Move over, Hollywood North — the nation’s capital is a great place to produce films, an Ottawa writer/director said recently.
“There’s a vibe here,” said Adrian Langley. “People are accommodating (to film crews). They take two steps back and watch quietly. (Unlike in Toronto and Vancouver), people are still enthusiastic about filmmaking here.”
And Langley should know. On Jan. 27 and 28, he will be screening his new film, Donkey, at Rideau Centre’s Empire Theatres. Langley’s Fluke Films, in association with Ottawa’s Parktown Productions, utilized 100 per cent local talent, facilities and creativity in producing the film.
Langley’s project, to create a film completely “indigenous” to Ottawa, was a reaction to what he calls the film industry’s “shoot and exploit” approach to the city. Local actors, writers, and directors are frequently forced to go to Montreal, Toronto, or the United States to work.
Langley said that his vision for Donkey was to create “mainstream fare with artistic flare.”
He described the film — which tells the story of a “two-bit” thug caught up in a kidnapping plot — as a crime drama, and said it’s more accessible than his first full-length feature, Dealer, which came out in 2002.
Langley is excited to have produced a film that Ottawa can truly call its own. “I hope Donkey can serve as an example that Ottawa can do more than service outside productions,” he said.
