Tag Archives: indie films

AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER MARA JEAN QUINN LOOKS FORWARD TO RELEASING HER UPCOMING FEATURE FILM “ANDAMOOKA” AROUND THE WORLD

Being an Aussie stuck thousands of miles away from home, I’m always excited to discover music, films, tv shows, literature and art from Down Under, thanks to YouTube, Vimeo and other platforms. After my two-month odyssey trekking around the outback and the big cities last year, I’m even more passionate about arts and entertainment coming out of Australia. There’s a wealth of independent Australian films being made and, joy-of-joys, lots of women filmmakers with successful careers and being given the respect they are due. One such filmmaker is writer, director, producer and actor MARA JEAN QUINN (below), to whom I was introduced by my Brisbane mate, Marilyn C. Bromley.I dug around online and discovered what a multi-talented busy lady Mara Jean is!  But like indie filmmakers around the world, the toughest part is finding the funding to complete the film and secure distribution – she is currently at that stage and is eager to find that last injection of $s to get her film Andamooka into cinemas.

Andamooka is a feature-length road movie about a city woman whose life falls apart just before she turns 30. She goes to the outback on a quest to spend her birthday with her best friend in tiny opal mining town Andamooka. It paints an honest picture of womanhood, the pain of things not working out and the disconnected nature of city life. The film was shot on location in Western Queensland, Northern Territory & South Australia.I recently asked Mara Jean to share stories from the set, how she got the film made, who helped her and, of course, the challenges of being an indie filmmaker in Australia…..

Mara Jean, you’ve had quite the career journey since starting in theatre in 1999, then as a film actor in 2006 as well as doing some modelling along the way. Since then, you’ve written, directed, produced…even worked in wardrobe. How have all these skills worked to your advantage now that you’re producing your own films?  Having an understanding and interest in all the areas of the film means I have compassion and a basic grasp of what different departments are dealing with – this helps with communication and being able to really flavour the film. I think the most original work comes from sharing the weirdest and most honest parts of yourself. So if I can take a look at different areas of the film in an active way, I can colour the film and in the end like it more! In saying that I am very collaborative and love having input from other artists.  Doing all these roles has been both an exploration of the medium and a necessity. Having to do difficult things out of pure necessity, I have realized I am capable of substantial output. I still go through moments of thinking things are too hard for me and impossible to achieve, but I chip away and get there in the end. I think everyone is far more capable than they believe!What inspired the story of Andamooka? It looks like a very personal and soul-searching journey from the city into the outback that you may have experienced yourself.  I was in denial for ages that it wasn’t based on reality, but it is. I went through a tough time personally and I’d wanted to do an outback trip for years. Though, unlike the brave protagonist “Alex” I never wanted to do it alone. I did a number of solo trips in different parts of Australia and the world in my late teens to mid-20s, so I suppose this was a factor in writing a female lead solo journey film.You spent a couple of months working with just a crew/cast of 3…talk about indie/guerilla movie-making. How the hell did you manage all that on such a tiny budget?  I suppose it was treated like any sort of travel on a shoestring budget, the only difference was, we had a camera and a sound recorder and we shot scenes every second day or so. We were careful with our spending. We only paid for accommodation one night on the whole trip. That night we just really wanted walls, a roof and a washing machine! We free camped most of the time, as well as staying with different friends along the way. The hospitality we were met with was so heartwarming and the public facilities were great. The three of us have all been in the Arts for a long time, which unfortunately means we’re all used to living well below the poverty line. I think the sacrifices made to live a life of freedom and chasing dreams are worth it.  The lucky thing also was that we were all in a place in our lives where we could step away and just hit the road for a few months without any income. Were you given help and shelter by the locals as you travelled throughout Queensland, Northern Territory, NSW and South Australia? I understand you filmed on Traditional (Indigenous) lands – did that require specific sensitivities and/or were your “hosts” helpful and contributed to certain events in the script?  We were met with incredible hospitality by everyone. We filmed five scenes with Indigenous Australians – all of these were written with the talent themselves.   At the time of shooting, we got permission from some Traditional Owners to film on their sites, and since then we have gained retrospective permission to show all sites in the film. We had to remove some due to no-photography zones. The process of gaining permission to show sacred and non-sacred sites from the Traditional Owners has been mind opening and rewarding. We took the permissions to the next level gaining the blessings from the local people of all areas shown in the film, almost every shot! (Below, Sound Recordist Anthea Hilton and Director of Photography Danni Ogilvie on location)One of the greatest learnings early on in the trip was that Australia is actually made up of hundreds of nations all with their own languages and dialects, culture, art, song, knowledge, laws and protocols. We are essentially the United Nations of Australia! Seeing the Indigenous languages map (pictured below) gives a great visual to this perspective. This understanding was both inspiring and really devastating. Experiencing the depth and vitality of these cultures in the Outback made us reflect on what is often an absence of this culture on the East Coast. Living without the visibility of Aboriginal people or culture feels like living a lie, as though it never existed. It’s a hollow and unjust way to live, acting as though “Terra Nullius” was accurate. Being around different local languages and culture adds depth and understanding to a place, so on parts of the East Coast, where this is invisible, we are really missing out on a level of connection to country that has existed for over 60,000 years.I think we are in an exciting time in Australia where people are waking up, confronting truths about our ugly history. Aboriginal people are at the forefront in the Arts. People want to consume this art, and if they don’t, they just haven’t discovered the magic of it yet.

