TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS,10 Filmmakers - 1 City

a feature documentary by Joanne Belluco

Is there a link between Toronto and its cinema?

Does Toronto have a cinematic identity fuelled by its filmmakers?

Is their vision a premonition of a new era and of a next stage in our civilisation?

In search of some answers, TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS will be the outcome of this initiatory journey...

SYNOPSIS

David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan are Canadian filmmakers who have fed the fantasy lives of millions of spectators worldwide with their diverse cinematic creations. These filmmakers and others are representatives of the city of Toronto, Ontario.

I met and interviewed 4 generations of Toronto filmmakers: Michael Snow, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Peter Mettler, Patricia Rozema, Don McKellar, Vincenzo Natali, Aaron Woodley, Sook-Yin Lee, Reginald Harkema. Through interviews, I examined their respective careers until the mystery surrounding their singular approach to cinema and, ultimately, their approach to their hometown is revealed.

Don McKellar on the set of TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS

Dubbed “Hollywood North,” Toronto has become a convenient backdrop for American films, and home to one of the film industry’s most important international film festivals and markets. But with the sheer number of films and created and sold here, and the strength of the talent it has spawned, it has remained surprisingly invisible as a film city.

TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS journeys into the heart of Toronto, between the “dreamt” city of its filmmakers and the urban reality they inhabit, one as surprising as their filmic imaginings. We wander in this ever-transforming place led by the directors and examples of their work, exploring the singularities of their vision, their similarities and differences and whether they have a connection to each other or the city they have created in.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

I grew up watching David Cronenberg movies, later came those of Atom Egoyan. At an impressionable young age, I was taken by the mysteriousness and the oddness of their films. In some ways, their films have become part of a broader cultural heritage that has shaped my personal identity.

I was 32 years old when I felt the irrepressible need to travel right in these artists’ dens, to find these directors, talk to them and shoot a feature documentary about them.

And so in July 2006, I moved to Toronto. Slowly, I am getting used to this new world that, strangely enough, I find rather familiar. The city of Toronto had to be the main character of my film. Moved by the city and its filmmakers I started shooting TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS. It was the beginning of an amazing adventure.

I decided to keep my “European” point-of-view on this “fantasized” cinema, and to try and understand, from the inside.

I ALREADY WANT TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN PROJECT

In Toronto, I managed to make my way step by step into the Toronto independent filmmakers community who supported me and introduced me to their mentors : Michael Snow, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar…This community was proud to help a foreign filmmaker who would finally highlight the talent and the creativity of Toronto artists.

On top of that the French community in Toronto also believed in my project and supported me by offering free accommodation, flight tickets, free entries to the main event and Film Festivals (there are 70 Film Festivals per year in Toronto!).

A big thank you to The Spoke Club, the Consulate general of France in Toronto, AperoChic and 58wheelers.

Thanks to these collective efforts : the film is now edited and just need to be completed.

Bruce McDonald on the set of TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS

Sook-Yin Lee & Vincenzo Natali on the set of TORONTO BY ITS INSIDERS