[1]Belleville born filmmaker James Wilkes (right) with his wife Eun Ju Chung at the Toronto International Film Festival. Photo courtesy of James Wilkes.
By April Lawrence
The Toronto International Film Festival was an amazing experience for Belleville-born filmmaker James Wilkes, whose short film Young Wonder was featured this year.
“They treat everyone there like princes and princesses,” said Wilkes.
Being included in the festival came as a surprise for Wilkes because he made his submission late in the process. When he received the call, he assumed that there had to be another reason why he was being contacted and was surprised to hear Young Wonder had been selected.
Wilkes submitted the film on a Sunday and was contacted the following Tuesday and told his film would be featured.
“It’s such a huge honour to be included with such great movies,” said Wilkes.
Young Wonder follows a young boy as he plays with his action figures and his games come to life in his imagination. It is inspired by the way children like to play, he explained.
Included are some of Wilkes’ own childhood experiences playing outside in the woods in Prince Edward County with his brother and his friend, Jesse Todd, a Quinte-area resident. Todd also attended one of the screenings and witnessed all the cheering and commotion that goes on when the film is viewed.
Wilkes had Todd play Darth Vader in the film. As children, Wilkes and Todd went to see Star Wars for the first time together with Todd’s father. Wilkes also recalled drawing Star Wars costumes and putting them onto paper dolls when he was a child. Having Todd play Darth Vader created a metanarrative, which is a storytelling method that made the film even more meaningful to Wilkes. It added another personal dimension to the story.
Many people have told Wilkes that Young Wonder was a big deal for them. He has received numerous email responses from people who have watched the film, telling him how the film reflects exactly how they remember playing when they were children. It was posted to YouTube by the Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 9, and just 10 days later, has received 467,758 views.
Young Wonder took approximately three days of shooting in the woods, about a half day of shooting on green screen and took a few months of visual effects editing to complete.
The short films at the festival were incredible this year, said Wilkes. Filmmakers have developed unique new ways to tell a narrative, he said, describing another featured short film called Noah, which follows the unravelling of a teenager’s relationship, all on a computer screen.
“It’s such an incredible time for storytelling,” said Wilkes, referring to the various ways stories were told in the films at the festival.
In his own film, Wilkes wanted to take the opportunity to play with visual effects and flow. This varies from work that he has done on his regular series, which include ER Vets, Pick a Puppy, Unstable and several others. Wilkes credits include co-creating, executive producing, writing and directing nine series varying from documentaries, reality shows, drama and family.
Looking to the future, Wilkes is continuing work on his regular television series and has some promising opportunities opening up.
To watch Young Wonder visit the link below: