My production company Tart Films, in concert with Maude Michaud of Quirk Films, just completed a significant milestone in our careers: our first fully funded feature film. After over 15 years as a producer with several short films and web series’ under my belt, I was afforded the chance, thanks to the generosity of Telefilm and their Talent to Watch Program, to produce my first feature. And what a ride it was. After a year of prep and 15 days of filming (not nearly enough time to shoot a feature film), we’ve moved on to post-production, and we’re very excited to see how the film takes shape.

As we planned and prepped for this adventure, one of the top priorities we discussed was making sure this film was a truly local endeavor. I believe in the potential that Montreal has as a filmmaking hub (that’s why I never went back to Vancouver!), and I took this project as an opportunity to prove it. We committed to casting local. We decided that we wanted to hire local Montreal actors for all of the roles because we believed in the talent here. I know that there are talented performers at home, and that we didn’t need to look elsewhere to build our cast. We found an incredible team to help us bring this story to life.

We also felt that it was important to celebrate these performers. We’ve heard a lot of rumblings over the past couple of years about the need for a Canadian star system, and how we don’t celebrate local performers at home until they’ve gone to LA or New York and created a name for themselves in the US market. I believe that we need to do more to celebrate our talent at home. Especially in light of what’s happening south of the border. Canada has some exceptional creatives that deserve to be honored and highlighted. Twelve years ago, I sat in on an event during TIFF and one of the filmmakers, when asked about the future of Canadian film, said that our problem is that we think of our productions as Canadian. Not in terms of cultural specificity or signature, but in terms of being ‘less than’ American films. That comment stuck with me, and lit a fire in me to change this mentality. So, as a small step in that direction, we launched a cast announcement on social media leading up to day one of principal photography. Each day we posted one performer’s headshot, and announced the role they would be playing. It was a small gesture, and it’s true that we only have a modest reach on social media, but it’s a step in the right direction nonetheless.

Canadian production companies should feel proud to cast local talent, and it should be part of their marketing scheme. It may not seem like a big deal, or an effective tactic right now, but that’s because we’re on the verge of creating a shift in the industry. It takes a while to incite change, and transformation is slow. Caterpillars don’t turn into butterflies overnight. They have to become literal goo first. They become an actual mess before they emerge as something incredible. As a producer, as long as I have the privilege of making films, I will commit to being the goo that has the potential to change the face of Canadian Cinema.

Jen Viens
Producer
ACTRA Montreal Vice President