The Hot Seat - Shakil Jessa

1. What is the first film you can remember having an effect on you?

This is kinda wild but Madagascar (2005) was and is still one of my favourite movies. My parents were probably very annoyed at my sister and I quoting the jokes and doing impressions of the characters from that movie, but it’s too iconic not to. The writing was absolutely hilarious and I watched it recently, and I will say… it holds up. On a serious note, Joyland (2022) was the first film that I watched that made me want to become a filmmaker. It’s so confident, intimate, and rooted in such raw emotion. It’s a masterpiece.

2. If you could work with one filmmaker, dead or alive, who would it be?

Donald Glover for sure. I’m a big fan of the way he approaches story and genre. He puts so much care into his characters and is willing to take risks with format and story. There are very few TV creators that are able to set up rules, and then half-way through the season completely break them and still have the audience on board. Swarm is one of my favourite TV series of his.

3. If you could remake any film, what would it be and what would you change?

I’d have to say Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). It’s truly perfect and will never ever leave my Letterboxd Top 4. The only way I’d want to remake it would be to do a Gen-Z adaptation of it, but even then I don’t think I’d ever get close to how iconic that original was.

4. What is your biggest passion outside of being a filmmaker?

Solo-travelling and hiking are two passions of mine. I really like hopping on a cheap flight with a bag full of books and clothes, and just getting to spend time with just myself in some random city. I feel like I learn more about myself in that short amount of time than I do working, and it’s a good reminder that there’s more to life than this film bubble.

5. What are you working on now?

Shakil on set.

There’s some exciting things coming down the pipeline! I was one of the producers on the film A Nice Indian Boy, which has been doing the circuit and is going to hit theatres nation-wide in the US in April. I also just finished writing on Season 2 of the hit CBC drama Allegiance which airs Wednesday nights starting January 15th, and I just finished the 1497 Features Lab and am gearing up to head to camera on my first feature film Student Government in the Fall.

6. Creatively, what inspires you to continue your journey in filmmaking?

Honestly, it’s the community. Both the indie community and the television writing communities have welcomed me with such open arms. There are so many filmmakers I’ve looked up to for so long that I now consider really great friends and collaborators. It's such a gift.

7. Who are your frequent collaborators and what do they bring to your projects?

I’ve been working with Shyam Valera for a few years now, from co-producing projects and shows together, to developing features and series. Him and Kashif Pasta both have an incredible eye for story as well as eyes for the business elements without sacrificing the creative. If anyone gets a chance to make something with them in any capacity, please do it!

I also could not do this without shouting out Polly Pierce and PJ Nijjar. We were all assistants together on A Nice Indian Boy and then promoted to Associate Producer by the end of the project. They were my rocks throughout that show and shoutout to Amanda Verhagen, Roshan Sethi, and Charlie McSpadden for giving us such a supportive environment and creative freedom and the ability to put our stamp on the project.

8. What is the most rewarding part about being a BC filmmaker? What is the most challenging?

On top of the community, it’s also the resources available. I think in comparison to other cities, as hard as it can be to be a filmmaker here, I think it’s a bit easier to get our feet in the door with really awesome shows in those junior level creative positions. I feel like a lot of my credits have been well-respected in the US and the UK, and I think with how much of us in the city work both the indie and studio systems, it is possible to build up a strong foundation of credits here. There are also so many people willing to lend their time and resources out for an independent project.

The most challenging, and being super candid here, is sustaining the momentum when writers, directors and producers become more senior. I got my start in TV, and there are incredible programs like the PSP and WarnerMedia that are incubating awesome talent, but now it’s about making those homegrown shows to keep that talent working and leveling up, so they don’t have to look to other cities for work. Lark Productions is doing a great job at this, really building and sustaining our local TV industry with both Family Law and Allegiance in the drama space, but I think BC has some ways to go in building that for comedy writers. My long term goal would be to create and showrun a network sitcom like Abbott Elementary or Modern Family out of Vancouver.

9. As a filmmaker, how do you measure success?

A Nice Indian Boy

That’s really tough, because truly if I told Shak in 2021 where he was now, he’d be absolutely thrilled. Weirdly, after I complete a project, it feels like that’s my new baseline of zero and it can feel self-indulgent to celebrate your wins. I like to measure success by remembering how far I’ve come and also by looking at how far the people around me have come. I’m a true believer that a rising tide lifts all boats, and sometimes it can be hard to look inwards and celebrate yourself, so by looking around and seeing all the successes of people around me, it helps me also allow myself to celebrate my successes.

10. Who’s another BC filmmaker you’d like to spotlight?

There’s so many! Mayumi Yoshida (who was last month’s hot seat) is truly one of the kindest and hardworking people I know, and is going to be absolutely taking the world by storm. Kashif Pasta is also an incredible filmmaker, his ability to balance genre and character is next level, and is such a supportive friend. Also Solara Thanh-Binh Dang is one of the coolest filmmakers I know, and all of her work is so well-crafted and beautiful. She’s definitely one to look out for!

One filmmaker I’d really love to highlight is Tesh Guttikonda. He’s taught me a lot about not only how to navigate the industry, but how to find your voice. His worlds are so wild and ambitious, and he does it with so much craft and heart that they really shine! I think at times, we can get bogged down with the commercial elements of the industry, and thinking about what will sell as opposed to what we want to make, and he’s someone who has taught me to blaze your own path and make what you want, and people will follow. He’s an awesome multi-hyphenate and definitely a writer/director to watch!

Thank you Shakil! Looking forward to seeing Student Government one day soon!

Stay tuned for next month's spotlight - quite possibly Tesh Guttikonda!