Jon Michaelson
Theatre & Film Directing
T H E R I V E R Y O U S T E P I N
SEAN BAEK * WES BERGER * CLAIRE BURNS * DANIEL BRIERE * SHARMILA DEY * ANDREW JACKSON * ANITA LA SELVA * JANI LAUZON * SERA-LYS MCARTHUR * MARCEL STEWART * MICHAELA WASHBURN * ASTRID VAN WIEREN
Contemporary character-driven actors cinema with a feisty female protagonist at its center, in the mode of John Cassavetes work with Gena Rowlands. Directed by Jon Michaelson, the movie stars Broadway actor Astrid Van Wieren, awarded Best Actress laurels from indie festivals in Chicago and Toronto. The movie is infused with an ever relevant societal critique addressing violence against women, comparable to the grit of Mike Leigh’s work in its affect and immediacy. Hand-held wide screen color cinematography featuring long takes, and evocatively minimal musical underscoring, contribute to allowing viewers to engage with a dramatic experience that poses provocative questions, rather than offering easy answers to the issues the movie explores. THE RIVER YOU STEP IN is available for streaming on platforms such as Prime video, You Tube, Google Plus, Vudo, Vimeo, and Tubi. A DVD with commentary is also available from distributor CINEMAINTENTANT. www.cinemaintenant.com
feature film written & directed by JON MICHAELSON
• 1 hr 40 min 44 sec • Drama * wide screen * color*
North American Distribution online and on DVD from CINE’MA!NTENANT - https://cinemaintenant.com/
Set in the East Toronto neighborhoods of Leslieville / Riverside, THE RIVER YOU STEP IN is a character-driven drama about a maverick social worker and the people she tries to help, and how the best intentions can go awry.
* Public Screenings at Anthology Film Archives, and Cinema Village, NYC, at The Royal Cinema and The Grand Gerrard Theatre, Toronto, and The Film House, St. Catharines. (October & December 2019, January 2020, March 2022)
"I was very impressed with the scope of the story and very touched by the heartfelt performances. This is not a story that we see on film very often.” Hussain Amarshi, MONGREL MEDIA
“The best Indie Film I’ve seen in a long time. I thought the performances were excellent. It was really an ensemble. The balance of happy and sad allowed me to stay engaged throughout.” David S. Craig, playwright
“Great work. A very moving piece with complex characters interweaved in an intriguing plot line. With some really stellar work from Astrid Van Wieren.” John Roby, composer / musician
"Astrid Van Wieren is fantastic in Jon Michaelson's emotional portrayal of a group of very different people struggling with their demons. THE RIVER YOU STEP IN is a fresh and thoughtful ode to helping others." Kat Sandler, Playwright / Director
“Congratulations on "The River You Step In"! I thoroughly enjoyed it. You should be very proud.“ Brian Spector, Broadway Producer
“Astrid Van Wieren is the warm and soulful catalyst at the center of The River You Step In. She brings together a number of compelling stories to form a heartfelt tribute to the resilience of the human spirit." Moze Mossanen, film-maker
“Strong performances -
This film creates a lot of tension, all the way through, as it explores violence against women and the institutional blindness to this issue, and how this seeps into a world view and shapes experiences and relationships.” Carolyn Combs, Film Director, Vancouver
“This movie is a resonant exploration of the power of listening, the cost and rewards of caring, the pain of losing, and the grace of learning to move on. Stevie's journey towards acceptance speaks to all of us who have ever had to find a way to come to terms with our mistakes." Erika Warmbrunn, NYC, author, Where The Pavement Ends
"As a social worker whose life is spinning out of control, Astrid Van Wieren gives a masterful performance. The ironic story and its telling are like something out of Flannery O'Connor. " Rose Cullis, Playwright, Toronto
“It's a wonderful story. Full of compassion, and this movie intertwines the characters enough so we can experience Stevie crossing her own boundaries and getting personally attached…Great work, I loved the characters and the actors, the camera work and locations.” Lianne Ritchie, 51westdesign, NYC
“The film is very moving and thought provoking” Asaf Yecheskel, Costanza Film Distribution, Tel Aviv
On the Screenplay
"I think the script is brilliant, a real film with real characters...raw and funny and scary and complex, just like life is." Assistant Director Paco Bermudez
“Great Indie script! Edgy, tragic, funny in all the right spots - real characters and a story about real life! “ Agent Sandie Newton
"Super heart wrenching and dynamic, a real page turner that second half! Great tension and suspense and reveal. " Film Producer Laura Nordin
Official Selection - TORONTO INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF CIFT - 2023 - Award for Best Canadian Feature
Official Selection: CHICAGO Indie Film Awards - Best Actress Award - 2023
Official Selection - GREAT LAKES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - 2022
Official Selection - The IndieFest Film Awards (LA JOLLA CALIFORNIA) - 2022 - Award in Feature Category
Official Selection - SOCIALLY RELEVANT FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK - 2022 - IndiePix Vision Award for a Narrative Feature
Official Selection - MONTREAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL - 2021 - Honorable Mention: Best Canadian Indie Feature
Official Selection - TORONTO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL - 2021 - Award for Best Actress
Official Selection - ANDROMEDA FILM FESTIVAL - ISTANBUL - 2021
Official Selection - FOREST CITY FILM FESTIVAL - LONDON, ON. - 2020
Honorable Mention - DEEP FOCUS FILM FESTIVAL - BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - 2021 - Shortlisted for the 2022 Festival
Semi-Finalist - ROTTERDAM INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL - 2022
Semi-Finalist - CAPITAL FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL MADRID - 2021 - Short listed for Alternate Screenings
Semi-Finalist - NICKEL Independent Film Festival, St. John’s, NFLD - Shortlisted for the 2021 Festival
S H O R T S & D O C U M E N T A R I E S
I N F I D E L I T Y
“Infidelity” tries to capture something lasting about an overnight encounter between two confused but consenting spouses with divided loyalties.
