Behind the Film: Gan Canny - Worcester Film Festival

Introduction:

Our film, Gan Canny, is a darkly comic, heartfelt and slightly chaotic comedy/drama that explores familial relationships, working-class Northern culture and the ways in which we deal with grief and death through the only way we know how – humour and absurdity. Siblings Tyler and Paige don’t agree with the way their estranged mam has arranged their Nana’s funeral, and impulsively take matters into their own hands. What follows is a clumsy grand theft hearse as the siblings decide to take Nana on one last road trip before saying their final goodbyes. What could possibly go wrong?

Inspiration:

Gan Canny was actually born from a period of real darkness and personal trauma. We are a family-run production company; mum Lou, dad Michael and son Aaorn, and Lou wrote Gan Canny following the death of her dad. It was her way of dealing with her own grief; she wrote her way through it. A lot of the situations and the reasons our lead characters have certain conversations were the same as we were having – sharing favourite memories, talking about places we used to visit, favourite food, music….it was a cathartic process and helped form the basis of the the overall theme and answering the question we all ask ourselves during a time like this “What would you do to spend one last day with someone you have lost that you loved so much?” I know most people wouldn’t steal a hearse, but Tyler and Paige are one-offs!

The Process:

As with any short film by a small indie production company, the first (and the main) issue we had was budget. We had nothing. Well, we had about £500 of our own personal money which we dedicated to it! We knew we had a great, ambitious idea, and Lou had written a brilliant script, and we were lucky enough to meet and talk to some incredibly talented people who became our fantastic Gan Canny Cast and Crew.

The North East is awash with formidable talent, hungry for opportunity, and these amazing people have become like family. It was also about getting to speak to bands, artists, record companies, and publishers, as we knew how important music would be to accompany our film. As producer, Michael managed this, talking at length about our project and our ambitions for it, and over a period of time, negotiated the licensing of music from three incredible artists. We followed that same process in securing locations, resources and equipment, and we then had use of caravan parks, shops, coffins, hearses and more. We then filmed in North Tyneside over 3 days, including a 4.30 am start on one day and made a film full of heart, with the same huge amount of heart. Finally, it was edited by Aaron on a MacBook on our kitchen table! A true no-to-low budget production!

What It Means to Be a Finalist:

Being selected as a finalist at Worcester Film Festival is amazing. More than anything, it proves that beneath the jokes lies something more significant: a film that proves that regional storytelling, told authentically, can travel nationwide. It’s also proof that talent is not tied to money or budget and is everywhere. If you believe in people, they will believe in you and your idea.