Imagine the story of an introverted superfan, Arnold, whose infatuation with a famous popstar drives him to get plastic surgery. That decision proves to be costly, as his face begins to fall apart and his dream turns into a nightmare. This is premise of the film Imitations, created by the collective MarkusMilosIanFabian, that will be premiering at the prestigious 2016 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Short Cuts program. The collective includes a trio of UWinnipeg Film alum.
The quartet of MarkusMilosIanFabian includes Milos Mitrovic, Ian Bawa, and Fabian Velasco, who met while studying filmmaking at UWinnipeg, and the German filmmaker Markus Henkel.
“Fabian and I met in my final year film class at the UWinnipeg,” said Bawa. “Fabian kept volunteering to help out on [my film]. I think it was only because we were shooting at UWinnipeg for the majority of the film, and he lived five minutes away. Nevertheless, I repaid him the favour by volunteering my time in helping him out on his film, in which Milos Mitrovic was acting in.”
The trio would hang out after filming and became friends at UWinnipeg.
“My experience at UWinnipeg was important in shaping my filmmaking prowess,” said Mitrovic. “At first, I was very green. This meant I knew little to nothing about filmmaking. But with the help of John Kozak and Howard Curle I was able to learn the craft of filmmaking and meet inspirational filmmakers — like my future collective who continue to help me grow as a filmmaker.”
Mitrovic also notes that meeting his colleague Velasco was very important in this film making process too. Velasco taught him all about the aesthetic of filmmaking and the importance of the visual look of a film.
“My experience in film studies was very rewarding,” said Velasco. “In my five years in school I formed fruitful bonds with my classmates and professors which continue to this day. Aside from any knowledge I have gained in class, these relationships have been the most valuable to me and my career.”
For the past three years, the collective has collaborated in a number of short films including The Champ (2015) and Under The Neon Lights (2013) among others that have earned them accolades locally and abroad. Both The Champ and Under The Neon Lights were featured in the popular websites the A.V. Club and Ain’t It Cool News. The Champ received a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2015. Currently, the collective is developing various feature length screenplays aimed for production in late 2016 and early 2017.
