Apartment Story is feature film made by an independent Toronto filmmaker-one man juggling many hats, who struggled without the backing of any of the organizations, which typically fund anything that gets made in Canada.

Kent Tessman first realized that he wanted to be a filmmaker as a 10 year-old boy, when he saw Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Twenty years later, he made his dream will come true. Literally. With Apartment Story, his first feature film, Tessman became not only a film director, but also a one-man cast of cinematic talents.

Shot on a budget of a couple thousand dollars, with a production team consisting of one person—
Kent Tessman, who was director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, visual effects
artist, composer, and casting agent—the film is impressive. Apartment Story, about a guy named
Guy who can't bring himself to leave his apartment, will have its world television premiere on Bravo! July 10 at 9:30 pm ET, and received critical praise at its first public showing at a screening at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. 

Kent Tessman

"It was hard because it was the first time I'd watched it with a room full of strangers who had no vested interest in liking it.  They weren't related to me, they didn't know me or anything, so it was a little bit harrowing.  But actually the screening went really, really well. People enjoyed it and were ultimately impressed when I told them how it was done."  

The idea to strike out on his own came as a result of conversations with filmmaker friends about how they can succeed in a system that isn't necessarily so friendly to new-comers. "We began to develop the idea that if you want to make a movie then at the most basic level the only thing you really need is a camera and someone to stand in front of it and do something."

So that's what he did.  He got a camera, some actors and began shooting in a location that he could get access to 24 hours a day — his apartment. And while the production was literally a one-man-show, Apartment  Story is also an excellent movie in its own right. Its devilish sense of humour is a welcome treat that shines out in a world of Canadian independent film that too often leans toward dark and brooding themes. 

Instead, Apartment Story is a modern fantasy film, taking the audience inside the mind of a man who looks out into his work-a-day world and says, "Screw it.  I'm not going out into that."  This is a place that everyone who has ever held a job wishes they could go.  Living vicariously through the lead character, Guy is the next best thing.

Because the story stays within the four walls of the director's apartment, the film is heavily dependent on writing.  Tessman says that for him writing remains the most important part of the filmmaking process, "There's really nothing that can't be done in terms of visuals today," he says referring to recent effects-driven movies.  "It's hard to be impressed by special effects because you know that they can now do anything they want.  So it comes down to a question of what you can do creatively in terms of writing and directing." 

Tessman's film is a success in both of these departments, telling a compelling and authentically human story that lends itself extremely well to the constraints of independent filmmaking.

"In a way it's easy to make a movie for next-to-nothing.  Sure, if I was to figure in the cost of my own time — more than a year spent writing, shooting, and finishing the movie, all in my apartment — plus the same contributions and time and effort for all the extremely talented and generous actors involved, that next-to-nothing would be a distant memory. But if you've got enough to rent a lighting kit and buy a submarine sandwich for whoever's around on a given day, you're on your way to covering your production costs.  The production budget and the lunch budget had an awful lot in common."

With Apartment Story finished Tessman is hoping he can use the film as proof that he can take on large projects and be successful.  He explains, "The film was partly done as a way to demonstrate to people that I can deal with a long-form production.  If you haven't done something before, there's a great skepticism about whether or not you can pull it off.  If you write a short story people say, 'Wow, great short story, but could you write a whole novel?' It's the same with film:  'That's a great short film but could you direct a feature?'"

"I've always flattered myself thinking that if anyone gave me the chance to make a movie I'd do a excellent job," says Tessman about his lifelong ambition.  "But you spend a lot of time and energy trying to get someone to give you the chance.  I guess what I did is give it to myself."

With Apartment Story Tessman has proven that he can do just that — and he did it all on his own.