sign in sign up
<<
Home , Brian Markinson, Cold Squad, Colleen Rennison, Fred Ewanuick, Gabrielle Miller, Helen Shaver

Gossamer Creative and Haven Films present

DOWN RIVER

Starring: Helen Shaver, , Jennifer Spence and Written and Directed by: Ben Ratner Produced by: James Brown Producers: Ben Ratner, Andrew Halliwell Executive Producer: Jack Ong Runtime: 93 min Domestic Sales: Indiecan Entertainment

Interviews / Press / Publicity Contact: Lesley Diana [email protected] 604-726-5575 Logline:

Down River is the emotionally stirring story of three young women teetering on the edge between creative breakthroughs and personal breakdowns, and their connection with the older woman they rely on for guidance, support and inspiration.

Synopsis:

Down River is the emotionally stirring story of three young women teetering on the edge between creative breakthroughs and personal breakdowns, and their connection with the older woman they rely on for guidance, support and inspiration.

Fawn (Gabrielle Miller) is an in-demand but insecure actress. While striving to honour her religious beliefs, she battles the uncertainty between living out her career opportunities and settling down to begin a family with the man she loves (Peter Flemming). Aki (Jennifer Spence) is a dynamic abstract artist who hides under her paint-stained hoodie. She has talent, but with a widowed father (Hiro Kanagawa) whose traditional values constantly undermine her, not to mention her struggle with her own crippling shyness, she finds herself resorting to drastic measures to make an impact on an art dealer (Brian Markinson). Harper (Colleen Rennison) is a gifted but self- destructive rock singer. Desperately trying to fill the void, she careens happily between drugs, a sugar daddy (Teach Grant) and “the one that got away” (Ali Liebert). Pearl (Helen Shaver) is a charismatic, caring older woman who lives in the same building as the three younger artists. Estranged from her own daughter, she takes Fawn, Aki, and Harper under her wing, keeping them on track and inspiring them to new heights, while sharing her own secret with only her kindhearted neighbour (Jay Brazeau) . When Pearl suddenly leaves their lives, the three women must summon the courage to overcome their fears and face the future on their own.

Inspired by Ben Ratner's long-time comradeship with actress Babz Chula, who passed away in 2010, Down River is a film about mentorship, friendship, living life to the fullest, and ultimately letting go.

Director’s Notes:

What was the inspiration for this story? When I was a young actor, the much-loved singer/actor/teacher Babz Chula became my mentor, collaborator, and good friend. She passed away in 2010 after a long fight with cancer.

Although Down River isn’t about Babz, the character of “Pearl” is most certainly inspired by our friendship and creative collaborations, and by the ways she influenced and nurtured me and many of my peers throughout our personal and professional ups and downs. When she died, she left a gaping hole in our lives – a void we would eventually have to learn to fill on our own. To quote my favorite author, John Steinbeck, “teaching might even be the greatest of the arts, since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” Down River is a story of a teacher and her pupils. We all need teachers in our lives, but ultimately we learn by doing. We all need guides, but in the end, we must find our own way.

Why did you choose to make a film with all female leads? In addition to Babz Chula, the film is also inspired by the many women that I’ve have had the honor of teaching the craft of acting to over the past 18 years. It’s hard to be an actor, but being a female actor is just brutal. The rejection, judgment, and humiliation they have to face to stay in the game and prosper is quite horrendous. It seems like women in all art forms, not just acting, have to deal with more crap than the guys do. I wanted to tell their stories as much as I wanted to tell Babz’.

