Regent Park Film Festival’s Emerging Directors’ Spotlight & Pitch Competition is both a film showcase and pitch event where a selection of Canada’s emerging talent are highlighted and get the opportunity to pitch a web series idea to a panel of industry experts for a possible development deal with CBC Gem.
We are proud to announce that Tannaz Keshavarz, a 2017 graduate of the Script to Screen – Advanced Television and Film program, was selected as a finalist in this competition for the film she wrote and directed, “2035”.
“I did a lot of research on different festivals locally, and one of the festivals that popped to me was the Regent Park Film Festival because they do a lot to really take care of the filmmakers, and they provide opportunities to filmmakers,” she shares. “I thought this is a great opportunity because not only will I get my film in the festival, but get this opportunity to pitch one of the web series that I have in front of CBC. I mean, who wouldn’t want that? It was a two for two situation, so I jumped on that immediately.”
Tannaz says that her film, “2035”, came about after a Canadian immigration and refugee centre wanted a short film that highlights the experiences of refugees and immigrants so that they could use it as a learning tool for not only domestic students in high schools across the GTA but also teachers.
“I jumped on this opportunity because I wanted to create something that was also a homage to my own mother’s experience coming here as an immigrant, really struggling in terms of trying to get into the educational system, having to start over, not having any money, and didn’t really have any academic support. So, I wanted to do this basically for her but I also wanted to do this because a lot of people in my family and a lot of people that I know have gone through these experiences, and it might have been in the early 90s or 2000s, but this issue is still ongoing and I wanted to bring it to the forefront… especially for young students in the high school environment and teachers,” she explains. “I wanted to make sure that they understood and acknowledged what it’s really like to be an immigrant or refugee, especially a refugee in the educational system, and how difficult it can be.”
Starting at Centennial
Before the Script to Screen program, Tannaz completed a bachelor’s degree in Women and Gender Studies, and planned on continuing her education to receive a master’s and PhD, and eventually become a professor. However, she explains that after not getting into the schools she applied to, she realized she was always fond of film and television.
“A lot of my courses in university were film-related, and I was just so inspired by all of them. I kept focusing on how they create these movies and TV and not really into the critical thinking part of it, so I remember… I felt lost and I [asked my professor] ‘what am I going to do now?’ She recommended to me, ‘You seem so fascinated and passionate about storytelling, why don't you go to college and see if that's something that piques your interest? What if you're actually more into the film and TV side rather than the critical side?’
Then I saw that Centennial had this amazing program where I felt like it was drawn to me in a sense, and where I felt that they were going to teach me everything that I needed to be taught. Because I had no knowledge of filmmaking and the industry, I wanted to be in a program that was able to teach me every aspect,” she shares.
While in the program, Tannaz explains that she eventually realized that scriptwriting was something she was great at and she felt like it was something she wanted to do. “What I did was instead of people having me on their sets, I started to edit all of their short film scripts, and it gave me the sense of understanding different people’s perspectives, like how they create characters, what they can do to improve, what I can do to improve my own writing, what I can take from them. I felt like I was learning a lot in that realm.”
When Tannaz graduated, she says it felt like going into the deep end, especially because she didn’t know anyone in the industry and had to navigate this new realm. She shares that Steve Lucas, the Program Coordinator of the Script to Screen program, became a mentor to her, particularly at the beginning of her career, and has now built a friendship. “When I was in the first few years, every script I would send him, I would get him to edit, and whatever notes he had, I really took that. He also found opportunities for me, like if there were workshops, or there were funding opportunities, or if there was time to work on set, he would tell me, and I would take up his offer.”
She adds that despite wanting to get into screenwriting, she knew it was a difficult path to take. After working on sets and doing a lot of work with the Canadian Film Centre in the earlier years of her career, she was able to gain industry insight in terms of the scripts they looked at and what stories they were making. It was from there that Tannaz got a job in casting, which eventually led her to the career she has now.
Lessons from the program
“One thing I took from the program that I still hold dear to me is that no matter what you do, you could be good at camera, you could be good at sound, you could be good at everything, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the story, and that’s kind of been drilled in me.”
She adds that whenever someone asks her for advice about creating compelling stories, she says that it is important to remember to always look at your story first and look at your characters; will these characters resonate with a wide range of audiences? She says that you have to be able to answer the question: why these characters and why now?
Advice for those starting out
Tannaz says for those entering this industry or graduating college, it is important to keep that drive and passion. “At the end of the day, you are in this for a reason. People don’t go into this industry just for the sake of going into it. People go into it because they love it, and resilience is key. I'm pretty sure I'll get rejected multiple times after this, and that's fine because that's a learning tool. You need to improve every time and things will happen. Everything happens for a reason.”
Congratulations, Tannaz, on this phenomenal opportunity! If you are interested in learning more about the Script to Screen program, check out our Program Overview page for more details.
Article by: Alexandra Few