You recently acted in the zombie killer kangaroo feature film “The Red”was this where you met your cultural advisor and producer, the brilliant Indigenous actor Aaron Pedersen? And how did you convince him to come on board with Andamooka?  Yes! I first met Aaron on the phone when I was in the production team. We had great rapport straight away. I ended up auditioning for a role and acting alongside him and other amazing actors such as Terminator’s Michael Biehn. One day between takes, I told Aaron about my dormant project Andamooka, a pain in my heart, as it had sat untouched for over two years. It was a simple conversation and he took a look at the teaser. A few months later I was at my editor’s house in Sydney, just down the road from his place, and I realized I wanted him in the room. I wanted his take on the film and his input. I called him and asked if he’d like to come and see it, and if he liked then there was a role as a producer for him. I was nervous about how he would respond to the film and that he might have to let me down gently. Fortunately, he loved the film, jumped straight in, and was a great influence on the storytelling as well as many other hurdles in post. Aaron Pedersen (pictured below in the award-winning Mystery Road tv series) is not only a brilliant actor, but he’s an incredible story teller and human being. I bloody love Aaron and it is such an honour to work with him!Funding is always a major issue when completing film and tv projects and I understand you self-financed filming. How difficult has it been raising $s to finish post-production of Andamooka? Have the various gov’t-run funding organizations assisted or are you hoping to remain completely independent from all the red-tape, relying strictly on private funding?  It has been by far the most stressful, frustrating and restricting element. I did attempt to get government funding from a range of bodies, but because we had lots of volunteers on the film they cannot give us any funding. There is a huge gap in State and Federal government funding for indie films – most of the people I spoke to within these places are well aware of this and wish it wasn’t the case. Luckily one of the funding bodies wants to start supporting indie films and Andamooka has become a prototype for them. We’ve both been learning and figuring it out as we go. They have given us a small grant which has been really helpful. Initially in pre-production I did reach out to a few government agencies but was met with a lack of enthusiasm and pretty much flat out “no’s”. I don’t like pushing people to work with me. I have an enthusiasm requirement or I’m not interested. We have been lucky that some fantastic people have given in kind support as well as some deferred payment plans, such as Nicole Thorn who has done an amazing job editing the film, without her there’d be no film. We recently ran a fundraiser that resulted in AUD$11.5K raised, mostly from family and friends, so the team is super grateful to all those people. Amazing what a community can achieve when they rally to support the Arts.

I am also extremely privileged to have generous parents: I was able to borrow money from them this year allowing me to work on this project full time for the last four months. Asking for help was an emotional process as I am usually proudly independent. I have had to get used to living in debt and carrying the stress of taking financial risks. I’ve also spent half the year sleeping on couches whilst working on the film in Sydney.

So how can film fans help?   Please donate to our online fundraiser at https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2E9q000000EkNL
We are also looking for a distributor, a sales agent and all the things I am still learning about that make a film have a life!

And once completed, will you be submitting Andamooka to all the film fests around the world? What are the dream fests where you’d like to see your film showcased?  We hope to tour world film festivals, have a selected cinematic release, and house the film on a streaming platform. And we hope to premiere at the inaugural SXSW Sydney in October this year.  Andamooka is a universal story and almost everyone who has seen it has felt a strong connection, so the more people we can show, the more souls we will touch. It would be cool to end up in places like Toronto, Berlin, Mexico, New York, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand.You can follow Mara Jean’s creative journey via:  https://www.facebook.com/andamookafilm and instagram.com/andamookafilm
And thanks to DoP Danni Ogilvie for photos from the set.

