‘What’s a donkey mean to you?’
image courtesy donkeythemovie.com
Ottawa film makes world premiere at Empire Theatres
GUN FIGHTS, KIDNAPPING, and revenge—rest assured, “this [film] has been approved for bad asses.”
The film Donkey may sound like a typical mobster movie, but this Ottawa-made film is as unique as the message at the beginning of its trailer. This independent crime drama was filmed right here in the nation’s capital and stars a completely local cast.
“[I wanted] to deliver a mainstream story that would have a voice of its own, a look of its own, and a feel of its own,” said writer and director Adrian Langley. “The entire flavour of the film is affected by the fact that it was done here [in Ottawa].”
In the film, Don Key, played by actor and producer Matthew Stefiuk, has just been released from prison for grand theft auto. Upon his release, he immediately sets out to seek revenge for being abandoned by his friend Tony, and rediscover his love for his childhood sweetheart, Bella. However, when Bella is kidnapped by an extortionist who wants five million dollars from her mobster father, Don Key is then thrust back into a world of deceit and violence in order to save the one he loves.
As Langley’s first action film, Donkey came with more than one film’s fair share of challenges—in particular, problems specific to independent filmmaking. Budgeting, scheduling, and finding enough actors to play all the parts were especially difficult for Langley, who found the Ottawa talent pool to be more limited than he expected. However, he admitted that those challenges were simple compared with that of actually getting the film together.
“The challenge in this film was to make a crime drama with 26 actors and many locations over the course of two and a half months of shooting,” explained Langley. “I have never made an action movie before, and the logistics of shooting scenes [were] a challenge.”
The inspiration for creating a completely local film was derived from observations made by Langley about what he has dubbed the “triangle trade.” He explained that many actors and actresses from the Ottawa-Gatineau region are unable to get more than one-liner roles in films or television shows and therefore do not often find the opportunity to realize their potential in the field.
“We basically wanted to do anything we could in order to make people aware that stuff goes on here [in Ottawa],” he said. “There are phenomenal writers and actors out there that are not making connections because they do not think there is anything out there [for them to get involved with].”
Donkey made its theatrical debut Jan. 27 at Empire Theatres in the Rideau Centre. An estimated 400 people attended the premiere, and an additional screening the following night. Now that the film has made its debut, Langley hopes that its reception will not be influenced by the poor reputation of Canadian film. He wants people to see how unique the film really is.
“I hope that when people see [the film], they enjoy [it] and smile to themselves, knowing that it came from here.”
Donkey will be available on pay-per-view and iTunes soon. For updates on the upcoming DVD release, check donkeythemovie.com.
