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JOHN GRIFFIN |
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The Gazette - Montreal |
Saturday, February 04, 2006. POP CULTURE section
PHOTO CREDIT: PIERRE OBENDRAUF, THE GAZETTE
Ezra Soiferman and Val Lonergan are behind the Montreal Film Group, an organization aiming to bring filmmakers together.
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There's a reason why friends call local filmmaker Ezra Soiferman the
Sultan of Schmooze. He's really good at it. Stung by the end of a relationship that was to have relocated him to
New York City last fall, the director of offbeat documentaries like Tree
Weeks and Man Of Grease coped by getting creative with his contact list. The Montreal
Film Group is the result. Soiferman and MFG co-director Val Lonergan met to talk about the
brand-new organization earlier this week at Shaika Cafe, the seriously
comforting N.D.G. resto, bar and de facto alternative community centre that
would house the first MFG confab the next night. "Our mission is to bring together like-minded Montreal film and
TV folks who are eager to be part of a thriving - and growing -
community," they said over sparkling water. "To do this, we promote
networking and learning through a stimulating slate of events. "It's only existed a couple of months in its current
form," Lonergan explained. "Back in the summer of 2004 a bunch of
local film people got together in bars and cafes to figure out a way for
filmmakers to collaborate and make life in this difficult profession easier.
It seemed like everyone was working in their own little bubble. We figured we
should try and pull together." Like many good ideas, it hit the back burner while its creators went
about making the rent. Soiferman, ever mindful of "learning from your
losses," took the N.Y.C. setback as a sign he should recommit to that
earlier idea. With Lonergan on board to do the hardcore organizing, the MFG was
officially launched Jan. 17. Membership demographics run from film and TV producers, writers,
directors, editors, animators, composers, actors, crew members, agents, news
reporters and set designers to recent film school grads, and, it's reported,
lawyers and critics. "We create monthly opportunities to meet new people that go
beyond the traditional cocktail-party setting and vary in size and
purpose," they said. "There will be how-to nights, live interviews
with industry personalities, small dinner parties and more." There were 40 members before the launch. Tuesday night's Shaika
network mosh attracted more than 250, and membership was expected to pass the
300 mark by week's end. "It's out of control," Soiferman explained, engaging his
full-schmooze setting. "The feedback has been consistently supportive.
People think it's such a great idea and say we really needed this. Sometimes
you forget you've made the right moves until people tell you." In an earlier email, Soiferman elaborated on those moves. "We have
a considerable collection of useful links to share and often receive job
openings to post. We like to promote local film screenings. We're currently
securing industry sponsors who will offer discounts and other advantages to
our members. We keep the group up to date by periodic email newsletters and
through our website." Membership, by the way, is free. "There's no reason we can't access government, private
investors or venture capitalists, or serve as our own funding organization,
offering grants," Soiferman said at Shaika, dreaming large. Back on terra firma, he remembered, "Both Val and I are active
filmmakers, and we won't be giving up our day jobs for this. We have no big
set plan. It will go the way it goes." And the Shaika bash? "A hit. A complete success. A grand slam," Soiferman wrote
way too early the next morning. "Everyone was there, from directors to writers, to make-up, to
actors, to stunt men! I was flabbergasted by the turnout and the response. It
is a true sign of the need for such a thing, and a step in the right
direction for our city, not just our city's film and TV scene." jgriffin@thegazette.canwest.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006
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