When director and producer Kaycee Leigh first pitched Seeking Wh(y) at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival (KCFF) Script to Screen earlier this year, the project had already been years in the making. Now, just months after being named a co-winner of the competition, the deeply personal documentary has taken another major step forward, with a crowdfunding campaign helping bring it to life.
For Kaycee, Seeking Wh(y) is more than a film about family and identity. It's a search for answers about her own story, and a chance to better understand the pieces of herself she hopes to pass on to her children. At its heart, the film is about self-discovery, acceptance and what happens when we finally decide to look for the answers we've been carrying with us.
An award-winning filmmaker and producer with more than 15 years of experience across documentary, broadcast and branded content, Kaycee has worked on projects for Bell Media/CTV, TVO, Shopify and Discovery Channel. She is also a mentor and advocate for emerging and BIPOC creators, and was named a Centennial College Alumni of Distinction in 2026.
We spoke with Kaycee about her journey behind Seeking Wh(y), the support she has found within Kingston's growing film community, and what comes next for the project.
1. For those hearing about Seeking Wh(y) for the first time, how would you describe the film and the story you hope to tell?
Kaycee Leigh: Seeking Wh(y) is a very personal documentary that is an investigation into family and identity, and finding pieces of yourself that you didn't know before. I hope audiences walk away from the film feeling intrigued to explore their own families, or the parts of themselves that they may have tried to hide for a long time.
Ultimately, I think it's a love letter to yourself about accepting yourself.
2. What initially encouraged you to submit Seeking Wh(y) to Kingston Script to Screen?
KL: I initially submitted Seeking Wh(y) to Script to Screen because I thought it was amazing that we were having something like this in Kingston. I've done pitch events before in Toronto, but there are so many amazing stories coming out of regional centres, and it was really exciting to have that opportunity here.
It also came at a time when I felt like it was finally time to tell this story.
3. What was it like pitching such a personal project live in front of an audience and industry panel?
KL: It was really nerve-wracking. I've done a lot of pitching before, but not really in that sort of presentation style. Usually it's one-to-one or with a couple of producers, so this time it was in front of a larger audience and an industry panel.
But at the end of the day, when it comes to a personal story, you're the one who knows it the most. You're the best person to tell your own story. It was really nice to have the opportunity to tell it.
4. Seeking Wh(y) went on to be named a co-winner of the competition. What did that moment mean to you and to the project?
KL: It was a really pivotal moment for the project. I've personally been thinking about this story for 12 years, and it wasn't really until I had my kids that I started taking it extremely seriously.
When you're trying to find out about yourself and your family's history, it's also extremely meaningful to have that information for your kids.
Being named a co-winner was amazing. I was genuinely surprised that there were going to be two winners, and I was really, really proud to be one of them. I was also super excited for the other filmmakers.
5. What has it meant to develop this project within Kingston's film community?
KL: It's meant a lot. I'm working with a lot of local collaborators, and we recently shot our sizzle video, which is essentially a proof of concept to show broadcasters what the film is really about. Most of the crew were from Kingston, which I was really happy about.
I think Kingston is the city that has supported me the most when it comes to this story. Coming out of Script to Screen and then shooting the sizzle here, it feels really meaningful.
It's also a very local story: a local mom going back to her roots and trying to find answers about her own family. I'm really excited about that.
6. How did the feedback, mentorship and connections you received through Script to Screen help shape the film or your next steps?
KL: The mentorship was amazing. We were connected with some really great people in the industry, and I was really happy to get the project in front of the panelists who were choosing the winner because they came from all different sides of the industry.
Getting to know Joanne (Kingston Film Commissioner) and Tyler (Manager, Film & Media Strategy) was really amazing. Coming from Toronto, I don't think I've ever met the Toronto Film Commissioner. You don't necessarily have access to people in those roles in that way, so it was really nice to have that touchpoint.
Even the other filmmakers who were pitching their projects are people I'm still in touch with. I think it's all about that sense of community for me, and I'm so happy to be a part of it.
7. You recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for Seeking Wh(y). What stage is the film at now, and what will the funds help make possible?
