The Whistler Film Festival has virtually opened its doors today (Dec. 1) with the world premiere of Wendy Morgan’s directorial debut Sugar Daddy, which finally reaches audiences after the pandemic forced the film into post-production limbo.

“It’s been a journey,” Lauren Grant, producer and founder of Clique Pictures, tells Playback Daily on the experience taking Sugar Daddy over the finish line. Grant produced the film with Lori Lozinski of Vancouver-based prodco Violator Films and the film’s star and scribe Kelly McCormack, under her banner Floyder Films.

The film went into production in March 2019 and was originally meant to be delivered by the end of March 2020, but the closure of film labs brought the finishing touches to a halt. “Technical things that would usually take three days to fix seemed to take weeks,” says Grant, who only screened the final version weeks ahead of today’s premiere.

Even deciding on its title became a challenge.

Sugar Daddy was the title on the original script from McCormack, but the producers feared the title would imply the film is set in a male POV, which it was far from. The film follows McCormack as a struggling artist who finds a way to pay her rent by going on non-sexual dates with older men for money.

“We debated the title for a long time; what’s the right way in? What does it contrast with the film? What is complimentary,” says Grant. “Then of course there’s the marketing conversation. Did someone turn it on because they think it’s going to be fluffy, versus the indie art house film that it is? We went back and forth, but then we also really struggled to find alternatives.”

The film was labeled as the Untitled Sugar Daddy Drama when levelFILM came on as the Canadian distributor; it was changed to Darren – the name of McCormack’s character – during principal photography. They tried out four or five titles throughout the development, production and post process, before finally going with their gut on Sugar Daddy.

Every detail matters in the packaging of a film, especially in the ever-evolving indie film distribution landscape where finding the right platform can make or break its audience reach.

“I think what we’re seeing with all the new platforms available and all these virtual film festivals is you can reach a lot more people,” says Lozinski. “To me, that’s the point; I want a big audience.”

Having a rising star like McCormack, who was a lead in the Canadian sci-fi series Killjoys and is set to star in Amazon’s upcoming TV adaptation of A League of Their Own, and other recognizable talents such as Colm Feore (The Umbrella Academy), Amanda Brugel (The Handmaid’s Tale) and fellow Killjoys star Aaron Ashmore, gives the film an edge up in attracting its audience as well, part of what makes its U.S. distribution sale to Blue Fox Entertainment an encouraging sign for its potential success. It’s also a modern story that looks into the growth of the gig economy; stylistically speaking, the film uses the talents of Montreal artist Foxtrott to craft the sound of McCormack’s character, and utilizes Morgan’s skill as an award-winning music video director for artists such as Janelle Monae and Alicia Keys.

“Our Canadian audience is one of the most important audiences for us, but it’s probably one of the smallest,” says Lozinski. “We’re stoked that we have international sales already. That’s something a lot of films in our place don’t have.”

As the status of theatre closures change week to week across North America, the producers are ready to evolve their release strategy alongside it, with hopes of a potential theatrical and VOD run in the spring. They’ll be carefully tracking the world premiere at Whistler, which has given them an edge in discovering that audience, since the film is among the few that will have the full 31-day run to screen. McCormack and Feore have also already brought Sugar Daddy‘s first accolades, with McCormack winning the One to Watch Award as part of the festival’s Signature Series and Feore receiving the Canadian Icon Award.

“The whole experience of trying to launch a movie during this time feels so unknown,” says Grant. “But also I think there’s an opportunity for something interesting. I’m hearing some indie films that made seven times what they would have made at the box office. There’s some potential to really reach an audience.”

The Whistler Film Festival runs from Dec. 1 to 20.