A painting, thought to be the work of an iconic Indigenous artist, leads the rock star who buys it into the tragic and brutal world of an art forgery ring in Canada’s north.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Jamie Kastner

Watch There Are No Fakes on Vudu, Prime Video and Beamafilm

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

This was an incredible story that fell into my lap, which I first heard randomly, though a high-school friend, could barely believe it was true, began researching myself, and became passionate about bringing it to light.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This film tells a gripping and unbelievable tale, full of twists and turns, larger-than-life characters, and has a rare tonal range, from darkly humorous to dark and shocking.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film is at once very particular, and yet strikes at the heart of a range of universal themes, all in quite unusual and unexpected ways. There a feud between deeply entrenched parties, a large scale con, and unexpected twists into realms of abuse, both cultural and physical. But these emerge through the drama of this unique story's unfolding.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

This is a many-tentacled tale, which makes it all the richer, but also the more challenging to pitch, sell and indeed make. What emerged through the editing especially was that the core story rose to the fore, and other aspects which had seemed equally crucial at the outset, fell to the background. There was also a precedent-setting trial at the core of the film, which had not happened before filming, so that was a key unknown factor until almost the end of editing.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback so far has been on balance extremely positive, people are astounded by the tale, and appreciative at it's having been told engagingly and with due sensitivity.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

In making the film, and releasing it, we knew we were wading into culturally sensitive waters, and so early sought appropriate involvement and guidance. While it has received strong early feedback from international viewers, the film is controversial in many ways, particularly in a Canadian context. It has been surprising to discover in certain quarters of the Canadian context that this has inspired trepidation, as opposed to celebration, as one expects documentaries to be pushing boundaries.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

to expand the film's community

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We are interested in reaching buyers, festivals, journalists

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

This film exposes the largest art fraud scam in Canadian history and also tells a story of latter-day colonialism. Astonishment, outrange and engagement would be nice reactions, increased awareness and discussion around these issues, hopefully leading in one way or another, to improving the living conditions of the victims.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Who's responsibility is it to blow the whistle on a crime

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are developing other documentaries in both the music and whistleblower realms, as well as doing a fictional adaptation of our last doc, The Skyjacker's Tale

Interview: April 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

There Are No Fakes

A painting, thought to be the work of an iconic Indigenous artist, leads the rock star who buys it into the tragic and brutal world of an art forgery ring in Canada’s north.

Length: 1:54:25

Director: Jamie Kastner

Producer: Laura Baron Kastner

Writer: Jamie Kastner

About the writer, director and producer:

Known for such titles as There Are No Fakes, The Skyjacker's Tale, Secret Disco Revolution and Kike Like Me, JAMIE KASTNER has carved out a unique voice in a wide range of documentary styles: true crime, political thriller, comic-ironic, presenter-led, actuality, historical and musical. His work has launched at festivals such as TIFF, London and Rotterdam, sold around the world on various platforms, won prizes and resounded with audiences and media alike.

LAURA BARON KASTNER is a Toronto-based producer focused on feature docs and factual. Most recently, she was a producer on The Skyjacker's Tale, a critically acclaimed feature doc which premiered at TIFF'16, is broadcast on Netflix, Super Channel, Canal D and ZDF/Arte, and is distributed by Strand Releasing in the US and C7 INTL internationally. Prior to coming to the world of film production, Laura was a corporate lawyer at a leading Canadian law firm. Accordingly, she approaches production with a keen eye for technical detail and precision, creative problem-solving skills and a general get 'er done attitude.

Key cast: Kevin Hearn, Dallas Thompson, Amanda Dalby

Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, journalists, film festival directors

Facebook: There Are No Fakes

Twitter: @ThereAreNoFakes

Instagram: @therearenofakes

Hashtags used: #therearenofakes

Website: www.therearenofakes.com

Made in association with: TVO, Knowledge Network

Funders: Rogers Documentary Fund, Rogers Telefilm Theatrical Documentary Fund, CMF, Ontario Creates, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Hot Docs Film Festival/ Toronto