CLAPBOARD JUNGLE is an invaluable look at how independent genre movies actually get made

The first virtual edition of Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival is just around the corner! In the coming days, we’ll be presenting capsule reviews of a number of films screening at the festival, filmmaker interviews, and much more. All of our 2020 Fantasia coverage can be found here. For the full schedule and tickets, head to the Fantasia screening site. 

Indie filmmaking has always been a risky proposition, and somewhat paradoxically, it is harder than ever to get independent films financed and produced these days, even as there are more outlets than ever to show them. Director Justin McConnell illustrates just how hard it is to get a film project off the ground with his documentary Clapboard Jungle, available on-demand during this year’s virtual Fantasia Film Festival.

Clapboard Jungle follows McConnell over a five-year period as he attempts to put together an independent genre film. Through self-shot confessional interviews, and interviews with genre legends like George A. Romero, Richard Stanley, and Guillermo Del Toro (who seems to be a one-man quote machine), McConnell shows all the convoluted steps required to bring a genre film to life.

Even with a number of solid ideas and well-known actors attached, getting financing for a film is a headache-inducing Catch-22; you need actors to have fully committed to the project in order to get funding, and you need the funding already locked-in for any stars to officially sign-on.

While trying not to get bogged down and depressed by the state of the industry, McConnell travels to film festivals around the world and meets with various creative types and industry players who help him refine his ideas and put together the best film he can make with the time and budget he can get together. The end result of McConnell’s years of struggle is Lifechanger, a well-received body horror film that played festivals around the world (including Fantasia in 2018).

Clapboard Jungle is not only a great document of the highs and lows of independent filmmaking but a tangible how-to guide that shows the concrete steps you need to follow in order to get a film made in this rapidly-evolving market. McConnell’s honest and heartfelt documentary is a must-see for genre fans and for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes business aspect of the industry.

UPDATE: Clapboard Jungle is now available on Blu-ray via Arrow Video with a ton of extras including five hours (!) of deleted interview footage, multiple commentary tracks, McConnell’s short films, and much more. Order the disc here.