(Toronto) Toronto’s Matt Johnson and Kazik Radwanski say Canadian filmmakers aren’t taking enough risks.
The star and writer-director of the drama Matt and Mara believe that many Canadian films that land at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) are treated with “white gloves” by local critics.
In their film, Matt Johnson plays a novelist who returns to the life of his ex-wife, played by Toronto’s Deragh Campbell.
In keeping with Radwanski’s style, the film had no formal script, with the actors improvising dialogue and discovering the narrative organically during filming.
Johnson, who directed the docu-fiction BlackBerrywould like to see Canadian filmmakers push the boundaries of creativity further.
PHOTO TIFF/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Anne at 13,000 ft. by Kazik Radwanski
Radwanski and Johnson are often hailed as key figures in the new wave of Canadian cinema. They have both won the Toronto Film Critics Award for their previous work – Radwanski in 2020 for Anne at 13,000 ft. and Johnson in 2023 for BlackBerry.
They suggested, however, that this year’s TIFF lacks a strong presence of young Canadian filmmakers who dare to innovate creatively.
“I just think Canadian films are treated with kid gloves and critics are too kind to them in Canada,” Johnson says.
“I think the festival is too nice to them. I think they program too many Canadian films and the ones that are programmed are often just average. Very average. How do we fix that? I don’t know. I’m not going to be the guy who says, ‘Let’s play fewer Canadian films at TIFF.’ Really, what I want is for Canadian filmmakers to just be bolder and do more crazy things.”
TIFF runs through Sunday.