Millennial filmmaker hits jackpot with new film

TALI FEINBERG

Speaking from New York City with a strong Canadian accent, Tollman, 34, has come a long way from his screen debut. “You might remember there was a photo of a baby on a computer at the back of the phone book [wearing glasses] … that was me,” he says, chuckling.

That early exposure to the media remained a constant fascination, and now his film Run This Town is premiering in North America on 6 March, with social media giant Twitter as a partner in its promotion.

“This is the first time Twitter has partnered with a film like this. The trailer garnered 1.1 million views in its first six hours online, which was really because of the strength of Twitter working with us on this film,” says Tollman.

This is the first film Tollman has written and directed. He always knew he wanted to work in entertainment, but it took a long and winding road to get to this point. After studying and travelling, he secured an internship with a respected producer who took the time to teach him.

Tollman quickly rose up the ranks, and when he told his mentor that he had an idea for a movie that he wanted to write and direct, “thankfully he didn’t laugh in my face”, but assisted him.

“Everyone I know who has succeeded in this industry didn’t take a traditional path. I wish I had known that when I was younger. My advice to others who want to get into entertainment is to look at other people’s stories,” he says.

A film fanatic, Tollman realised there was no iconic film that reflected the reality of his generation, and this is how Run This Town came about. He is strongly influenced by his brother’s experience of training as a journalist, and then struggling to succeed in a supposedly dying industry.

“The people I know in my generation are not lazy or entitled. They’re smart, pounding the pavement, trying to make a path for themselves when they have sometimes been dealt a difficult hand and the cards are stacked against them.”

One review described the film as a “tense cat-and-mouse game [that] nods to classical political thrillers in the vein of All the President’s Men”. It tells the story of a young newspaper intern, played by Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award-winner Ben Platt, who discovers scandalous information about Toronto’s new mayor, Rob Ford, who will be played by Golden Globe and Emmy award-winner Damian Lewis. It’s based on true events.

“It was a shock when [the late] Rob Ford was elected as mayor of Toronto, the third largest city in North America, in 2010. He was brash, homophobic, xenophobic, and appealed to the lowest common denominator,” says Tollman.

“When I was writing the script, it was just when Trump announced he was going to run for president, and no one thought it could happen. My film shows that it was already happening three years before in Toronto. It shows the shift to the right, when governments are run on the basest of instincts.”

Tollman says that partnering with Twitter tied in with the themes of the film as it symbolises “the end of traditional journalism. Anyone can break news on Twitter.” The social-media conglomerate will offer a series of ‘unique integrated promotions’ for the film on Twitter in the United States and Canada ahead of its release. Twitter’s deep analytics will help to show where the film is activating the most engagement. The film will be released by Sony worldwide, but it’s unclear when it will hit South African screens.

Run This Town first premiered at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival. “We were also invited to acclaimed documentary director Michael Moore’s film festival, which has been the most exciting thing so far,” says Tollman. “I really admire Moore, and for him to say ‘I want to show people your movie’ and give it his stamp of approval, is meaningful.”

He hopes the film “speaks to something in some people. It’s not for everyone, but if it ‘speaks to’ the people it’s intended for, that would be the biggest reward.”

His South African and Jewish identities remain an important part of his outlook. “Growing up in Toronto, I didn’t know an adult without a South African accent. As an immigrant city, it encouraged us to hold onto that South African identity, and connect with other families. It’s so much part of my upbringing. My grandfather was chairman of the Oxford Shul. Every Shabbos we would say kiddush (the blessing) from the siddur he gave us on the night we left South Africa.

“My Jewish identity is something I’m incredibly proud of. It’s something to fight for,” he says. “One of the lead characters in my film is a young Jewish guy my age, and his voice is what I hear in my head all the time. Being Jewish isn’t only when I have a slice of challah, it has really permeated the way I think creatively.”