5 Questions for Ann Pirvu

Ann Pirvu was only 12 years old when she came to Canada. She discovered her passion for filmmaking while in high school, directing and acting in the award winning feature film Pure Malice. She received her degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ryerson University last April and is currently juggling a busy acting/writing career with working on the sixth season of the lifestyle television show Rich Bride Poor Bride. Benchmarked is Ann’s first documentary film and recent winner of the Ross McLean Memorial Award. 
 

We asked Ann Pirvu what inspires her to be a Toronto filmmaker.

1) What influenced you to pursue a career in film?
Performing has always been a part of my life, even as a little girl growing up in Romania. It’s always been my passion and just so much fun! My mom involved me in several talent shows (not to be confused with pageants…but sort of similar –ha ha), a few at the national level. I guess you could say I’ve been an acting, dancing, singing machine since I was three. And encouraged to pursue it as well- I have a great family!

But I didn’t fall in love with filmmaking until I came to Canada. It was really easy to get involved in theatre productions here. I was a total theatre girl at first, and then I got to high school (in Edmonton, Alberta.) We had a movie club, called Movie Works, and I met some amazing people there. It was such an environment that inspired creativity and fuelled my love of the craft. Acting, Directing, Writing - I was hooked.

2) What inspired you to pick autism as your film project?
I recently finished my degree in Journalism at Ryerson. I came across the notion of autism when I was in my third year of studies. One of my close friends worked with autistic children for a while. She used to tell me incredible stories about what her work actually entailed, and how rewarding but also very challenging her job was. As a journalist in training, my Spidy-senses were tingling - I was immediately intrigued.

So in an effort to learn more about autism and writing a story about what it is, I came across Bruce and Laura McIntosh and I can honestly say that meeting them changed my life, as well as my entire perspective on what is and isn’t important. When I found out that we would be getting a chance to make a documentary in our last semester, to explore an issue in great depth and combine it with filmmaking – my love- I knew I wanted to do it about something meaningful. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to approach Bruce and Laura. Not only are they a wealth of knowledge about the issue, but their efforts are an incredible source of inspiration, as well as those of Paul Ceretti – who is just a terrific father and advocate. There are some stories that just have to be told, and even our 25 minutes of film is barely grazing the surface of this one.

3) How has being from Toronto influenced your film or journey as a filmmaker?
As a young filmmaker that’s serious about pursuing film career-wise, Toronto is really the place to be. There is Vancouver of course, but Toronto has such a strong Indie film infrastructure set up. It gives you the freedom to pursue your own stories and concepts with greater ease because of all the resources that are available here.

At the same time, I feel fortunate to have grown up in both Europe and North America. That sort of life experience has made me keenly aware, especially when it comes to differences in quality of life and social issues, which, in tern, adds meaning to the stories that I choose to pursue and bring to light.

4) What is your advice for new, upcoming Toronto directors or filmmakers?
At this point in my life (I’m 22) I know that I have a lot to learn about filmmaking still, and I won’t even pretend that I’m in a position to give advice (LOL). But if there is any advice that I can share with my fellow young filmmakers, it would certainly be to never limit yourself. Never let someone tell you that you can’t do something.

I had a teacher once tell me it would be silly to try and make a feature film, in high school, without knowing anything about film really….and that fueled me even more to prove him wrong- which I did. But the idea is to always aim high first, especially when you’re starting out- because realistically, no one really expects much from you anyway –lol, so now is the best time to grow, learn and make mistakes.

And sometimes great things just happen in that process….look at Benchmarked. The issue came about while we were filming a documentary on the McIntosh Ontario Autism Coalition. We heard about the Benchmarks Policy and how it was affecting our family, and immediately changed our focus. So being sharp and constantly rolling with the punches, as well as recognizing a meaningful story and not being afraid to tackle it, no matter how complicated the issue, (like autism) can have amazing results!

For more information on Ann Pirvu and Benchmarked, watch them on Daytime Toronto Thursday March 18th. Benchmarked also airs on Rogers TV starting Thursday March 18th at 9 PM.