Scott Morgan was a film buff. During our Goan odyssey we had several movie dates which offered an escape from the reality of his illness. When Scott learned his beloved niece got accepted into USC film school, he was over-the-moon with excitement for her. Today, I am delighted to share with you Mercedes Morgan’s letter to me about how she recently ended up in Goa retracing some of her uncle’s footsteps. So happy for you, Mer!

Contributed by Mercedes Morgan:

The whole reason I knew of Goa’s existence was because of Scott. Ever since we sent him off, it’s existed as a place in my brain that seemed beautiful and magical, the perfect place to go to say goodbye to this world. 

The other week I got an email that my feature debut Fixation , after first screening at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), was going to have its world premiere in none other than Goa. The festival booked my ticket and before I knew it I was off to a place I had wanted to visit all my life. 

Here’s a picture from the India International Film Festival, held in Panjim, Goa every year:
[Mercedes is on the far right]

One of the most special moments was being able to walk around in the same hotel that Scott and Katy lived in. There’s so many places in the world, and to be able to walk in the same footsteps felt like such a gift. 

At the end of it when I was packing my bags, something fell out of my iPad case… one of Scott’s watercolors. I have no clue how it got there and it’s so random that it happened to make the journey, since I thought I had them all hung up or in a special box at home. But here it is from one of my favorite all time artists, making its way home:

Painting by Scott Morgan