Canada boasts a wealth of talented actors, writers, directors, and other content creators. To help our industry grow, we would like to introduce you to some of those gifted folks who have managed to capture that magic on screen.
This week, we spoke with a Vancouver screenwriter, director, and producer, Malka Martz-Obrerlander.
HNMAG: Are you in Halifax for work?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: Right now, I’m shadowing the director of This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
HNMAG: When did you get involved with that iconic Canadian comedy show?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: About eight months ago.
HNMAG: Have you learned a lot while you’ve been on the show?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: It’s been a real honor to shadow and learn from this director, whose name is Steve Wright. He’s been directing TV for 30 years. He directed a lot of Mr. Young, which was filmed in Vancouver.
HNMAG: That was a comedy about a teacher?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: It was about this teenager who missed out on his high school experience because he graduated super, super early, so he decided to come back and be a high school science teacher.
HNMAG: Now he’s got an opportunity to direct sketch, so that’s great.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: He’s been directing This Hour Has 22 Minutes for a long time, as well on and off, because they rotate directors. He’s actually one of the only male directors this entire season. The rest are all female directors, which is nice. It’s an incredible work environment. Everyone is super lovely. I can definitely see why a lot of people work on the show for upwards of thirty years.
HNMAG: You grew up in Vancouver.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I did.
HNMAG: How did you get involved in performance at first?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I did musicals when I was six through Kerrisdale Community Theatre. In my first production, I was Annie in a Western remake of Annie. Community theatre was full of adults in Kerrisdale. Then I did musical theatre, all throughout my childhood. I did a lot of Shakespeare as well. I studied under Mike Stock. I started directing musical theater in high school with my friend Dalia Currie. We did two full productions at the Red Gate Revue theatre on Granville Island.
I never thought I wanted to have a career in theatre, but I really love it. I’ve been making short films since I was ten years old.In that sense, I’ve always loved film as a medium, but I never knew that it was a possibility to have a career since I wasn’t taught that.
HNMAG: When did that start to become a possibility for you?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I grew up making shorts with my friends. When in grade eleven, my film teacher told me I could apply for film school. I was considering law school at that point. I was accepted into the University of Victoria social science program. I wanted to become an environmental lawyer. Corin Brown pointed out that I could go to film school and actually have a career in film instead. I decided to go for it. Or at least I am going for it (or trying to).
HNMAG: Which school did you choose?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: Capilano University.
HNMAG: That’s a good school.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: That was a couple of years ago. I worked while in film school as an on-set decorator and in the art department. I started working officially in film in 2021.
HNMAG: You worked on Red Light Rebel.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: Yes, last year.
HNMAG: Are you working on anything now?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I have been working on a feature for the past three years, and I was pitching it at Tribeca last spring. I am currently looking to lock down private financiers. It’s called Kosher. It’s a coming-of-age comedy set in a nursing home in 1982 in Montreal. It’s very zany. It’s a little bit of everything. It’s very fun. The tagline is that it’s a coming-of-age film for the end of your life. It’s a big project and could be a while before it gets made.
I’m also pitching a different film as a co-director, which is not my script. I’m making that with my close collaborator Ana Pacheco, whose script called Exposure Therapy, which is a film about a woman with OCD who gets a sugar daddy in order to attend rehab. I’m slated to co-direct that, and we’re applying to Telefilm this year with the support of Langara.
HNMAG: You also do improv comedy with Queerprov on Wednesday nights at the Junction on Davie Street.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I just joined Queerprov this last year. I’m really happy I did. I, I’ve studied improv with Tightrope in Vancouver and Second City.
HNMAG: In Toronto.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I do improv because it really helps sharpen my skills as a writer. I’ve also studied writing for sketch with the Groundlings.
HNMAG: When was that?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I took online classes with them during the pandemic.
HNMAG: Do you find that things are changing where we’re going to get more productions set in Canada, in terms of the story?
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: I really hope so, but I especially hope so for Vancouver. I am really happy that Heated Rivalry has become a huge global success.
HNMAG: Right now, it’s the biggest show in the world.
Malka Martz-Obrerlander: It’s set in Canada. The principal character is Canadian. It’s not just an American playing a Canadian. I’m less worried about things being set in Canada, and I’m more concerned about funding, getting to Canadian filmmakers. One of the reasons I went to live in Toronto for four months is that Vancouver sometimes feels like too much of a U.S. service town for film. My hope is that we develop more in Vancouver. I would love to see more writers’ rooms in Vancouver. I would love to see more of the development decision-making happen in Vancouver. I think that we’re still very much Toronto, LA, and New York focused. It would benefit everybody across the country to diversify the industry.
Malka Martz-Oberlander is a young and talented Vancouver filmmaker. She is very funny and has wonderful energy. Malka is very talented and has already worked in all aspects of the industry. She is a go-getter with a strong point of view and is passionate about Vancouver filmmakers telling their stories. We all want to see Vancouver play itself more on the big screen, and Malka is going to make that happen.