Week of Friday June 25th, 2021
How did you get started in your career?
"Initially, I started out wanting to write novels before ultimately finding my way to screenwriting. Then I decided if I was going to spend all that time and energy on writing a script, I should probably follow the vision through to the end and direct it as well. From there, I just tried to educate myself and learn as much as I could about filmmaking. Then through networking, I was given an opportunity to work as a production assistant on a small independent film. Once I got on that set, I knew immediately that this was what I wanted to do with my life."
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What was a memorable yet life changing moment that you’ve cherished?
"Back in 2017, I quit my job to backpack through Southeast Asia for six months. I was terrified at the time because I had no income coming in, and I was completely alone on the other side of the world, but it worked out better than I could’ve ever imagined. That experience taught me to follow my instincts and be bolder with my decisions, which has served me well in this industry."
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Your favourite project you’ve worked on till date?
"My favourite project I've worked on so far is a short documentary called Mending a Crack in the Sky that I co-directed with a great filmmaker named Zach Jama. It's about two Somali-Canadian mothers who lost their sons to violence and, as a result of that loss, started a group to address gun violence in the Somali community while combatting all of the systemic barriers that contribute to that violence. It's a project that means a lot to me, and you can check it out for free at the Hot Docs Film Festival until May 9th, alongside seven other short films commissioned by Hot Docs as part of their Citizen Minutes project."
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What advice would you give to individuals trying to get where you are?
"Network. If I had to guess, I would say maybe 75 percent of the opportunities I’ve gotten in this industry were through networking or just meeting the right person at the right time. I’m super introverted, so I was always hesitant about going to networking events, but filmmaking is such a collaborative process that there really is no way around that aspect of it. Once I realized that, everything started to fall into place for me.
Secondly, I would say, don’t lose sight of what drew you to filmmaking in the first place. When you first start off, you’ll probably have to do certain jobs that you might not necessarily be interested in, and there are benefits to that, but once it’s no longer beneficial to the end goal, don't be afraid to move on and take that next leap."
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Working on any upcoming projects we should know about?
"Right now, I’m concentrating on polishing up some old scripts in hopes of having them ready to pitch before the end of the year. Besides that, I'm just focusing on this short doc and submitting it to more festivals after its run at Hot Docs."
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With the world’s current state, how have you been able to move your career forward?
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With the world’s current state, how have you been able to move your career forward?
"By taking advantage of the extra downtime to write, fill out more grant applications, and map out the projects I want to work on in the future. The world is going to open back up eventually, so I want to make sure I'm ready when it does."
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Find more of Roble's work here:
Documentary "Mending a Crack In The Sky"
Instagram: @roblit0