How much of your own experiences are in the film? All the characters in Down River have a big piece of me in them. The paintings by “Aki” are actually my paintings – I’ve always had a compulsion to paint abstract works and I know the sweet solitude of a late night in front of a canvas. I also know the fear of rejection. I wonder if my work will actually resonate with anyone in the art world someday, or are they just derivative doodles from another Pollock-influenced wanker? Before I was an actor I was a musician in a band called L. Kabong. In the 80s we played shows with bands ranging from Bryan Adams to DOA. I can still smell the stale beer and moldering leather jackets of the scuzzy rock and roll world of “Harper.” A few of the musicians I played with self-destructed and never recovered. For the vast majority, talent is not enough. You gotta have your shit together or you fizzle out or crash and burn. And as an acting teacher and actor myself, I know “Fawn’s” struggle inside out, and the dilemma of her fiancé, “Peter.” To be an actor is indeed a difficult path. To be married to one is perhaps an even greater torture. Believe me, I know - I am one, and I’m married to one! Having said that, working on Down River with my wife, Jennifer Spence, who played “Aki”, went surprisingly smoothly. We had each other’s backs the whole way through, and it bonded us in a very special way. Down River is like our first child together.

How did you cast your lead actors? I wrote the lead roles specifically for the actors who played them. I’ve known Gabrielle, Jennifer, and Colleen for years. They aren’t playing themselves in Down River, but in my warped view, the characters they play are pretty damn close, especially Colleen. Although there’s not much improv in the film, I listened closely to their suggestions as they read drafts throughout the writing process and that’s reflected in the final film. On another note, all three of those women had been students in my acting classes at one time or another, so I knew how talented they are and how to effectively work with them and/or stay out of their way. And I knew they all have a great sense of humor, and are capable of mining the material for both comedy and drama. Casting “Pearl” was trickier. I had only met Helen Shaver briefly, but I had seen enough of her work to know she had the right combination of soulfulness, sexiness, and toughness for the part. I got her number from a mutual friend and “cold called” her before I had written the script to tell her about the film I wanted to make. She said, “I’m in,” before we hung up, but didn’t officially come on board until she had read the shooting draft a year or so later.

What was it like directing Helen Shaver, who’s an experienced director in her own right? Not only is Helen an excellent director herself, she’s been directed by many of the greats, including Martin Scorsese, , and John Schlesinger, who have made some of my favorite films. She is full of great ideas, and suffers no fools. Was I intimidated? Put it this way, when she came aboard, Helen told me, “If you want me, you get me, all of me.” And that’s what I got. And I have her incredible performance and a bunch of grey hair on my head to prove it!

How was directing Down River different from directing your first feature, Moving Malcolm, in 2003? When I directed Moving Malcolm I was also acting in most of the scenes, so that was a major obstacle. This time I was totally focused on everyone else, on the big picture, and that felt right. Directing my first feature, I was so grateful to everyone for being there, when I look back I see that I was being often being too soft, it was like playing catch with a nerf ball. This time around it was hardball. A lot of the time I was throwing it at the actors fast and hard, and they were throwing it back. Whap! Our budget was low on Moving Malcolm, but everyone was getting paid. On this film, most of the crew and all of the cast were working for virtually nothing and there were only about a dozen of us, so everyone was doing 3 people’s jobs. That brought me to levels of exhaustion I had never known. After the shoot I was so worn out my wife would find me “sleep directing” in the middle of the night. I’d be in the kitchen, naked, setting up a shot, totally convinced the entire crew was waiting for me in the living room. She’d try to wake me up and I’d tell her, “we gotta get this, just get ready for the scene!” She’d say “it’s over honey, we’re done shooting”, and lead me back to bed.

Cast Biographies:

Helen Shaver as Pearl

Helen Shaver first appeared on the silver screen at 22 years old, starring in a series of award-winning Canadian films; Best Supporting Actress for Who Has Seen The Wind and Best Actress for In Praise of Older Women. took note and in 1977 she co-starred in the original Amityville Horror directed by Stuart Rosenberg. 's United States, Martin Scorsese's, The Color of Money, John Schlesinger's The Believers, Donna Deitch's , Andrew Fleming's The Craft, and Philip Borsos’ Bethune: The Making of a Hero broadened her education. Having time off to pursue directing interests, Helen returns to the big screen as an actor starring in the Independent features Birthday Cake and Down River.

It was Martin Scorsese who first suggested Helen direct. Working with him and other such greats as Steven Spielberg, , Sam Peckinpah, Brian De Palma, Helen amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience in the collaborative world of cinematic storytelling.