TORONTO-BASED ACTOR/FILMMAKER BRUNO VERDONI DOESN’T LET COVID STOP HIS CREATIVE PROCESS

A few years ago when my sister, Jenny, visited Toronto from Australia, she introduced me to Marianne Sawchuk and her actor husband, Bruno Verdoni. Marianne is a twin to one of Jen’s besties back in Oz so it was a fun meet-up for Jenny at an art gallery opening to which I invited them all, and I made 2 new friends here in Toronto.  Since then, I’ve watched as Bruno’s film and tv work has gained buzz on social media and more recently, he launched a film production company with wife Marianne – their first cinematic joint venture has resulted in increased awareness in the industry and much online attention from fans and movie lovers. PosterI recently chatted with Bruno about his current success and exciting new production venture with Marianne, as well as asking a little about his past experiences with well-known Hollywood actors and what’s ahead for him, regardless of the current Covid situation.

Bruno, you’ve enjoyed quite the stellar career to date and have worked with the likes of award-winning actors Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Lawrence Fishburne, James Cromwell and Viola Davis: how have they inspired you or shared their own acting experiences with you?  Most of the well-known actors I have worked with were very gracious. Robert Patrick was doing a very emotional scene and was nailing it take after take, and he openly shared with me how he did it. Back then I wasn’t sure if I understood what he meant, but now with all my experience I absolutely do. Barbara Hershey openly shared with me some of her life’s events and Scott Wilson and Shoreh Aghdashloo were genuine and quite generous on and off set. Jessica Chastain impressed me with her work ethics. Speaking of Jessica, I had quite the audition experience with Aaron Sorkin who directed Molly’s Game. I went in, we tried the scenes a few different ways, he said I was perfect for the part – something I had heard before but no candy. 90 minutes later my agent got the call that I was going to shoot both in TO and NY. A man of his word. Loved that!

You’re able to act in French language productions as well as English; how has this increased your working opportunities in Canada? A lot more opportunities as I can access casting for film, TV, Voiceover, Commercial and some Video games x 2 J. Often enough I am asked to do accents, both in QC and ON and that helps a lot too. For some reason I get offered roles more often in Montreal. I am from there but haven’t been living in that city for many years. So even while living in LA I was so chuffed to be offered substantial roles on French-Canadian series.

What motivated you and your wife Marianne Sawchuk to create your own film production company, Valiant Heart Films?  My career came to a point where the roles and stories I had been dying to tell and had been training hard for, were not presenting themselves enough, so I thought I should be carrying the load, and be more the in control of my destiny. I had written a story that moved us both a lot and a friend of ours (a screenwriter in L.A.) said “not only do you have to do this project but you have to direct it too”. And I did. From then on, Marianne (pictured below) became the main motivating factor both as a producer and a partner. She has those organizing and unifying qualities that she used so well while producing her theatre projects/festivals, skills that are so important – if not more – when producing film projects.Producer, Actress-Marianne Sawchuk Photo by David LeyesAfter that kickstart, I spent a considerable amount of time studying the craft; from screenwriting to cinematography. Even as a young actor, with a recurring role on Stargate, I kept bugging the DP with my many technical questions. That DP – Robert McLachlan –ended up winning many awards for his work on Game Of Thrones.

Your first short film, Heaven and Earth: A Ritual has been well-received on the film fest circuit – what inspired the 1880’s-based story and the characters?  I was living in Vancouver then and was really curious about issues of racism towards First Nations people and the Chinese community. So I started looking into the Chinese migration in an around Seattle and BC during the 1800’s. And I thought it’s hard enough today, but how horribly hard it would have been for a bi-racial woman (Chinese and Indigenous Canadian) back then.May (Sera-Lys McArthur) on the set of Heaven and Earth; A Ritual. Screen ShotAround that time, I had moved to Los Angeles and decided it would be a better fit, story-wise, to make the character MAY, a strong and combative First Nation character. Mostly because we were going to shoot it in and around L.A. and it felt more appropriate to focus on the U.S.’s Indigenous reality. We ended up moving back to Canada around that time and so Heaven & Earth was shot in and around Toronto.Frank (Bruno Verdoni), Elizabeth (Marianne Sawchuk) and Dancer doing a master shot at Lang Pioneer Village. Screen Shot (2) Frank Mitchell (BrunoVerdoni) and Dancer during magic hour on location in Kleinburg. Screen ShotHeaven and Earth is currently showcasing at the American Indian Film Festival (Nov.6-14) and the Huntingdon Beach Cultural Cinema Showcase (Nov.13-15); it’s just been accepted at the NatiVisions Film Festival in Parker, AZ, December 3 to 5, with more festivals in the pipeline – what are you doing to prepare for the wider int’l exposure and audience kudos and media reviews?  For as far as I can remember, my sights as an artist have always been on festivals. I’ve always been very inspired by the international community coming together during those times. It’s always been one of my dearest goals to collaborate, co-write, co-produce projects with different countries around the world. And, I also need to make sure I have many strong ideas up my sleeve and ready to be pitched. (see official trailer, below)

