An Interview With Brett Butler

Who is Brett Butler?

Brett Butler is one half of the full of piss and vinegar filmmaking brother team of Mourning Has Broken with Jason Butler. I am commonly referred to as the sexy brainy one.

Can you tell us what the premise of Mourning Has Broken is?

A husband’s wife has passed in the night and instead of dealing with her and his loss he goes out to complete the weekend ‘to-do’ list she has left him. A man with nothing left to lose in a society that is selfish and ignorant can really cause some shit. He is a cathartic vessel for all of us.

How did it come about? What was the most challenging aspect?

The film came about as part of Ingrid Veninger’s inspiring 1KWave film initiative. She took her own money and challenged 5 filmmaking teams to write, shoot, cut and deliver a movie in 3 months. Our most challenging aspect would be making sure everyone was still alive after our 5 day shoot. It was an inspiring collaboration of everyone involved.

What did you learn in the process?

We learned to trust our instinct and trust the people we choose to work with. There was no time to second guess ourselves, we just had to go with our gut. And working with actor Robert Nolan and DOP Michael Jari Davidson was an amazing collaborative experience. They brought so much to the table and were as much a part of shaping the film as Jason and I.

What do you hope to accomplish with it?

We hope to prove to people with the money in this country that we got the chops to make a feature. That English Canadian films should be supported and celebrated. We hope Mourning Has Broken gets seen by as many people as possible and we can leverage that to make another film on a bigger budget. Change the paradigm of filmmaking in Canada. Hopefully it can inspire others to do the same, make films and stop talking about making films. There is a ton of talent in this country waiting to create!

Any projects you’re currently working on that you’d like to share/talk about?

We have dark comedy action script done, FIRST ROUND DOWN, follows a former hockey prodigy, turned gangster, turned pizza delivery man as all his former lives collide back in his small town. A bad ass redemptive tale of an angry man with heart.

Any advice for independent filmmakers?

The best advice I can give is to not wait for someone to tell you to make your film, just go out and do it. That’s the only way you can get better and hone your voice. That’s the difference maker in the end, your unique voice and what you can bring the table, you need to always be working out your creative muscles

If you could scream 1 thing out to the masses what would it be?

CAN YOU DIG IT!!!!!