Helen Shaver has built a lasting legacy both behind and in front of the camera. She has directed hundreds of hours of television ranging from Law & Order: SVU to The Outer Limits. Her film Summer's End, a Showtime feature starring James Earl Jones, won multiple Emmy awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Helen was nominated for her direction.

Her producing credits include The Firm for NBC, Judging Amy for CBS, Showtime's Due East starring Cybill Shepherd and Robert Forster and the independent feature We All Fall Down, for which she also received a Best Supporting Actress award.

Gabrielle Miller as Fawn

Gabrielle Miller has been a professional actor for 20 years and has appeared in over 75 film and television roles. She recently recorded on City’s Mother Up!, a 13- episode, half-hour adult animated comedy series starring Eva Longoria (). It will debut in fall 2013 as part of City’s prime- time line-up and be available exclusively in the U.S. on the free, ad-supported . Other recent highlights include her role in the Feature, Down River set for release in September 2013 and also starring Helen Shaver (The Color of Money, Desert Hearts) as well as Guest Starring in CBS’s Person of Interest and Showtime’s popular series , CTV’s The Listener and Satisfaction.

In 2012 Gabrielle was busy filming a recurring role on Call Me Fitz as well as filming lead roles in 3 films; Carl Bessai’s Sisters&Brothers, Hallmark’s Trading Christmas directed by Michael Scott and the Mike Clattenberg directed Moving Day for which she is nominated for a 2013 Canada Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Gabrielle is probably best known for her lead role on the ground breaking number one Canadian comedy series (6 seasons). Combined Gabrielle has garnered 12 Gemini and Leo Award nominations for her work over the years and has won 3 Leos and 2 Geminis. Aside from her love for her craft Gabrielle is also a spokesperson for Vela Microboard a non-profit organization that supports people living with disabilities having autonomy and choice in their lives.

Colleen Rennison as Harper

Colleen Rennison began her acting career with a role in the Canadian indie film Max in 1994. This was closely followed by appearances in a handful of television movies and a guest- starring role on the television series The Outer Limits. Carpool, starring Tom Arnold, David Paymer and , was her first major American feature.

Shortly after she landed a role in the -directed Unforgettable with Ray Liotta and , followed by The Story of Us (1999), directed by and featuring and , in which she portrays their daughter Erin. Her next major role was playing Mona Hibbard as a young girl in the film Beautiful, directed by , also starring and .

Rennison continued to work on more Canadian projects such as the short lived but critically acclaimed These Arms of Mine for CBC, which landed her a Gemini Award nomination, and Coreen Mayrs' independent film A Feeling Called Glory for which Rennison won a Gemini in 2001, making her the youngest ever winner at 13. In 2005, Chris Haddock who was familiar with her work, hand selected her to play a variation of Kelly Ellard (convicted killer of Reena Virk) for a recurring role in Davinci's City Hall. Most recently Rennison has appeared in the films American Venus, Boot Camp with Mila Kunis, and What Goes Up starring Hilary Duff, Steve Coogan and Molly Shannon.

Jennifer Spence as Aki

Jennifer was born and raised in Toronto but spent the first year of her life sailing around the Caribbean with her folks. It was by a fountain in Montserrat, attached to her Dad's back in a baby carrier, that she met John Lennon when he remarked on the fact that he too had a half Japanese baby. She studied in the acting program at the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal upon graduating from high school. After spending some time traveling overseas, Jennifer settled in beautiful , where she began her career in film and television. Select credits include supporting roles in movies of the week Virtual Lies, A Decent Proposal and Write and Wrong with Kirstie Alley and, guest starring opposite Hank Azaria in Showtime's award-winning Huff. She has had recurring roles on the Emmy-nominated series , FOX's Killer Instinct and CBC's Gemini award-winning Da Vinci's Inquest. Jennifer is also known for her portrayal of the brainy and secretly libidinous Dr. Lisa Park on Syfy's for which she was nominated for a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series two years in a row. She was recently seen guest starring on the CW’s Supernatural, AMC’s Emmy-nominated and FOX’s Alcatraz. She is presently shooting her series regular role on the second season of Continuum, one of Canada’s highest rated series, the first season of which is currently airing on Syfy in the USA and has been sold to 50 other countries.

