The credits attached to Bill Marks’ name span a wide variety of genres, from the raunchy comedy Swearnet, campy horror flick Wolfcop to the comedy-drama Casino Jack. Outside of the David Bezmozgis-directed Victoria Day, however, Marks’ producing ventures into more art-house fare has been limited.

Marks, however, felt a personal connection to a collection of short stories penned by Canadian scribe Bezmozgis. Titled Natasha, the novel is set in the North Toronto neighbourhood where both Marks and Bezmozgis grew up. Marks pitched Bezmozgis on adapting book into a feature film about five or six years ago, and about two years after that the author called the producer to let him know he had developed a script and some actors in mind. Now, Marks is working the festival circuit with Natasha, a Russian- and English-language film which he says “is probably the arty-est film” he’s ever done.

The financing for Natasha‘s roughly $1.5 million budget came together fairly quickly, which Marks largely credits to Telefilm’s early belief in the film. Julian Rosenberg of Toronto-based January Films had previously agreed to work as a producer on any adaptation of Natasha and Marks also brought on his ex-wife, Deborah Marks, to produce, as he believed her experience with similar indie films would help move the project forward. Marks also said Bezmozgis’ reputation as an authentic talent and artist helped the film hit its budget target, as well as garner in-kind contributions during production from various Toronto venues and organizations.

“We shot in the AGO, we shot in the Pearson Airport – a lot of areas that are prohibitively expensive for these kinds of movies, but we got. Because it’s David, you have an artistic credential you don’t get with a lot of other filmmakers in Toronto especially,” Marks said.

While Bezmozgis is a director dedicated to his vision, Marks said he was willing to tweak the short story somewhat to help increase its appeal with a younger audience. For example, while the original short story is set in the 1990s, the feature is set in the modern day.

“I thought the film would have more resonance, and it allowed David to bring in social media and other elements…into the film. I think that really helped the story, and made it more accessible to a younger audience of 20-somethings,” Marks said.

Natasha is currently doing the festival circuit, ahead of a 2016 release in Canada by Mongrel Media and by Menemsha Films stateside. The festival circuit is a new experience for Marks, but he says he’s heartened to see the film appearing to gain traction with international audiences. Specifically, Natasha has been programmed into every major Jewish film festival in the U.S., as well as the Jerusalem Film Festival and festivals throughout Eastern Europe, Marks said.

Overall, the target audience for the film are those who enjoy thoughtful films about contemporary life, Marks said. While he originally thought the target audience would skew younger – people in their 20s – he’s seeing the film resonate with older viewers as well. For example, at Whistler, Marks said a middle-aged pediatrician approached him after the film, saying he often sees teens coming into his office encountering the same issues as those shown in the films.

“That’s fabulous, that we are reaching this thinking audience that is multi-generational,” Marks said.

Prodcos attached to Natasha are Vortex Words + Pictures and January Films. Executive producers are Daniel Ostroff and Jeff Sackman. Sackman’s TAJJ Media is handling international sales of Natasha.