It’s a sweet, old-fashioned feature comedy from writer/director Daniel Perlmutter that harkens back to the screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s but tells a very contemporary story. 

Writer/Director Daniel Perlmutter and actor Meredith MacNeill discuss the upcoming feature comedy Big News From Grand Rock.

"Big News From Grand Rock" tells the story of Leonard Crane, the editor of The Grand Rock Weekly Ledger, a small town newspaper that’s on the brink of bankruptcy. Desperate to save his paper, Leonard takes a drastic step: he starts making up stories, passing off the plots of old movies as local news. But things go from bad to worse when one of his stories attracts the attention of a big city reporter.

We plan to start filming at the end of September. Then we edit the film for four months. Then we get it out to film festivals! Then, before the theatrical release, we’ll have some exclusive preview screenings. You can come! Have a look at the perks to see how.

 

Ennis Esmer (Leonard Crane):

Ennis is currently shooting his fourth season as Oz Bey in the hit original series “The Listener”. Other TV and film credits include “The LA Complex”, “Sex After Kids”, “Dirty Singles” and “YPF”, which earned him a Canadian Comedy Award nomination. Ennis also recently returned to the stage in the lead role of Ralph in “Claire From The Bus”, a new play written by Kjartan Hewitt and performed in Toronto. He has trained at Toronto's Second City and York University.

Meredith MacNeill (Lucy Becket):

Meredith’s recent TV and film projects include "This Hour Has 22 Minutes", "Man Stroke Woman" (created by Ash Attala, producer of "The Office", starring alongside Nick Frost), "Peep Show", "My Family and other Animals", the British Comedy hit film "Confetti" (cast includes Martin Freeman), "Frequently Asked Questions about Time Travel", opposite Anna Faris (HBO), and "Festival".

Highlights from Meredith’s theatre work in London, UK include her graduation from the three-year acting program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has also performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Theatre de Complicite, Royal National Theatre, The Arcola, Bush Theatre and Script Work with The Donmar, The Royal Court and The Young Vic.

Also joining the cast is Canadian legend Gordon Pinsent.

And comedy star Peter Keleghan.

 

Daniel, the cast and producers are excited and committed to making a great, funny film. But in order for it to reach its full potential, we need your help.

To capture the rhythms and joys of small town life, it’s important to shoot on the streets of a real, small town, and we think Midland, Ontario is perfect. But filming outside of Toronto costs money, and that’s why we’ve come to you.

The money raised will be put back into the local community – paying for housing, hiring local talent and using local services.

By contributing to our Indiegogo campaign, you’ll help us bring our production to the streets of Midland and be part of the first feature film ever shot there. 

A SPECIAL NOTE TO THE CITIZENS OF MIDLAND AND SIMCOE COUNTY

For the past several years I have been visiting your region and have fallen in love with the area. As I worked on the script for Big News From Grand Rock, I wrote it with Midland in mind. The natural beauty of the area paired with the charm of the people of Midland make for a very cinematic setting. I hope that you will be as excited about our production as we are. For those in the area who are unable to contribute financially but want to be involved in other ways, we need your help too. Please be in touch at bignews@markhamstreet.com. I look forward to working with your community to bring Midland and Simcoe County to the big screen. 

If we reach $75,000 – everyone at or above the $125 mark will receive a copy of the Grand Rock Weekly Ledger that appears in the film.

If we reach $100,000 – everyone at or above the $125 mark will receive a hard copy of the production e-book.

The cast and crew are coming together, the pieces are falling into place, and we’ve managed to secure a good portion of the funding. Now we just need your help to make it to the finish line.

Judy Holm and Michael McNamara, producers

Judy and Michael have been making films for their company Markham Street Films Inc. for over ten years. They’ve won lots of awards for their work. Their films have premiered at TIFF, Hot Docs, Palm Springs, SXSW and the Sundance Film Festival.  They love comedy and are really pleased to be making a film with Dan, who they think is an incredible comedic talent.

Naz Goshtasbpour is an accomplished production designer whose work has included a number of award-winning films. Recent projects include upcoming series "Inhuman Condition" and "Backpackers". Past projects include "Running Mates", "High Chicago", "Empire of Dirt" and "It Was You, Charlie". She was nominated for the 2012 DGC award for her work on "Flashpoint" and "Dave vs. Death". She is currently in preproduction on Vincenzo Natali’s latest series “Darknet”.

Andre Ethier and Sandro Perri, music composers

Respected members of the Toronto independent music scene, Andre Ethier and Sandro Perri have recently begun a collaborative partnership scoring films. Both have been nominated for Canada's coveted Polaris music prize, Sandro was long listed for his record "Impossible Spaces" and Andre was short listed with his band The Deadly Snakes for their record "Porcella".

Roderick Deogrades, editor

Rod is an award-winning picture and sound editor. Some of his recent picture editing credits include "Still Mine", "The Ghosts In Our Machine", "One Week" and "Victoria Day". In sound editing, he has worked on such films as "Splice", "Silent Hill" and "Passchendeale". He is currently editing the documentary "Reasonable Doubt".