Ed Gass-Donnelly

To say that Ed Gass-Donnelly was born in the theatre would not be an exaggeration. He's the son of playwright, director and Factory Theatre founder Ken Gass. Donnelly essentially began his career at the young age of 16, when he directed his first play. That foray into directing would be the first of many for Donnelly. After directing for theatre, Donnelly went on to direct many short films such as Polished, about a lonely aging businessman yearning for human contact and Dying Like Ophelia, based on an extract from Judith Thompson's play Lion In the Streets. I caught up with Donnelly to talk about This Beautiful City, upcoming projects and the world of filmmaking.

What is your youngest recollection of knowing that you wanted to be involved in the world of entertainment in some capacity?

I'm not sure exactly. My dad founded Factory Theatre in 1970 so I was pretty exposed to theatre as a kid. I wanted to be an actor in grade school and then directed my first play when I was 16 or 17. By university, I had given up on acting and was pretty fully immersed in directing. The switch to film eventually happened when I was 23.

Who or what has been your greatest inspiration?

Human potential. Walter Murch. My dad. Atom Egoyan. Steven Soderbergh. Michael Haneke. Star Wars. Free drinks.

I know that you started by directing theatre. What made you decide to transition into film and what was that transition like?

When I was 22 I was at a point where a couple of the projects I really wanted to do weren't getting funding and I didn't want to do a play just for the sake of it. So I floundered for a bit then got a gig as a director's assistant on an MOW [movie of the week]. That experience totally demystified the filmmaking process as something tangible that I felt I could do. I made three short films the next year, all adapted from the work of playwrights I knew (Judith Thompson, James Harkness).

What are the main differences between directing for theatre and directing a film?

Fundamentally, it is in how you work with actors and create the illusion of authenticity. In theatre you have to create a shape that can be repeated nightly. Whereas in film you only have to create that moment once (although the actor needs to be able to deliver the scene somewhat uniformly because you need coverage and you don't want their performance to seem schizophrenic).

So in many ways truly great theatre is more difficult to achieve, even though the stage is more forgiving in the close-up. But in practice, film is often a more hurried process (too little time, too little money) and it is rare that you have the chance to truly sculpt each moment unless you really fight for a padded shooting schedule.

Do you think that you will go back to theatre at any point?

I keep telling my dad he should hire me to do a play while he can still afford me.

I'd like to...but I'm out of the loop. I don't have my finger on the pulse of new plays to produce and no one is making me any offers to direct existing ones. So it'll likely be a while before I direct theatre again.

Your feature film This Beautiful City was incredibly well received; did you expect it to garner that kind of attention?

I have a love/hate relationship with everything I do. At times I thought it would do better and at times I was surprised anyone would sit through it. I had hoped it would do better financially, but it was a really exceptional learning experience of how the business end of the industry works. I have no regrets. But it was a real eye-opening experience about how to balance art and commerce.

I know that TBC was your first feature film. What was the experience like? How did it differ from the previous work you had done?

TBC was a reckless adventure in every regard. We were cowboys. We said we are shooting this movie on this date come hell or high water. We are a train with no brakes. I think the movie is filled with that same reckless energy. Because we were doing things on our own (like kids without adult supervision) were able to discover our own methods of working (some of which defy tired convention). I realize now how lucky I was for that kind of experience my first time at bat.

A lot of your work seems to portray the darker side of life. Is this intentional or something you subconsciously gravitate toward?

I think part of that is me growing in theatre and thinking that important work had to be 'serious' and also that I am deeply intrigued by the possibilities of human behavior, and it's also through suffering that we can also define and discover great beauty in the simplest of things. That said, I'm learning to loosen up a bit. Maybe the next film will be a comedy.

Your IMDb page and it says that you are in the postproduction stages of a film called Small Town Murder Scenes, can you tell me a little more about the project and maybe when we can expect to see it?

STMS is my 2nd feature film. It is set in a small rural Mennonite town and is about a police officer with a history of violence who is trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his community. When the town has its first murder in over 70 years, he becomes convinced that the murder is now dating his ex, leading to an erosion of peaceful calm of his reformed life.

The film stars Peter Stormare (Fargo, Chocolat, Armageddon, Prison Break), Jill Hennessy (Law & Order, Crossing Jordan), Martha Plimpton (Goonies, Running on Empty, I shot Andy Warhol), and Aaron Poole (This Beautiful City). We're hoping to have the movie ready for Cannes but if not it will likely premiere at TIFF next fall.

I also read that you may be directing a film written by Sebastian Pigott (Being Erica). Is this true? Can you tell me a bit about the project?

I am developing a movie written by Sebastian called The Two Deaths of Henry Baker. It's a modern day crime western, but I can't really say much more than that as the script is still being written.