During the Covid lock-downs and country-wide industry shut-down, how have you remained busy? Have you been studying scripts for future projects, writing, doing voice-overs remotely?  Well I did take the time to write and direct a COVID short for a Toronto COVID short film festival, called Molly’s World. There again it was Marianne who jolted me into action as we had less than 48 hrs to write-shoot-edit this project. It was a lot of fun to play a bad guy in this family fare, opposite Marianne and our daughter Francesca.
Out of the stories I have been working on over the last few years, I am spending some time fine-tuning the ones that move me the most in terms of films and series. I recently recorded a voice-over gig for New York out of my own voice-over studio. 2 weeks ago I finished shooting a French series where my character had been recurring for the last 5 years and on a different artistic plane, since Heaven And Earth: A Ritual gave me the opportunity to compose music again, I decided to keep pushing in that direction, too, and play/compose more music, as I need to elevate my musicianship skills since one of my upcoming projects involves 70‘s rock music.  You can listen to Bruno’s music score for Heaven and Earth: A Ritual here:

What’s next for Valiant Heart Films – do you and Marianne have any projects in the works?   Well, that 70’s rock music project is actually a coming-of age story and has been brewing in the back of my mind for many years now. I strongly feel that it will be in a finished pdf format real soon. I have to say I find myself amidst many stories/concepts/ideas the run the gamut in terms of genres, from fable to musical drama, sci-fi to documentary, family comedy to thriller. I’m impressed that my intuition/inspiration is sending me in all these different directions but in the end the purpose remains the same; to tell a solid, compelling story that feels authentic and reverberates with people, that moves them.

Any advice for other actors or filmmakers struggling to establish themselves in a very tough business?  For me it’s always been about “what moves me” to the point where it makes me relentless. You have to find that “thing” which moves you enough to be unstoppable in your journey. That is the only way. And as you grow you will need to gather as many skills as possible on your journey – people, technical and artistic skills.  And ALWAYS surround yourself well. Find people who are talented, kind and who thrive in a communal environment.Our all female camera crew at Kleinburg Chelsea Springgay, 1st Assistant Camera, Deirdre Leowinata, 2nd Assistant Camera, and Sarah Thomas Moffat (Cinematographer)How can people follow your work and Valiant Heart Films on social media?
https://www.facebook.com/valiantheartfilms
https://www.facebook.com/bruno.verdoni
www.instagram.com/brunoverdoni/

Good luck with all your upcoming projects, Bruno (and Marianne) and I hope we see Heaven and Earth: A Ritual at even more film festivals over the coming months. Good to see you living your best life!Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Composer, Actor Bruno Verdoni1 Photo by Dennys IlicLATEST UPDATE:  

Currently Bruno is starring in another short film called Bloodshed directed by Paolo Mancini and Daniel Watchorn. It has been officially selected and playing at the following festivals…so far:
World premiere at Fantasia Festival in Montreal
Night Visions Festival in Helsinki
NOLA Horror Film Festival in New Orleans
Oregon Scream Week Horror Film Festival where Bruno was a finalist for Best Actor Award
LUSCA Fantastic Film Festival in Puerto Rico
Hellifax Horror Festival in Halifax
Requiem Fear Fest in Montreal where Bloodshed won Best Short Film
Frightening Ass Film Festival in Tennessee
Bogota Horror Film Festival in Columbia
Panic Fest in Kansas City
Monster Fest in Australia
Tacoma Film Festival
Festival El Grito in Venezuela Dec 3-5
Mostra Crash International Fantastic Film Festival in Brazil Dec 9-13
Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco Dec 11-27
Chandler International Film Festival in Arizona Jan 21-24, 2021thumbnail

EXCITING NEW CDN WRITER/ACTOR FILMS LATEST SHORT IN TORONTO

Just as I was watching the opening scenes of I,Robot on tv this past week, I got a call from Taylor Martin (pictured below), a multi-talented young woman who had just completed a 1-day shoot with my producer colleagues over at RDG Entertainment Inc. for a short film called “Breadcrumbs”.  On my tv screen, the scene was unfolding where Will Smith’s futuristic cop character was talking about “breadcrumbs…like Hansel & Gretel”, left for him as clues by the James Cromwell scientist character….synchronicity or what?!

