Matthew Ninaber’s new film will feature many local landscapes, as this county is where the young filmmaker grew up. It is also where he found his passion for his art.
“I lived in Mount Forest and then moved to Fergus as a child,” Ninaber said. “I went to Centre Wellington High School. I was more into drama in high school and took that all the way through, but in grade 11, I took a media course and I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
On Feb. 12 Ninaber’s first feature film, Last Run, will premier at the Princess Theatre in Waterloo.
“I wrote the story, then the screenplay,” Ninaber explains. “But I am also the director and producer, alongside five people who make up our team.”
That team is part of Ninaber’s entrepreneurial business, High Rise Studio, based out of Conestogo.
Last Run is a 70-minute film about Adam, a taxi driver who is trying to keep his head above water in a struggling economy. Six years after graduating with a business degree, full of high aspirations, the global economy is rocked by a recession that forces Adam to re-evaluate his life and career. To make ends meet he begins driving a taxi cab.
One day, as he finishes dropping off his final client, Adam’s dispatcher offers him one last run: a cash job that ends up costing Adam more then the average fare.
Ninaber says, “I don’t like to say too much about the film. I want it to speak for itself. I want the viewer to decide what it is about.”
But he admits the story was inspired by his philosophy in business and in art: it is about “telling stories to [people to] live lives bigger than themselves … life is bigger than you and when you realize that, something bigger than you happens.”
The film was shot in different locations, from Toronto to Sudbury.
“I shot a lot of this around Fergus,” Ninaber said. “Audiences may recognize a few of the locales.”
He will submit the film to as many film festivals as he can.
“The film goes off to the film circuit for a year,” Ninaber explained. “Because it is Canadian-made we are hoping for a lot of exposure. It’s the first film of many and we are really proud of it.”
To view a preview of the film visit www.lastrunthemovie.com.
Last Run will premier on Feb. 12 with four screenings at the Princess Theatre, 46 King Street North in Waterloo. Show times are at 5, 5:30, 7 and 7:30pm. Admission is $10 and this is an all-ages film.
For ticket information visit www.highrisestudio.ca or www.princesscinemas.com.
