It took nearly a year to come to that name, but what is a name that doesn't fit the intent of the artists who represent it. Why now? What separates Pensare films from your run of the mill indie film studio looking to make a big splash at the box office and in the global market. Well, for starters, we aren't trying to do that. We probably will at some point however, do it by accident anyway. Inspir
ed largely by the work of artists like Stanley Kubrick, D.W Griffith and François Truffaut, Pensare films is a vision of continuing the United Artists philosophy. While at the moment, we're barely big enough to fund 2 films a year, and we envision those films to be our own, down the road we see ourselves funding those we deem to be true artists to fulfill their dreams. No one does it alone. We wouldn't be here without the support of the Independent film community in Toronto. It's because of that community working at a fraction of it's worth that we've been able to even do what we're doing. And what we're doing is breaking every rule in the book. What is an artist? The value of a true artist is crucial to understanding our philosophy. First, in this world, an artist stands among a short list of people who give more to this world than they take. And what they give extends far beyond their lifetimes. Artists come in all forms. Architects, Painters, Composers, Actors, Writers.. and they all change the world, one book, painting, building, performance and composition at a time. Our films are about the human condition. One character and idea at a time, we want to say something about our species, the nature of our existence. What is art that doesn't in some way answer the questions we have about our own existence, and perhaps even our meaning and purpose in life. This dawn of easily accessible technology has made it possible for the first time in history to make vividly well made films for virtually nothing. 4K cameras on phones, super 35 cameras being made accessible to any student willing to save from a summer job. This isn't the same age, where the studios can shun a film maker and hold him out for 15 years of his prime because of creative differences. And yet.. it seems the more accessible something becomes, the less valued it is. I'd ask you to glance around and stare at the possessions in your drawer and on your desk. Can you trick your mind into truly valuing the pencil in the bottom drawer, or the book propping up that uneven dining table? Mass production robbed it of it's value, and it's accessibility robbed you of your appreciation for it. It's not that we'd need to go to a distant past to find people thirsting for the simplest of things like a book or a pencil. Oh the possibilities available to a person who possesses these 2 things. We'd merely have to travel to the vast majority of this world- the part of the world we often choose to ignore. Where a pencil and a clean pad of paper is what separates an educated child from an illiterate one. It's in those small differences that one comes to appreciate the smallest things in life. The pencil. And the book. The fact that everyone seems to have access to it doesn't mean it should be taken for granted, but rather that there is access should be an optimistic sign that there exist limitless possibilities for any individual daring enough to call themselves an artist. Stanley often said that he felt immense pressure to make each film great, because that's what the world expected from a Stanley Kubrick film. The truth is, that's what Stanley not only expected, but rather demanded of himself. A commitment to an uncompromising vision. A commitment to being a true artist, incorruptible... with an unshakable sense of direction. Pensare Films is about that vision, cast against the backdrop of the 21st century and the affordable film making tools it brought with it. Social media has further bridged the gap between independent low budget films and major studios, where a film trailer can go viral virtually overnight and be seen in every country before the person who released it even wakes up. This is an exciting time, and The vision is that in the next 10 years, we want to become a platform for true artists in Toronto to express their visions- regardless of how marketable, inaccessible and risky those ideas may be. Great minds have always been able to give people what they wanted, before they ever knew they wanted it. And we'd like to make Pensare into the studio which gives artists a chance to take the risks that the studio system is unwilling to take.
