Day two of the Playback Film Summit closed with another discussion with Canadian filmmakers on their recent features, this time showcasing Ashgrove, Viking and This Place. Read on to hear more about each film’s unique process from script to screen as well as their sales strategies — from unique incentives for commissioners, to remake potential. Playback Film Summit pass-holders can access the full case studies conversations online until mid-January.

Ashgrove

Filmmakers Jonas Chernick and Jeremy LaLonde created an innovative solution to hedge their bets on the making of their experimental drama film Ashgrove (Banana-Moon Sky Films, Cryingman Productions, Peter Harvey Productions).

Several years ago the two created a concept for a completely improvised film where actors create a narrative out of a basic outline of the story and its characters, according to LaLonde. The prophetic plot centres on a woman who is the key to solving a global health crisis. LaLonde is credited as a writer, director and producer, while Chernick is writer, producer and star. Peter Harvey is also a producer.

They recruited actor Amanda Brugel to star in the film and flesh out the story, with Brugel credited as one of the writers. LaLonde came up with a modest $150,000 budget with the help of resources at their disposal, including private property provided for the shoot and actor friends willing to work for a lower wage. Cast members include Shawn Doyle, Natalie Brown, Christine Horne and Sugith Varughese. 

The real challenge was finding a way to attract financiers, until LaLonde came up with a unique incentive. “I said, ‘Why don’t we make it a two-for-one with these investors? Why don’t we make a very intensive, behind-the-scenes documentary following the entire process? That way if the film does crash and burn, it’ll be even more exciting in the documentary,'” he said.

They brought the pitch to David Kines and Sharon Stevens at specialty channel Hollywood Suite, which was already commissioning original documentaries about film. “They jumped on it,” said Chernick. “They commissioned it right there in the room.”

The commission allowed the filmmakers to tap into Hollywood Suite’s envelope with the Canada Media Fund, and later Northern Banner Releasing came on board for Canadian theatrical rights. Ashgrove had its world premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year and will land in Canadian cinemas on Dec. 2. The documentary of the making of the film is currently in post-production.

Viking

With a sale already in France, the team behind the French-language sci-fi comedy Viking is now “pounding the pavement” to figure out its next step in a tricky marketplace — with one possible avenue being remake rights.

Stéphane Lafleur directed and co-wrote the story of a group of volunteers on Earth who simulate the first manned mission to Mars. Co-written by Éric K. Boulianne, Viking was produced by Luc Déry and Kim McCraw of micro_scope and has Sphere Films International as its sales agent.

The budget of about $6.3 million was supported mostly by SODEC as well as Telefilm Canada and Quebec and federal tax credits. Les Films Opale is the Canadian distributor, which came in with what Déry called “a small but significant minimum guarantee.” Radio-Canada pre-bought the rights to broadcast Viking, which was shot in Quebec and Alberta.

Anick Poirier, senior VP of Sphere Films International, said Viking has been booked in at least 12 film festivals around the world since its Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) premiere. It was also the subject of a bidding war in France, where the aptly titled, Paris-based UFO Distribution ultimately landed distribution rights.

The film now has “offers in the U.S.,” she said, and there’s been interest for rights to an English-language remake. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with that, it may never happen, but we’ve been quite surprised that a few companies are interested in or at least exploring remaking the movie,” said Déry.

Poirier called it a high-concept, “retro sci-fi” with a unique perspective from a director whose reputation resounds around the world. She’s hoping such elements will lead to more theatrical sales but can’t deny the difficult market.

“It is a challenging industry, as we all know. But I think there is a place for Viking, because we also think it’s a cult film,” said Poirier. “We think this film will age well and will stick in people’s mind a little.”

This Place 

After five years of developing her directorial feature debut This Place (Hometeam Films, Mutuals Pictures), Toronto-based filmmaker V.T. Nayani says she is thankful for Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program for helping “get the film started.”

The queer love story about two young women, produced by Nayani and Stephanie Sonny Hooker, received around $125,000 of seed funding from the program before it went into production. “I think all the relationships that we’ve built over the years allowed us to connect with folks and reach out. We were able to get support from CBC Films, thankfully, and Ontario Arts Council; Inside Out was very kind; CFC, which a lot of our team were CFC alumni,” said Nayani.

“So, we got a little bit of money from there. So, it was really just scraping together whether it was like a large sum or like chunks that we knew could pay for different parts of the process.”

Principal photography for the drama took place in Toronto in 2019 for 14 days. However, the pandemic halted the rest of production for two years and resumed in 2021 for three days.

This Place had its world premiere at TIFF 2022. Berlin-based Picture Tree International holds its international distribution rights and came on board a few weeks before its world premiere.