Over the Edge - November 2

a&e 13

PAPERNY’S CAREER

“A Guiding Light for Canadian Collective Unconscious’

ANDREW SOLTIS CONTRIBUTOR

Whether you are aware of it or not, I am certain that if you have grown up in Canada within the last two dec- ades your psyche has been affected by his career in a positive way. David Paperny is a noteworthy Canadian born filmmaker who specializes in documentaries for both film and tele- vision. He is the creator of Paperny Films Inc. and he is one of the most highly makers in Canada.

sought after documentary

The conductor of positive change known as David Paperny has won and been nominated for several awards throughout his illustrious career. In 1994 he was nominated for an Oscar for the production effort that he put toward The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, a series of documentaries that he helped make for CBC television. These particular documentary seg- ments covered the final years of Peter Jepson- Young, a gay Canadian phys- ician who had suffered from AIDS. Prior to Canadian’s being introduced to Peter’s story, there was a far greater stigma and misunderstanding con- cerning individuals with AIDS.

The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter helped bring awareness and compas-

picy Fall Stew in a Pumpkin

A Great Way to Be Festive.

sion to the issue as a whole and it led to various organizations being created to help raise awareness and under- standing towards the disease. One particular organization was the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation that can be read about at http://www.drpeter.org/. After his Oscar nomination in 1994, Paperny’s career diversified and picked up steam. Since 1994 he has won 11 major awards for his pro- duction efforts relating to both film and television. In 2008, David won a Gemini for the work he contributed to Confessions of an Innocent man, a documentary which chronicles the story of William Sampson, a British- Canadian who was tried and tortured for a car bombing in Saudi Arabia that he did not have any involvement with. David’s production company is cur- rently involved with several projects that relate to both film and television. These projects include: Eat St. and Glutton for Punishment which can both be viewed on the Food Network; Dust Up can be viewed on History; and Consumed can be seen on HGTV. David Paperny is also the executive producer of Dussaults Inc., which is a hip, edgy, dramatic television series

that documents the life of fashion de- signer Jason Dussault and his family. Dussaults Inc. can be watched on City TV. In regards to films, David is the executive producer of Love Shines, a documentary that chronicles the life of Canadian musician Ron Sexsmith. This particular film opened at the Vancouver International Film Festival last year with rave reviews and it can be viewed on Movie Central.

I am blessed that I was given the chance to conduct an over the phone interview with Mr. Paperny during my coverage of the Vancouver Inter- national Film Festival. Although I committed several journalist faux pas during the interview, such as talking fast out of nervousness, and even ask- ing David about a project that he had no involvement with, he was patient and humble throughout, which al- lowed his warm personality to shine through.

The following is a summary of key moments in the interview. Because I did not have a recording device on hand, I did the best I could to rec- ord David’s responses in point form. Therefore the following, while not

Ingredients :

exact, is a close approximation to David’s responses.

My first question regarded the import- ance of creating positive change via films.

David responded by stating that al- tering misconceptions was an import- ant part of his objectives as a story- teller and producer of pop culture.

I followed this question up by asking David about some of the stum- bling blocks of creating controversial films with positive messages such as The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter.

He responded that this had become harder than ever, due to the com- mercialization of the industry and the movement towards extreme content. He stated that creating conservative series with entertainment values was becoming a bigger challenge because of this. He stated that while creating The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, CBC had a mandate for alternative programming; however, nowadays CBC is competing for large audiences and series with controversial content are having difficulty getting airtime. David also stated that most of his drive and inspiration as a filmmaker is harnessed from character driven

| preditim onion, diced (1 cep) 2 LSP olive oi/, divided

tred Se// pepper, cut into \-inch dice

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

\¢sp. chili powder, preferably New Mexican

1 tsp. grotind CLpin

% tsp. salt

cep sguash

Cooking Directions:

the pumpkin.

2 tsp. dried oregano YA18. tomatilles, Attsked and puartered C4 ceeps) 15-02. can hominy, rinsed and drained

programming.

When asked about what kind of advice he could give young film mak- ers, David responded by stating that for young people trying to get into the industry it is important to perse- vere and get one’s hands dirty, i.e. sometimes one has to start in a lowly position in order to rise to the top. He also recommended that if one is in- terested in becoming involved in the field that they watch the marketplace and continue to observe television as a well as film. Above all he stated that if a young filmmaker really wants to succeed in the industry that it is im- portant that they practice passion.

During the conclusion of the inter- view I asked David if he had ever travelled to Prince George. He stated that he had ventured to Prince George during the early years of his career, and that he is quite familiar with the city. Readers of Over the Edge will be pleased to read that he had nothing but positive things to say about P.G. including, “Prince George has a real heart and soul to it.”

13- to q-/b. pumpkin, either Sttgar pie, cheese, red kutri, kKabocha, or buttter—

2 o2. grated sharp Cheddar cheese C4 Culp packed)

|. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Yeat 1 LESp of the o/ in @ pot Over meditim head. Add the onion, Se// pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 4% runtttes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cLimin, and oregano - Cook 3 minules more, or Lintil the spices darken.

2. Add tomatilles, hominy, \/2 cup water, and salt. Cover and bring to @ oil, Ke- duce the heat to meditim—low and simmer, partially covered, for 10 to 12 runtites or tintil Comatillos are softened. Uncover and cook for 8 more mintites to thicken the Stew, if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, cut the top of the pumpkin around the stem to make Qa lid. Scoop out the puimpkin Seeds and Strings. Rub the inside of the pumpkin with the remain- ing | Zésp oil, and sprinkle generoushy with salt. Sprinkle cheese in the bottom of

4. Fill the pumpkin with the stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment Covered baking Sheet and bake for 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pumpkin Aesh is

fork-tender. Kemove trom the oven; let stand for $ mintites.

8. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot.

Darcie Smith, Arts Editor