Scripted feature Morningside (Ron and Aussie Productions) producers Ron Dias (pictured right) and Joanne Jansen (pictured left) are preparing to shake up the Canadian film market with their distribution and creative marketing company Big Picture.

Big Picture’s seed was planted in December 2023. Dias tells Playback Daily that two weeks before the beginning of principal photography on Morningside, its distribution deal fell apart.

The film, set in the Morningside neighbourhood of Scarborough, Ont., follows the lives of seven people as they navigate relationships, societal struggles and gentrification. It stars Canadian talent, many of whom were born or raised in Scarborough, including singer Fefe Dobson, Oluniké Adeliyi (Village Keeper), Alex Mallari Jr. (Code 8), Lovell Adams-Gray (Brother), Kiana Madeira (Fear Street), Jansen (The Manny) and Brandon McKnight (The Shape of Water).

The departure of the distributor made Morningside ineligible for tax credits, put the producers’ bank loan in jeopardy and left a $150,000 gap in the film’s roughly $800,000 budget. A large part of that budget had come from AMC Network’s streaming service Allblk, which had supported and streamed Dias’ feature debut Bite of a Mango.

With his stars flying to Toronto for the shoot, Dias went to friends and family and was able to raise the needed funds. Hollywood Suite also boarded the film, which unlocked tax credits, and the team was able to redo their bank loan.

Dias also credits Craig Fleming (Clerk), who produced the film along with Dias and Jansen, for using his expertise to make sure the “house of cards” did not fall.

After shooting, Dias returned to Telefilm, which had initially rejected the project, and was able to secure an additional $100,000 for post-production.

After this experience, Dias and Jansen — who founded Big Picture along with Gavin Sheppard and Fleming — say they saw a gap in the Canadian distribution market for a company that has a developed marketing strategy and provides more equitable profit- and revenue-sharing.

“We saw where that gap was, and we understood how to mix culture and commerce a lot better,” says Jansen. “We’re trying to create experiences … and we created that with Morningside.”

For the film’s Canadian distribution, the team partnered with Jim Sherry at Sherry Media. The distribution veteran was able to assist with his in-depth knowledge and existing connections with Cineplex, while Dias and Jansen planned the rollout and strategy.

Dias and Jansen built on the film’s Scarborough setting and content by partnering with local Scarborough businesses, engaging with the community, utilizing social media, ensuring the film screened in Scarborough, releasing Morningside-branded merchandise and relying on the star power of the film’s actors.

“[Adams-Gray and Madeira are] big stars that are from here. They just don’t get the recognition,” says Jansen. “Other places in the world, like the U.K., definitely recognize that.”

Morningside opened on Feb. 21 in two Cineplex theatres, Cineplex Odeon Morningside Cinemas and Cineplex Cinemas Scarborough. The film spread to Cineplex theatres across the country, with the team having to pull it after 10 weeks to comply with ALLBLK and Hollywood Suite’s streaming deals.

Over those 10 weeks, Dias says the film made more than $100,000 in Canadian box office revenue.

“We think there is still a space for [Canadian independent] cinema,” says Jansen. “I don’t believe it’s that people don’t want to go. Give them a good reason.”

While the duo see Morningside‘s Canadian release as Big Picture’s soft launch, the company’s official debut is across the Atlantic Ocean. The BBC and its streaming platform iPlayer have acquired the linear and streaming rights to Morningside in the U.K., with a release set for April 1, 2026. The Big Picture team is planning the campaign, and gauging a potential U.K. theatrical run.

“I think people look for similarities more than they do differences, especially in films. So I know that there is a [shared] relationship or identity between Caribbean culture in the U.K. as there is here,” says Jansen.

“The only difference is the time zone, to be honest with you,” adds Dias.

The company is still awaiting approval as an eligible Canadian distributor from Telefilm. While it has begun discussions with other filmmakers to act as a potential distributor, nothing is official yet aside from Dias and Jansen’s next film, which is currently in development.

The two say Big Picture looks to be the Canadian distributor, marketer and sales agent for independent films from unique voices in Canada and beyond. They are open to films in all stages of development and production, but prefer to board projects in the early stages.

“I can only imagine the amount of great ideas and films that aren’t getting made because they just can’t get someone to believe in them,” says Jansen.

Photo by Jober Guevarra