Film Production Graduate Jon Pácifer Shares the Story of how His Award Winning Doc Came to be

There is a marked level of passion inherent in filmmaking. A passion for the craft, a passion for the content and a passion for bringing stories to the screen.

“That is what makes good filmmakers and that is what makes this industry so special,” Jon Pácifer said. “Toronto Film School showed me that.”

Pácifer, a graduate of the Toronto Film School Film Production Diploma program, said he had his mind set on becoming a filmmaker by the age of 16.

Originally from Brazillia, the capital of Brazil, Pácifer’s sister was an actress and she would take him to the theatre and he would help out with the productions she was in.

Pácifer, now 26-year-old, went on to study advertizing and communications at a University in Brazil and took some courses in television and film. That cemented his desire to work in film and he decided to take an internship at a production company in Brazil.  After a few years working there, Pácifer knew he needed to study film production to further his career and set his sights on Canada.

On the advice of a friend living in the city, Pácifer decided to move to Toronto to pursue his studies in film. He arrived in February of 2012 first took an English as a Second Language (ESL) program before attending the Film Production Diploma program at Toronto Film School.

Pacifer said he didn’t want to find himself in a school that was based entirely on books. He wanted a hands-on learning experience with people who are as passionate about film as he is, which is why he choose Toronto Film School.

“Toronto Film School was a very special experience in my life, especially because everyone who teaches here, everyone who studies here, everyone who is involved in this institution is really passionate,” Pacifer said. “When I came from Brazil to start film school here in Canada, that was one of the things I was looking for.”

Pacifer graduated from the Film Production Diploma program in September 2014 and started Imagineus Films with fellow Toronto Film School graduates Andrew Gerhold and Eric Michael Campbell.

Pacifer explained his passion in filmmaking is in documentary films.

“Making a documentary, for me, means not only giving an audience the chance to look into a story that you would never imagine is there, but it is sort of a social duty,” Pácifer said. “You give someone the chance to tell people about their story.”

Pácifer won the Best Documentary Film award at the 2014 Toronto Film School Festival of Films, which featured 42 short films by student’s in the school’s Film Production, Acting and Writing Diploma programs.

His award winning film Going For the Gold is a short documentary about folk guitar player Roger Ellis and how he chooses to live his life.

Ellis is a musician who regularly plays in the Toronto subway stations, but when Pácifer heard his music he knew there must be something to his story.

“I stopped and was staring at him thinking ‘who is this guy’,” Pácifer said.

He started to research Ellis and found that he had been a member of the Juno Award winning Canadian band from the 1907s, Edward Bear. He read everything he could on Ellis, the band Edward Bear and the other band members, but was unable initially to re-connect with Ellis.

Meanwhile Pácifer had a good friend, a fellow Brazilian, who while living in Canada had lived in a “home stay” situation, meaning he lived with a Canadian family. That friend returned to Brazil, but one day he called Pácifer and said that his home stay parents were having some trouble with their computer and asked if Pácifer would be willing to help them.

When he went to the home to help the home stay father played some music for Pácifer on the piano.

“I just got the feeling that this guy was too cool to be a random person,” Pácifer said. “At the end of the meeting I asked him if he had a album.”

The man said yes and pulled a vinyl album off the self and handed it to Pácifer.

“I looked at it and I saw ‘Edward Bear’ and I freaked out,” Pácifer said.

It turns out that the home stay father to his friend was in fact Paul Elden, another member of Edward Bear.

“I had the file with me so I pulled it out and put it in his hands,” Pácifer said. “And I told him I had researching them… It was the craziest coincidence.”

When the film screened at the Toronto Film School Festival of Films Ellis and Elden attended the event.

“When I had the chance to have Going for the Gold screened at Toronto Film School Festival of Films and having them right beside me, looking at the big screen… it was the biggest pleasure for me,” Pácifer said. “It was the most reward part of this project so far because I could see on their faces in and their smiles that they were happy.”

Following the screening Ellis said he expects big things of the young filmmaker.

“I think he is a really great filmmaker,” Ellis said. “I’m sure he is going to go on to make some really great films.”