In this conversation, I was able to speak with Elma Begovic, the star, co-writer and producer for the short film "The Day We Left," a story about a family caught in the religious conflict of the Bosnian War, who flee to seek refuge in Serbia, with their enemies.
From my early days of loving film, I’ve always loved the subgenre of home invasion, with films like Panic Room (which was probably the first I watched), I was hooked. Whether it’s horror or more pure thriller, it works for me. It’s a bit ironic as I hate being home alone, so my love of home invasion is probably what’s stirred that paranoia. There’s something about the structure of them that’s always familiar and great, so when films are able to add twists and turns and feel like it offers something fresh to the genre, I’m generally a big fan. That's very much the case with the new thriller "See For Me." I was able to speak with the film's director, Randall Okita, which you can find here.
For my podcast The Filmcraziest Show, I was able to speak with the film’s stars Katherine Barrell and Cody Ray Thompson about their work in Cabin Connection. We talked about Cody not actually being in Bad News Bears, Kat and Cody working together in a film before and then working together here, what they related to most about their characters, their favourite movie occupations they’ve played, believable conflict, and #CabinEarpers.
Here I spoke with actors Brooke Nevin and Corey Sevier (who also directs the film) about their work on the new Christmas romance film, "It Takes a Christmas Village," where Brooke Nevin plays a Mayor who plans a last-minute Christmas market to help the small shops in town. Coming to Super Channel on Dec. 1, with a limited, one-night only theatrical run tonight, Nov. 29.
Brother, I Cry is a beautiful passion project by writer and director Jessie Anthony, and the film is a drama about a First Nations man, Jon (Justin Rain), who is struggling to overcome his addiction and avoid the multiple warrants out on him. With his family rallying behind him, he tries to overcome his demons.
In the sci-fi web series Narco Leap, Chelsey Reist plays Kelsey Green, a college student who discovers the extraordinary ability that she can leap into the body of other people during her bouts of narcolepsy. This gift makes her the target of some military espionage. The series also stars Madison Smith, Austin Eckert and Aleks Paunovic.
For the series’ second season, I was able to speak with director and series executive producer + creator Kate Green. The web series is now playing tonight (Oct. 30) as part of the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, as it plays tonight on Super Channel in the short film programme “Web Bites.”
Exploring themes of loss and grief through a science-fiction story in Between Waves, Fiona Graham plays photographer Jamie who finds herself at the centre of a missing persons investigation when her boyfriend Isaac (Luke Robinson) disappears.
As she’s dealing with potentially losing her boyfriend, she still sees him everywhere; and then she literally sees him everywhere. Isaac comes to her and reports that his research has worked: He’s thought of a way to open a parallel dimension, using the conduit of water. This sets Jamie on a journey, through Toronto and into the Azores, trying to reunite with Isaac.
For my podcast The Filmcraziest Show, I was able to speak with the film’s director and writer Virginia Abramovich where we talked about being drawn into the story, the research and figuring out the rules, the casting in the film, shooting in the Azores, shooting the underwater scene, the transitions in the writing and much more in between.
In Michael McGowan’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, All My Puny Sorrows concerns two sisters: Yoli (Alison Pill), a writer struggling with success, and the other, Elf (Sarah Gadon), a brilliant concert pianist who’s hellbent on ending her own life. The themes in this film are very heavy, as it opens with their father Jake (Donal Logue) waiting for a train and stepping in front of it to end his life.
It’s a heartbreaking film that you’ll need a pick-me-up from after watching it, and one that I admittedly was apprehensive that would have the dull, negative melodrama of August: Osage County. However, this is a truly beautiful film. I really enjoyed these characters and getting to learn about the sisters’ relationship, and I was surprised by the story because I figured the sisters would be brought together by their father’s suicide, and not Elf’s own suicide attempt.
For Black Conflux, I was able to speak with actress Ella Ballentine about her layered and memorable performance as Jackie. In the interview, we talk about how Ella picks her projects, workshopping the character, singing for a scene in the film, watching her films, working with Ryan McDonald, some advice and more in between.
Here's a conversation I had with writer/director Nicole Dorsey for her new coming-of-age drama BLACK CONFLUX, a portrait of a teen in high school and an alienated loner eventually crossing paths.
Filmcraziest 