It's meant as an ironic but heartfelt vigil from despair to hope – in its true blue way it's a fairy tale for consenting adults.
I'm immoderately proud of my two strangers in the night, Guylaine St. Onge and Howard Hoover, for fooling around with such integrity.
As for myself, after years of being married to theatre, it was a pleasure to be caught cheating in a more durable medium.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Written & Directed by JM * Produced by Charlene Olson
Cast: Guylaine St-Onge, Howard Hoover
DP: Gavin Smith * Sound: Bob Rouse * Editor: Sarah Peddie
Music: Thim Clement
25 minutes - 16mm colour Production Co: Ravin, Tor. via Ontario Media Development Corporation's Calling Card Program.
Screened at the Bloor St. Cinema, Toronto. Broadcast on Showcase network, Canada.
OURS, MINE, YOURS
A day unravels for a young man as he and his girlfriend divide the contents of their shared home and go their separate ways. From a short story by Derek Brown, this was shot over a wintry weekend, in a property on the grounds of the Canadian Film Center. The disengaging couple were played by Paul Braunstein and T.L. Forsberg, who worked well together breaking up.
PRODUCTION CREDITS Beta SP (15 mins)
Direction: JM
Writer: Derek Brown
DP: Rudolph Blahacek
Editor: Sarah Peddie
Music: Arvo Part
Producer: Charlene Olson, Ravin Productions, Toronto
Cast: Paul Braunstein, TL Forsberg
InSIDE THE PATERVERSE Parmida VAND MAKING “4-7 CoMPANY” (2024 woRK IN PROGRESS - Rough CUT 5 minute SAMPLE CLIP]
(16mm dupe print)
INFIDELITY (16 minute version)
“His film work shows his customary gifts as an actors' director, with a sensitivity to mise-en-scene. I believe that his feature film debut is long overdue.” Atom Egoyan
THE TEMPEST ON SNAKE ISLAND (part one) (prep)
WELFARE STATE INTERNATIONAL & Company rehearse The Tempest On Snake Island for the Toronto International Theatre Festival Onstage '81 – A DOCUMENTARY.
Hanging out with a band of theatre gypsies from the UK as they work up their playfully dreamlike take on Shakespearian themes of magic, power and dispossession, for a processional style show inspired by Prosperian revels, to be staged on Snake Island at night. Cast: John Fox, Boris Howarth, Sue Fox, Lois, Tony, Neil, Andy, Jamie and Toronto Islanders and friends.
(nb. 16mm workprint)
PRODUCTION CREDITS
JM, producer / director / editor
Sound: Clark McCarron
16mm colour (40 mins) Produced under the auspices of the National Film Board of Canada, and the British Arts Council.
Public screenings: Wards Island Tor; Ryerson University; Univ of Peterborough, Ont; London Film-maker's Co-op, UK.
“Educational and entertaining...a very worthwhile venture...”
Jack Livesley, TV Ontario
THE TEMPEST ON SNAKE ISLAND (part two) (show)
(nb. 16mm workprint)
WELFARE STATE INTERNATIONAL & Company rehearse The Tempest On Snake Island for the Toronto International Theatre Festival Onstage '81 – A DOCUMENTARY
Ferry boats, processions, fortune wheels, fireworks, giant Space monsters, a trip to the moon, shadow puppets, bagpipes, barn dancing !
16 mm film clip projected between the monologues which the play by Brian Friel is composed & the only time audiences would see the characters together. This recording of Jerome Kern’s song, “The Way You Look Tonight” - referenced in the play - is sung by Fred Astaire.