Of recent, the Harold Greenberg Fund have been highlighting Canadian Filmmakers in these intimate conversations. I am finding them immensely enjoyable, and therefore, I assume, readers of our Canadian Film section will too.

When Richie Mehta was doing press for his first feature film Amal, I asked him what got him through the darkest times of making his film with such a small budget and the many trials and tribulations of filming overseas. Mehta explained that at first you work on a film because you love what you are trying to accomplish and when it starts to get really hard, your love gets replaced with compulsion. You are compelled to complete your project and when you are close to completion you return to love. Publishing Press+1, I too see that cycle often enough when you think "why am I doing this," and even though your answer to yourself is "I don't know!" you just can't seem to quit. More gems of wisdom can be heard from Richie Mehta in this interview....

_______________________________________________

Richie Mehta recently directed his first feature film, AMAL, starring Naseeruddin Shah (Monsoon Wedding, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), and Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen, Water). AMAL has won over 30 international awards, was nominated for 6 Genie awards (Canadian Academy Awards), including Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay, and was named one of the top ten Canadian films of the decade by Playback Magazine (Canada's Variety). AMAL is currently being adapted into an American remake by producer Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Films - the screenplay being written by Mehta himself.

Mehta has directed several short films, including ALL ROADS LEAD TO HERE, SYSTEM OF UNITS, and the short film version of AMAL. His shorts have screened and won prizes at festivals all over the world, including Berlin, Telluride, Worldwide Shorts, Palm Springs, and the United Nations.

Trained as a painter and sculptor, Mehta attended the University of Toronto’s Art and Art History and Cinema Studies program and Sheridan College's Advanced Television and Film program. He's been personally mentored by directors such as Wim Wenders, Shekhar Kapur and Brian DePalma.