Jay Brazeau as Larry

Jay Brazeau’s credits are extensive and span almost every entertainment medium from acting on stage and in film, television and radio plays, animated features and series, to writing and directing.

Feature acting credit’s include; The Watchmen, A Guy Thing, Insomnia, Head Over Heels, Double Jeopardy, We’re No Angels, Snow Falling on Cedars, Ratko, Far Cry, Blonde and Blonder and Christmas Cottag, Kissed, The Prisoner of Zelda, Kitchen Party, Presumed Dead, Slam Dunk Ernest, Gold Diggers, Little Women and Andre. Miniseries include Masters of Horror and Steven Spielberg’s Taken. He was the recipient of the Film Critics Award 2007 as recognition of his significant body of film work. He also has his own place on the British Columbia Walk of Fame.

Amongst his many TV roles Brazeau did three seasons of the CTV hit series Cold Squad and was nominated for a Gemini Award for his work on the series Stargate SG-1.

Ali Liebert as Molly

Ali Liebert is a talented and versatile actress who has quickly become one of Canada’s brightest rising stars. Ali’s portrayal of Betty McRae in Global TV's original hit series Bomb Girls gained her back to back ‘Best Supporting Performance in a Dramatic Series’ nominations for the 2012 and the 2013 Leo Awards. Bomb Girls is a period drama set in and around a munitions plant during World War II. Ali co-stars with Meg Tilly and Jodi Balfour.

Since Ali begun her professional career, she has added over 50 credits to her name, including guest appearances on Hellcats, Human Target, Fringe, , and . She has recurred on, Harpers Island, Intelligence, Young Blades, Killer Instinct and Kyle XY. Her film credits include Sook-Yin Lee’s Year of the Carnivore and Ben Ratner’s Down River. In 2011, Ali had two films that premiered at TIFF – Afghan Luke (Mike Clattenburg) and Sisters and Brothers (Carl Bessai). In 2012, Ali again took TIFF by storm with the feature film Foxfire (based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel) which was written and directed by French filmmaker Laurent Cantet for -based Memento Films International. In 2011, Ali was honored to work alongside Academy Award Nominee Michael Clark and Emmy Award Nominee Loretta Devine in dramatic feature In the Hive.

Ali’s other passion is her film production company, Sociable Films, which was founded in 2011 by Ali, actor and writer Nicholas Carella and director Michelle Ouellet. The trio were unified by similar creative goals and a desire to ‘make movies sociably.’ They have recently completed their first film, Afterparty (due for release in 2013).

Crew Biographies:

Ben Ratner (Writer/Director)

Ben Ratner is a multiple award-winning actor, writer and director. He is best known for starring in internationally acclaimed Canadian films such as Sisters and Brothers, Fathers & Sons, Mount Pleasant, and Last Wedding. He also wrote, directed and co-starred in the feature film Moving Malcolm, which was awarded a First Film Special Distinction at The 2003 Montreal World Film Festival and won several awards at festivals in Canada, the United States and Europe. For television, he has over 75 credits, most recently guest-starring on Flashpoint, Arctic Air, Endgame, The Haunting Hour, and Eureka. He was also a series regular on the popular television series Da Vinci's City Hall and Kingdom Hospital.

As a director, in addition to Moving Malcolm, Ratner has helmed the popular series Robson Arms for CTV. He recently wrote and directed the feature film Down River, set to premiere in the fall of 2013.

Theatre acting highlights include Dinner with Friends, American Buffalo, for which he received a Jessie nomination, The Red Address, and Italian American Reconciliation. He also directed the Canadian Premiere of Christopher Shinn’s Dying City.

A protégé of internationally renowned acting teacher and author (The Power of the Actor) Ivana Chubbuck, Ratner is a teacher to many of Canada's top actors, and currently offers on-going scene-study classes at his Haven Studio in Vancouver. He also teaches acting workshops in Toronto and .