Taylor martin 1Taylor told me about her experience of working with a professional crew and cast, seeing/hearing her script come to life, and playing one of the main characters, too.  The storyline is: When Gretchen met Luke everything seemed to be perfect, however, his adoration turned to obsession. She moves on and creates a new life only to discover that he has not. Gretchen is reminded that the past is never far behind. You can almost hear the sinister music playing in the background…dum dum dummmm.  So I asked her about the process and here is what she told me:

Growing up, you’ve been a dancer, model, gymnast, soccer player, martial arts practitioner….so what inspired you to seek a career in film?  I believe it started when DVD’s first came out and they often included a second disc with all the special features and background footage.  I can’t remember what movie it was, but I was completely blown away by “the making of” or “behind the scenes” section.  All of a sudden, my interests started to expand towards the creation side as well as the acting side.

As an actor, writer, director….what challenges you the most and why?  As an actor, if someone isn’t willing to “let go”, “be in the moment” and “be honest” with their intentions in a scene, I find that challenging to respond.  No different then the work of a relationship.  As a writer, it’s making sure everything flows properly, and not quelling too much on one thing.  Everything has a purpose, connects, and catches people’s attention.

11077927_663963547040783_5007723645388393253_nThe 5’11” strawberry blonde enjoys the glamour of acting in her own indie films (above)

For your latest short film, Breadcrumbs, you enlisted the production assistance of Rafael Kalamat and Jason Barbeck of Reel Deal Guys Entertainment (http://reeldealguys.com/) – what did they bring to the film and how quickly was it made?  They brought everything that is needed to actually shoot the film.  With their persistence, professionalism, team work, and dedication to the overal look and feel of the film, it was shot within one day.  I really couldn’t have asked for a better team, and that goes for the cast as well.  I’m the kind of filmmaker that wants to get things done when it’s that time.  I think that’s why a short film that could’ve been filmed over a two day period was done in one day because it was “GO, GO, GO”.  We ran a tight ship, and the atmosphere on the set actually fit into the filmmaking process.

11062314_663370900433381_5720500104321403121_nAbove, Rafael (left) & Jason (right) of RDG busy working out close-up shots

Tell us about Breadcrumbs – what’s it about, what was your inspiration for writing it and how much, if any, of it is biographical?  Breadcrumbs is about the drama that occurs in complicated relationships that should’ve ended a while ago.  My inspiration for it came from my own experiences and watching friends or relatives go through it.  All of it is biographical, but as a filmmaker I jazzed it up….and changed the names, of course.

10422979_663370860433385_2966626930667701247_n Alexis StaceyWere you involved in the casting process….and tell us a little about your lead actors?  I take charge and will always take charge of the casting process.  They are MY films, and therefore I’M the one who has the last say in the matter.  I will show co-producers the audition tapes from the actors I’ve chosen to play the roles, but that’s it.  I run my own ship but I’ll always need help to actually set sail.  I’ve known my lead actors (pictured above) for quite some time and they both enjoy these types of films.  I had asked for both their demo-reels when I was initially creating Breadcrumbs before I even told them about it.  I knew their acting chops were exactly what I was looking for, for the characters of “Luke” played by Stacey Unsworth and “Gretchen” portrayed by Alexis Uiga, so when I watched their reels, it was thirty seconds into them that I thought “yeah, I want them. I don’t need to watch anymore”.

Once post-production is completed, where will Breadcrumbs be shown? Any plans for the film fest circuit? Yes, we plan to submit it to as many festivals as we can.  The only footage of the film that will posted on social media for everyone to watch will be teaser trailer(s) of the film.  I hope to have, at most, two teasers since the film is going to be around the five minute mark.

11069621_663964133707391_5080895202076369952_nWhat’s next on your to do list?  The RDG guys and I were talking about making Breadcrumbs into a feature length film so I’ve begun the writing process on that – mostly writing down ideas for tying things together, since there will be lots of questions about the short film.  I’m also in the brain storming process with two other films.  So far everything I’m writing is action based, probably due to my martial arts background.

_MG_0528How can people follow your career? You can follow me on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/1BG5X4F 

Taylor Martin 2Good luck, Taylor, I know you’ll have a lot of Canadian film fans cheering you on, wanting to see more of your work and celebrating women screenwriters and filmmakers.