Sisler grad’s movie screened at international film market

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This article was published 11/08/2021 (1611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Sisler High School graduate’s short-film recently played at one of the largest film markets in the world.

Lover Boy’s Little Dream is a 15-minute animated movie directed by Ritvick Mehra. The romantic comedy follows Lover Boy as he builds up the courage to confess his love to his longtime love interest, Mimi.

Mehra submitted Lover Boy’s Little Dream to Telefilm Canada, which had been curating its Not Short of Talent series. Films accepted into the series are screened at Marché du Film (Film Market), the business counterpart of Cannes Film Festival. Lover Boy’s Little Dream played at the festival in July.

Filmmaking wasn’t something Mehra — who moved to Canada from India in 2015 — always envisioned himself pursuing as a career.

“When I came here, I was trying to be a dentist. Making movies was just a hobby,” he said. “I think I lucked out that I went to Sisler.”

In 2017, Mehra graduated from Sisler’s CREATE program, which trains students in film and animation. Many students who complete the program end up in post-secondary like Vancouver Film School, from which Mehra graduated with a diploma in film production in 2018.

For Lover Boy’s Little Dream — which was supported by Harold Greenberg Fund, a national funding organization that supports the development of Canadian films — Mehra collaborated with peers from CREATE and Vancouver Film School.

“This (was) my first animation project. But I always loved animation.” He added he grew up with an interest in storytelling and drawing comics.

Mehra explained the film was inspired by his renewed interest in anime. He admitted it may have also been influenced by real-life events.

“When you’re writing something, I think some stuff from real life tends to come into play, so I wouldn’t say it’s 100 per cent fiction,” he said.

Mehra recalled the moment he discovered Lover Boy’s Little Dream had been accepted into the market.

“It was like a moment of catharsis,” he said. “We spent almost a year on the movie. So, a lot of time, effort and love went into it.”

With the market comes exposure to industry professionals and new opportunities. Mehra said the next step will likely be creating a feature film.

“I’m gonna pursue a career in filmmaking, for sure. But I think (being accepted into the festival) solidifies it in a more practical sense now, rather than just wishful thinking,” he said.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

Lover Boy’s Little Dream is not currently available to the public.