James Brown (Producer)

James Brown is a Vancouver based producer whose most recent feature film credits include Producer on Down River starring Helen Shaver, Gabrielle Miller, Jennifer Spence and Colleen Rennison, Producer for the film Bad City an hilarious throwback to 70s era Blaxploitation films starring Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Aaron Brooks and Reece Thompson set to hit the festival circuit in 2014. He was Co-Producer for No Clue starring Canadian funnyman Brent Butt, Amy Smart and David Koechner and lastly James' first feature was Sisters&Brothers starring Cory Monteith (Glee), Dustin Milligan, Ben Ratner and many others. The film debuted at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win six 2012 Leo Awards including Best Picture. Previously he produced the short films The Mechanic, and Warrior II. James studied at Carleton University in Ottawa, ON earning his B.A. in Film Studies and Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC earning a diploma in Motion Picture Production. James co-owns the company Mostly Harmless Productions with writer/director Michael Grand. MHP produced the successful web-series White Collar Poet starring David Lewis (Donovan’s Echo) which was nominated for a 2012 Leo Award for Best Webseries.

Robert Wenzek (Editor)

Robert Wenzek is a full time faculty member at The Art Institute of Vancouver, where he teaches music video direction, documentary production, screenwriting, directing and editing. He has directed the award-winning short films Out of the Blue and Therapy, and most recently Fred and Ginger. He created and directed the CBC pilot Johnny the Argyle Sock, starring Fred Ewaniuck and he co-created the NSI Totally Television-winning comedy series Uncorked with Jason Margolis. His work as an editor includes documentaries for Knowledge Network, Global Television and APTN. He has also edited many multi screen projection shows which are currently playing around the world including the NASA production of “Blast Off” for Space Center Houston.

Rob is the editor of the feature film Down River which features some of Canada’s top acting talent including Gabrielle Miller and Helen Shaver. Rob recently sold the option for the screenplay Ben & Jerry which he co-wrote with to Kevin Tierney; producer of Good Cop Bon Cop and The Trotsky. Production is slated for 2013. With what little free time Rob has, he enjoys cooking, spending time with his wife and daughter, and “ripping it up” on guitar.

Larry Lynn (Director of Photography)

Larry Lynn is a multi-award winning cinematographer who career spans 30 years. Selected feature film credits as Cinematographer include Inside for which he was nominated for a Genie Award and a Canadian Society of Cinematographer Award for Best Cinematography in a Feature Film, Waiting for Michelangelo starring Roy Dupuis, The Entrance, Behind the Wall, Dear Mr. Gacy and numerous Television credits including Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Breaker High, These Arms of Mine, and The Nature of Things.

Jack Ong (Executive Producer)

Jack Ong cut his entrepreneurial teeth shilling ultrasonic proximity detectors for heavy vehicles, a business he sold back in 1997. The restaurant industry's call was too strong to ignore for long, and a successful Death by Chocolate franchise was created at Broadway and Fir in 1998. Gossamer Threads has been the focus of Jack's energies since 2000 and is a highly technical programming and hosting company with a global client base. Having served as an aproned burger flipper, a greasy wrench monkey and a fastidious janitor and gardener, Jack Ong has a broad base of experience to draw on in his efforts to continue building socially beneficial organisations.

Avi Federgreen (Domestic Sales Agent)

Avi Federgreen’s nearly 20 years of experience in the Canadian film industry feature many highlights, from music videos to TV series to full-length feature films.

Federgreen’s current releases include Empire of Dirt directed by Michael McGowan, Random Acts of Romance directed by Katrin Bowen, the first ever Canadian fully financed 3D feature Dead Before Dawn directed by April Mullen and the documentary 30 Ghosts directed by Sean Cisterna.

Federgreen's other producing credits include Still Mine, Score: A Hockey Musical, Moon Point, I’m Yours, George Ryga’s HUNGRY HILLS, One Week, High Life, Leslie, My Name Is Evil, and the documentary As Slow as Possible.

In November 2011, Federgreen opened his own film distribution company INDIECAN ENTERTAINMENT. The company services not just up-and-coming Canadian filmmakers, but also those indies making films in a lower budget bracket who have otherwise virtually no chance to shine in a market of big studios, distributors and exhibitors.