tells the story in his own words.
It’s this story—the story of community—that the filmmakers hope to share with audiences at the premiere in March.
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