With Clara now playing in theaters and available On-Demand, we’re reposting my interview from the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
My favorite part about getting to attend a film festival are the movies that come out of nowhere and completely surprise you. At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, one of those films was the sci-fi dramaClara. Written and directed byAkash Sherman, it follows an astronomer consumed by the search for life beyond Earth (Patrick J. Adams) who starts working with an artist (Troian Bellisario) who shares an attraction for the wonders of space. As they search the stars for distant worlds, they stumble onto a discovery that could change everything we know about our place in the Universe.Claraalso starsEnnis Esmer,Kristen Hager, andR.H. Thomsonand is produced byAri Lantos.
As someone that considers sci-fi his favorite genre, I especially love movies that try and ground their stories in real-world science and make you believe what you’re watching on screen could actually happen. Which is why I had such a great time watchingClara. At only twenty-three years of age, Akash Sherman has helmed an optimistic science fiction feature that not only got me interested in learning more about astronomy, but made me leave the theater thinking about what else is out there in our universe. Which is not an easy thing to do. Of course it helped that Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario delivered fantastic performances and helped make me believe what I was seeing on screen was real. While I don’t know whenClarais getting released, I absolutely recommend checking it out down the road when you get the chance.
Shortly after seeing the film, Patrick J. Adams, producer Ari Lantos, and director Akash Sherman came into the Collider studio at TIFF to talk about the film. During the wide-ranging interview they talked about how they gotClaramade, what it’s about, how Sherman grounded his film in real science, what they discovered in the editing process that impacted the finished film, a day or two that each of them will always remember from shootingClara, how Adams and co-star/wife Troian Bellisario spent a large portion of their honeymoon working on the film, and a lot more. In addition, towards the end of the interview they played “Get to Know Your TIFF Attendee”, which includes questions like what TV show they’d like to guest spot on, what film scared them as a kid, what is the background photo on their phone, what TV show have they watched all the way through more than once, have they watched a movie more than 20 times, and more.
Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. For more onClara, you can watch the trailer at the very bottom of this article.
Patrick J. Adams, Ari Lantos, and Akash Sherman:
Finally, big thanks to the partners who made our TIFF interviews possible:
Aurora,Presenting Partner, one of Canada’s largest federally licensed cannabis companies and an official partner of the Toronto International Film Festival. Aurora’s involvement is anchored by its passion for the arts and commitment to providing financial support for the creative community.
Toasting the evening’s festivities will beLa Marca Prosecco, an elegant, luxurious sparkling wine. The premium wines of California’s Ghost Pines Winery will also be served!
Frank Rea Event DesignsToronto’s top event florist and ambient designer Frank Rea creatively lends his support with décor statements and floral designs through Forget Me Not Flowers & Frank Rea Event Designs.
The Collider Studio at the House of Aurora was produced by A-list Communications and The Substance Group.
