Welcome to the The Hot Seat.
Every month we will feature a filmmaker who is redefining West Coast filmmaking. It's time we start shining that ever elusive spotlight onto those in our community who are at the forefront of the BC Indie Revolution.
Each featured filmmaker will answer the same 10 questions, giving insight into their minds, inspirations, aspirations and dreams. The first five questions are rapid fire. Quick. Juicy. Intriguing. The last 5 are more profound, insightful, all about filmmaking.
This month, we're inviting local horror visionary Stephanie Izsak to brave the Hot Seat. Let's dive in!
Stephanie is an award-winning writer, director and actor living in East Vancouver. After wrapping four seasons as Officer Daisy Korber on CW’s ‘The Flash’, Stephanie shifted gears towards writing and directing. Her short horror films have screened internationally at festivals like Nightmares, Blood In The Snow, Chicago Film Festival, Lighthouse Film Festival, FemaleEye Festival, Hollyshorts, Raindance, Portland Horror Festival - and many more. Her short body-horror ‘Consumer’ was a Top 5 Winner of Stage 32 International Short Film Contest. The film was distributed by Cinedigm and is available on Tubi, Screambox TV, Bloodybites TV (Season 8), Pluto and AppleTV. Stephanie also received a year-long mentorship under a DGC director after winning ‘Best BC Director’ from VHS Festival for her latest film ‘Queen Of The Underworld’.
Passionate about the future of Canadian independent film, Stephanie also works as a development coordinator with Area V5 out of Toronto, as a freelance story editor and is a proud member of the Filmable Council, where she puts together this newsletter!
Director - Stephanie Izsak
1. What is the first film you can remember having an effect on you?
Grease. I used to pretend I was sick so I could stay home and watch it on repeat (sorry, mom). This was when I was maybe 6 or 7, so a lot of it went over my head. But I'll never forget the thrill of Danny’s 1948 Ford Deluxe taking flight at the end of ‘You’re The One That I Want’. Pure cinema magic.
2. If you could work with one filmmaker, dead or alive, who would it be?
I have dreaded this question, because there are so many contemporary horror and genre directors I would die to follow around for a few weeks. But I think my honest answer is Stephen Spielberg. There was just a craftsmanship in those 90s and early 00s blockbusters that we don’t get as much of any more, an integrity. My husband and I watched his entire filmography last year. He’s the GOAT. Can’t imagine I would learn more from anyone else.
3. If you could remake any film, what would it be and what would you change?
I am not a huge fan of the remake. Only when it feels like there was a clear purpose in telling the story again. But I was recently joking that The Return To Oz was my Nosferatu – the film that lives on repeat in my head and has sort of come to represent me, in a weird way. So I don’t actually want to remake it, because it’s perfect…but I do wonder about Fairuza Balk’s Dorothy Gail, now a grown woman in the 1970s, somehow finding her way back to that dystopian version of Oz. But honestly, after the second Wicked, I feel like we’ll be Oz’d out.
4. What is your biggest passion outside of being a filmmaker?
The fight for animal welfare, specifically fighting for more transparency and better conditions on factory farms. Canada has some of the most archaic animal protection laws, it's really embarrassing. People don’t know about that. I work with a legal organization called Animal Justice and routinely meet with MP’s and other members of government to try and educate them on animal legislation and the relentless farm lobby. I swear I'm fun at parties!
5. What are you working on now?
Steph on the set of "Queen of the Underworld"
I’m currently in post-production for a haunted house horror short I wrote and directed, which starred an amazing group of teen actors from Arts Umbrella this spring. And I just received development funding for a feature I’m writing. It’s called White Meat, set in the world of factory farming and loosely inspired by a high-profile criminal case that took place here in BC some years ago.
6. Creatively, what inspires you to continue your journey in filmmaking?
I think when you find purpose in something, that’s an instinct worth listening to. I am one of those naive filmmakers who really believes that movies change people and shift the cultural dialogue in a meaningful way. It’s what I love about horror and genre – everybody talks about these films and how they were affected by them. I’m always so inspired by filmmakers whose work makes me see my own experiences differently, or broadens my perspective on something. Genre is so good at that because it shocks the system into paying attention. Seeing work like that motivates me, feeds that purpose.
7. Who are your frequent collaborators and what do they bring to your projects?
There are so many incredible folks I’ve worked with! I’m going to name two. Rob Zawistowski is such a talented cinematographer and an even better friend. I love working with Rob because he always thinks in terms of story first. I don’t think he’s ever pitched a shot to me just because it would look good. He’s always thinking about how the frame is telling the story, and that’s such a gift for a director, because so am I. It gives me a sense of ease, because even if I’m running around the set focusing on a million things, I know the other eye on the monitor cares as much as I do. The second person I’ll name is Toby Marks. Toby and I co-wrote a film for Crazy 8s in 2021 called Consumer and are (slowly) working on a feature together. Toby is someone I can completely nerd out with when it comes to films and story structure, which is so important to have! She’s so thoughtful in her approach to writing. We don’t always agree on what we like, which I actually think makes us stronger collaborators.
8. What is the most rewarding part about being a BC filmmaker? What is the most challenging?
Steph on set.
Sometimes I think we don’t realize how good we’ve got it! Yes, BC is expensive and comes with its challenges, but we have a lot in our corner. Supportive gear houses are a big one. A tight, supportive indie scene. It’s not as competitive as Toronto – but because of that, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. If you keep working, keep getting better, you can become a big fish. Being a filmmaker is generally challenging right now, just psychologically. I find myself at times feeling isolated and thinking that everyone else is grabbing that next rung except for me. It can feel like your only option is make MOWs or quit. Don’t get me wrong, I would happily direct a Lifetime thriller (Lifetime, call me!) But it can grind you down, feeling like your options are limited. But I truly think that’s such an illusion. The important thing is to keep making things, stay inspired. Ignore the cynics, be optimistic.
9. As a filmmaker, how do you measure success?
By how much I learned. Or if I fail at something– how hard I fought to come back and keep going. I’m at a stage where it’s all about growth and what I’ve got to offer a project. The greatest currency in this business is grit.
10. Tell us about a time you failed and how it helped you.
How much time do you have?? Just kidding. But I guess one that comes to mind is the fact that we cut an entire subplot from a film I directed, which I also wrote, because ultimately it wasn’t necessary and didn’t push the story forward. Most of a day of shooting, just gone. That’s a lot for a short. That taught me that I need to subject my writing to more scrutiny. I wrote it quite awhile ago and was either being too precious or was just afraid of too much negative feedback. But we need feedback! We can’t really see our own work clearly, not at first. I’m a bit ruthless with my work now, which I think makes it stronger.
BTS - Queen of The Underworld