Oshawa on the silver screen
Filmmaker set to film romantic comedy that will take place in the city
Filmmaker Yolanda Beasley is raising funds in order to make a romantic comedy that will not only be filmed in Oshawa, but also set in the city. Beasley, who will also be one of the film’s four actors, says the movie will help change the stigmas surrounding the city.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
It’s a story for the ages – boy meets girl, the two fall in love, the two break up and the two find one another again years, if not decades, later.
However, instead of the stereotypical movie locations of New York City or Los Angeles, this story takes place in Oshawa.
Yolanda Beasley is the writer, director and one of the stars of Masters of Romance, a low-budget movie set to be filmed in the city this summer. Having written a play and several short films in the past, this will be Beasley’s first feature film.
And when tasked with figuring out where the movie would take place, she could think of not better place than her hometown. The idea first came around when Beasley, while working at the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, was part of a discussion on how to bring the film industry to Durham Region.
“I thought what better way to grow the film industry than to produce a film here. And then I took it one step further and wanted the film to actually take place here,” she says.
“(I think it) will help change the old stigma that is attached to Oshawa, that it’s the ‘Shwa. But it’s not anymore. It’s changing and evolving and there’s people moving out here for jobs.”
The romantic comedy, which will be set in downtown Oshawa, centers around four people in their 40s who “can’t seem to get love right,” Beasley says. The main characters in the film are two high school sweethearts who, after not seeing one another for decades, reunite in Oshawa.
“They’re given a chance to rekindle their relationship, but they are focused on what went wrong in their relationship, and they try to fix their relationship. And the more they try to do that, the more they realize that maybe they can’t fix it,” she says.
Rather than rely on the traditional model of financing a movie – receiving backing from a larger studio, get government art grants or put up all of the funds yourself up front – Beasley is turning to Oshawa and the rest of Durham Region to chip in to make the movie a reality.
The filmmaker has set up a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe.com to finance the movie’s $10,000 budget.
“What better way to involve the community than to literally involve the community and get them behind the film by helping to support it through donations or contributions or sponsorships,” she says.
“That element came in after, but I think because of the nature of the film itself and what I’m trying to accomplish with it by supporting Oshawa and supporting the community and the film community, I think it was a natural fit for that.”
Another way Beasley has used the film as a way to better reflect Oshawa’s image can be seen in the movie’s crew and behind the scenes workers – a majority live here.
“I’d say about 75 per cent of them are from Oshawa. Some of them are small business owners who have contributed their time and are excited to be involved,” she says.
“The majority of our production staff is female. And a huge portion of the crew is also female. It’s quite exciting to be on a team like this.”
After the film is completed, Beasley says the plan is to bring it to the film festival circuit, and hopefully have a larger studio pick up the film for distribution.
If you would like to contribute to the film’s production, please visit gofundme.com/mastersofromance.