KL: We launched our crowdfunding campaign in April, and in 30 days we raised $18,000, which is a lot. I was so touched by the support, both from the local community and from people across North America.
Those funds helped us raise enough money to shoot the sizzle. When it comes to a documentary, and especially such a personal one, I think it can be really hard to sell the film without showing people what it's actually about. You need that proof of concept, that sizzle that someone can watch and say, "Okay, now I understand."
That's what the funds made possible for us. We're now getting the sizzle edited, and all of that costs a lot of money, so we're really grateful for the support.
8. On August 27, you're hosting a Community Gathering & Film Screening at the Broom Factory. What can people expect from the evening?
KL: The film we're screening is To Labour with Love, a short documentary I made through the KCFF DocFactory project in 2025. It's about childbirth and how the media's portrayal of childbirth can be so different from what women actually experience.
I'm hoping to create a community environment where people feel comfortable coming out. Certainly for moms, we're often the last ones to take care of ourselves because we're always taking care of everyone else.
There will be charcuterie, cookies, food and drinks, along with the short film screening, musical performances and dancers. I really want it to be a lovely night of celebrating local artists while giving people an opportunity to come together, have a nice time and maybe even meet new friends.
9. Your screening is part of the KCFF DocFactory project. How have programs through Kingston Film and Media and the Kingston Canadian Film Festival helped support regional filmmakers?
KL: I'm honestly blown away by the kinds of programs I've seen in Kingston through the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and the Kingston Film & Media Office.
This is how we create stories that audiences can resonate with. Those stories can't always come from the large media centres because they don't necessarily reflect our regional voices.
There are things that artists here have to say, but if no one fosters that creativity or supports it, those artists will move away to larger centres and their projects can become shaped to fit a different mould.
I really love the things that are coming out of Kingston and the programs these organizations are creating. In smaller communities, we have to support ourselves and create an environment where local artists feel welcome. I'm really grateful for both of those organizations.
10. Why was it important to make the August 27 event more than simply a fundraiser and create an opportunity for people to gather and connect?
KL: At first, I thought it would be really lovely to have a fundraiser and help push Seeking Wh(y) forward. But when I reflected on the topic of the film we're screening and started getting other artists involved, everyone was extremely supportive.
That's what I've felt since moving here. The artists in Kingston are really collaborative. They want to help and lift each other up.
I want us to be able to come together and have social opportunities where you're not there to get something out of it work-wise or to network. It's just an opportunity to relax, make new friends and talk to people.
Human connection in 2026 looks very different than it did before, and I'm just trying to build an opportunity for us to find each other again.
11. What are the next major steps for Seeking Wh(y)?
KL: We just filmed the sizzle, so we're going to edit that together and share it with a few different broadcasters that we've been in talks with.
I'm truly manifesting, hoping and putting it out into the universe that we're going to find the right home for this story. When we do, we'll go into production next year with a very local Kingston crew, and I'm really excited for it.
12. When you think back to pitching the project at Script to Screen and where it is today, what would it mean to eventually bring the finished film back to Kingston and share it with the community that supported it along the way?
KL: It means so much. I was just remarking on this recently because we finished filming our sizzle, and we found out that Seeking Wh(y) was one of the winners on March 1. Here we are in August, only five months later, and we've done so much because of the support and momentum that came from that experience.
I would be so proud to bring the production back here. Obviously, it's a story about our family, and we live here and are part of this community. I'm really excited to share it with everyone here, but also to give back and create new opportunities for other filmmakers and local crew to work on something that they supported earlier this year.
It's very full circle and meta, but I'm super here for it.
Looking Ahead
From a 12-year-old idea to a Script to Screen co-win, a successful crowdfunding campaign and a newly completed sizzle, Seeking Wh(y) has already come a long way in just a few months. At the heart of that journey is a story deeply rooted in family, identity and the Kingston community that has helped Kaycee bring it to life.
As the project moves toward finding a broadcast partner and entering production, Kaycee hopes to continue working with local filmmakers and crew, carrying the support she found through Script to Screen forward into the next chapter.
