From Film School to Festival Fame – A Grad’s Story of Film Career Success
If you were a Professional Filmmaking college graduate, what would your career dreams look like? Maybe you’d dream of attending film festivals, winning awards, and traveling to promote your latest film. For one College for Arts and Technology grad, these dreams (and more) are coming true!
Since graduating from the Professional Filmmaking program in 2022, Michael has quickly become a rising auteur whose work is gaining international attention. With multiple awards under his belt and a growing list of accolades from Los Angeles to Toronto, his journey is a testament to the power of versatility, persistence, and creative vision. We caught up with Michael to get the behind-the-scenes scoop on his journey since graduation, check out our interview below.
Professional Journey & Education
Q: Can you tell us about your experience in the Professional Filmmaking program and how it helped shape your career?
A: My experience at the College for Arts and Technology Professional Filmmaking Program helped shape my career in many ways. It was here that I was encouraged and discovered my multi-hyphenate talent, realizing that I could write, direct, produce, direct photography and edit my independent films as an auteur. I quickly realized that to be a great filmmaker, I needed to master all of these roles so that not only could I perform these roles myself but that I could direct the crew to perform these roles with clear and efficient communication regarding my vision.
This lesson helped streamline my early success by allowing me to mitigate costs of festival short films by performing many roles myself. In doing this, as they say “practice makes perfect,” I was able to better my techniques in all on-set roles so that I can jump into any department as necessary. This also led to me being hired to perform multiple roles on feature films and a television series in Toronto such as script supervising and assistant directing.
Right from the start, this encouragement and training from the professors to master many roles opened up a wide range of on-set opportunities for which I am very grateful. I recommend to all incoming students to step outside their comfort zones and take the time to master every on-set role they can.
Film Festival Success
Q: Your short film Cap and Trade made it to the semi-finals of the Independent Short Films Festival—can you tell us what’s next for this piece?
A: My second short film Cap and Trade, which I produced, directed, directed photography, and edited has already received a few accolades including Best Sci-Fi and Best Score at the MiMa film festival. We are currently in the official selection for Best Short Film and Best Sci-Fi Short at the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Festival, Toronto International North Hollywood (Nollywood) Film Festival as well as the International Indie Film and Screenplay Festival.
Q: Do you feel that the LA recognition has opened new doors for you professionally or creatively?
A: My recent success in Los Angeles film festivals has already opened many doors with two producers interested in funding The Recipient feature film. When producers and reps see that the Los Angeles Film community has welcomed a filmmaker into their circuits with many accolades across multiple prominent festivals, it turns attention and opens doors for filmmakers who say “this content is worth looking into.”
In August I am attending the Hollywood Pitch Fest, a private festival for writers and buyers from major studios to sell scripts over a four-day period. All of these doors have opened as a result of the successes in the prominent Los Angeles Film Festivals.
Q: Your film The Recipient has received multiple accolades across several festivals. Tell us a bit more about this short film.
A: It was a phenomenal pleasure to make The Recipient and an even greater joy to receive many accolades from Toronto to Los Angeles, especially as my first festival-circuit short film. To date, the Recipient has won 8 awards and many selections at prominent international film festivals such as the Los Angeles Film Awards, Toronto Independent Film Festival, Toronto International North Hollywood Film Festival, and Los Angeles Independent Shorts Awards. Awards include Best First Time Director, Best Horror Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound Design, with nominations for Best Picture at the Los Angeles Film Awards. The film is still in the running and semi-finals for multiple other significant film festivals, including the Canadian Screen Award Qualifying Festival, Toronto International North Hollywood (Nollywood) Film Festival.
Recognition & Growth
Q: Winning awards like Best Horror/Thriller Short Film and Best First-Time Male Director is a huge accomplishment. What have these recognitions meant to you personally and professionally?
A: These accomplishments across the two films, The Recipient and now Cap and Trade is confirmation for me that I am able to make successful films with great consistency between projects. Each project has taught me how to be a better director, writer, producer, cinematographer and editor, each reaching a higher quality outcome. These have always been my goals: to make great films and to become a greater filmmaker with each successive production.
Michael Marentette’s story is one of passion, perseverance, and the power of a well-rounded education. We asked Film Department Head, Victor Poirier to share a few words: “Michael was a diligent and intelligent student who always added insight and value to class conversations. His creative mind and calm and personable demeanor ensure that Michael will be a valued member of any production team.” Victor Poirier
Stay tuned—because Michael Marentette is a name you’ll be seeing in the credits for years to come. Make sure to follow along on Michael’s journey on his social media:
Instagram: @michael_marentette
Facebook: Michael Marentette
LinkedIn: Michael Marentette
IMDB: Michael Marentette
If you’re passionate about storytelling and the art of filmmaking, now is the perfect time to start your own journey! College for Arts and Technology offers an in-depth Professional Filmmaking program designed to give you the skills and knowledge to jumpstart your film career. Offered in-person, our 18-month diploma program is delivered on campus in beautiful Kelowna, B.C., just a short drive away from Hollywood-North (Vancouver, B.C.)