As the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic began people around the world began to face life in lockdowns and quarantines. In rural Southern Ontario, Canada the pandemic hit close to home quickly as lives changed, jobs disappeared and people stayed home. Whether it’s sewing masks, singing songs or trying to figure out how your small business can stay afloat during a worldwide pandemic, people in the Haldimand-Norfolk area of Ontario, Canada developed resilience in the face of adversity. Staff and residents at long term care homes especially felt the strain of separation from loved ones, long hours and uncertainty. 

In this timely and poignant documentary series, director Graeme Bachiu collaborated with the very people he featured in the documentary. Armed with their smartphones, the subjects of Making Things Count: Pandemic Postcards share their struggles, worries and even simple joys as COVID-19 affected their lives.