Locally-produced film hopes to win over skeptical fans.
Producer Michael Dobbin looks forward to seeing Eddie premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this summer.
Eddie Rwema
After wrapping up a frigid winter film shoot in the area, an
Ottawa-based producer is optimistic his latest film will show that Canadian
filmmakers can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their more popular American
counterparts.
The film, called Eddie, is a satirical dark-comedy about a
once-famous painter who finds new inspiration after he befriends a sleepwalking
cannibal.
Produced by Michael Dobbin, Eddie was shot here in February and
it is currently in its post-production phase.
“The footage looks great, the performances were very
fantastic, and the cinematography is stellar. It’s going to be a very good
film,” said Dobbin
He was full of praise for the crews here in Ottawa for braving
freezing cold temperatures during the four-week shoot that ended March 4.
“It was a tough shoot. Filming in winter is difficult but we
got there in the end and we are really happy with the results,” Dobbin said. “They
were particularly good at dealing with the cold weather and the timeframes that
we had.
“We were only able to do it because they were able to run
the marathon with us.”
Dobbin, who runs Quiet Revolution Pictures Inc., said Ottawa
worked very well for the story, which is set in a fictional Ottawa-area town
called Koda Lake.
“Ottawa is a great city. The quality of life is amazing and
people here don’t seem to know it,” he said. “It is a very film friendly city,
people are very supportive of the film here and it is a very good stepping
stone to the world.”
Dobbin, who grew up in the Glebe and currently resides in
Old Ottawa South, thinks Eddie will challenge those that still don’t value
Canadian made films.
“Canadian distributors are not really paying attention
because their business is not to distribute Canadian film; their business is to
distribute American films,” he said.
He thinks its high time Canadians started taking a closer
look at what the industry is selling them.
“Why is a small town in Ottawa any less interesting than a
small town in the U.S.?” Dobbin said. “It is an issue that needs to be
addressed in order for our films to be successful.”
Recently, he said, there has been increased volume of work
coming in to the Ottawa region. His business model has been to co-produce films
internationally because then he can rely on the foreign market if the domestic
one lets him down.
“It sounds like a backwards way of doing it, but it is the
only way at the moment.”
He hopes to see Eddie premiere at the Toronto International
Film Festival this September.
There will be an Ottawa premiere for the cast and crew,
likely at the end of the summer.
Dobbin’s past work as a producer includes director Toni
Harman’s debut horror film The Devil’s Curse, a film by Capital Ward Coun. David
Chernushenko called Powerful: Energy for Everyone as well as Endre Hules’ The
Maiden Danced to Death.
eddie.rwema@metroland.com
Ottawa This Week - Central