“Within my family there’s a famous story of me answering ‘Superman!’ when asked what I wanted to be,” explains Thornhill filmmaker Matt Austin Sadowski. “When my mom pointed out that only actors could be superheroes, I said, ‘OK, I’ll be an actor then.’”
A born and bred Thornhiller, Sadowski actually grew up surrounded by the world of film. His father ran a used-video shop in Thornhill, and Sadowski has fond memories of sifting through the bounty of titles. It was here that he found his love for film.
Although he is now known as a director, initially Sadowski pursued his acting dreams. Involved in theatre productions throughout high school, Sadowski would often smooth-talk his way into video projects instead of writing essays. It was at university that an agent helped him nab his first paid acting gig: a Tim Hortons’ commercial.
Though Sadowski has since tucked a roster of characters under his belt, it was his stint as Bridge Carson, the idiosyncratic green Power Ranger, in seasons 13 and 15 of the hit kids’ show that brought his work to a wider — and rather impassioned — audience.
“Bridge was a really misunderstood, weird character,” says Sadowski. “It was really cool to have a fan base of young adults who identified with that.”
Sadowski’s ability to empathize with the misunderstood has been threaded throughout his oeuvre.
Known for exclaiming “Buttery!” while wiggling his fingers, his Ranger’s catchphrase was actually coined by Sadowski himself, who uses it as an alternative to more common utterances.
“The writers decided to incorporate it into the show, never knowing it would take off like it did,” he explains.
The popularity of his character really hit home at Power Morphicon — a convention that draws nerdtastic fans clad head-to-toe in character outfits. “There’d be people literally lining up with sticks of butter for me to sign — or pieces of toast!” he says.
While spandex-clad cast reunions have yet to happen, the greatest part about being a Power Ranger was one that didn’t involve the green suit.
“There is a young kid who, as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, made a wish to hang out with me, play video games and eat pizza. That will be for a very long time the coolest thing that happened to me.”
Sadowski’s move from being in front of the camera to behind it was one that came naturally. Around six years ago, he realized that he was growing increasingly obsessed with the overall picture: his ability to focus on the dialogue was being eclipsed by thoughts on lighting, camera angles, music and so on.
As a child rummaging in his father’s video store, Sadowski had found himself particularly drawn to the work of director John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Home Alone), who was known for his sensitive portrayal of young people.
“Hughes created a genre all by himself,” says Sadowski. “He made teens feel that their lives were important and meant something.”
So, for his first major directorial production, Sadowski chose to go back to his childhood roots and make a film about John Hughes. His documentary Don’t You Forget About Me shows Sadowski and three other filmmakers as they seek out Hughes — the highly influential director who had become a terrific recluse after years as Hollywood’s golden ticket.
The doc was thrust into the spotlight following Hughes’ untimely passing and earned critical acclaim.
“People respected Hughes and his films a great deal, but even more after he died. In turn, they seem to respect me as a filmmaker more,” says Sadowski.
The film garnered international attention and propelled Sadowski to a place at the National Screen Institute.
Rather than plowing ahead with some brazen project, he chose to tighten up his filmmaker’s approach, creating a number of shorts instead.
The Butterfly and the Bee — a snapshot of two boxers bouncing around, waiting for their moments to strike — made an impact at the Vancouver Olympics, where it was shown on a Jumbotron in the athletes’ village.
This month, Sadowski will make his debut at TIFF with his latest film, The Tape, which screened at Cannes last May.
The short film stars actor Julian Richings and follows him on an unusual quest to unearth a VHS tape. The film examines the relationship between reality and memory — and where the two collide in the digital age.
“I think that shorter films have more poetry about them,” Sadowski notes. “For this particular story, I just thought it would work as a shorter film. I wanted more experience before I make my big debut opus.”
The idea for The Tape sprang from a long-forgotten event from Sadowski’s childhood. Determined a hazy memory wasn’t a figment of his imagination, he sought out the VHS tape that surely held the proof — but was unable to ever procure it.
Going stir-crazy after another short of his was held up in production, Sadowski dusted off an old script inspired by this experience and called up some filmmaking buddies. They quickly banded together, and the film was shot — from start to finish — in just one day. A couple of weeks later, he received a call for previously unseen shorts, not realizing it was for a Telefilm program bringing Canadian films to Cannes.
“It was a film that was never really supposed to be. It happened out of pure angst. Had everything gone smoothly, I never would have been able to make it.”
Anticipating his film’s TIFF debut, Sadowski also has plans to take in the rest of the short films at the fest.
“I think it’s really important to be invested in who my peers are,” he says.
As for the parties, expect to find him at Festival Music House, a pavilion of sorts that gives Canadian bands the opportunity to play for movie folk.
“I’m a diehard music collector,” says Sadowski. “It’s an event where you can be surrounded by people in the industry, without feeling like it’s schmoozy.”
When he’s not hanging out with the TIFF film stars, Thornhillers might bump into Sadowski at the Octagon. He has also, in his time, racked up the hours at one of his favourite places, the Thornhill Public Library.
So, what’s next for Sadowski?
Currently, he is directing the second season of HBO Canada series The Right Hand, an atypical look at the adult film industry. He calls it a “fish-out-of-water coming-of-age thing” which is set against the backdrop of “this train wreck of a [main] character.”
Next summer, he has plans for a feature film, which he describes as “An Annie Hall–like love story starring Canadian actors.” Could this be that big debut opus he was talking about?
