J.R. Fortin

1. Your project has entered in our festival. What is your project about?

Hearts of New England is about a soldier coming home. While the war no longer rages, he continues to fight the war within himself. Between PTSD and his father being a mob boss he can’t walk away from the violence. His family life starts to fall apart as his dad's dirty deeds pile up.

2. What are your ambitions with your project?

My biggest ambition is to finish all five seasons and increase more watched time.

3. Tell us somethng about your shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?

I would say a lot of our fight scenes got great reviews and feedback and they came out better than I expected.

4. For what group of spectators is your film targeted?

I’d say people who like mob movies as well as people who like soap operas. There are love struggles involved as well as violence.

5. Why should distributors buy your film?

People should invest because it’s unique.

6. How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?

I’d specify my work as a collaboration of filmmakers in New England coming together to achieve a common goal.



7. Why did you decided to become a filmmaker?

I was on a film set in Berlin, New Hampshire and had the time of my life. In 2016 I played Shawn in Paper City Burnout. I wanted to learn everything I could about film making after that; Chris Dubey inspired me.

8. Who is your role model?

I’d say there’s a lot of people that contributed to my success but my biggest role models are my Dad and Christopher Fyfe. My dad has always been my hero. Christopher Fyfe helps me not only in the film world but in real life too. We have become family over the short time that we’ve worked together. If there was ever a genuine person who people should aspire to be it's Christopher. He helps everyone and has helped me through lots of dark hours.

9. Which movies are your favorites? Why?

I’d say my personal favorite movies are movies similar to Cruel Intentions and all mob and cop movies. I think Cruel Intentions did a fantastic job in showing another perspective where the guy is actually the victim, which is why it saw so much success as well as great acting.

10. Where do you look for inspiration for your films?

I look for a lot of my inspiration through scenery in New England.

11. Which topics interest you the most?

Mobs, romance, war



12. What do you consider your greatest achievement in your career?

My greatest achievement is producing a series that people who work with me get awards for. There is nothing more rewarding than helping contribute to other people’s success.

13. What do you consider most important about filming?

I would say that if your going to show anything you film then sound is the most important aspect that every filmmaker has had hiccups with, including us. But bad audio makes for unwatchable film.
14. Which film technique of shooting do you consider the best?

I would say that I don’t go by technique, I go by working with open minded people with all hands on deck. Everyone in the indie film world has to be willing to do anything from slate to script supervising. Luckily, I was blessed with an amazing team.

15. How would you rate/What is your opinion about current filmmaking?

Too much politics now. Leave politics out of it and just have fun. Political views are irrelevant on film sets so leave them at the door and respect one another’s different views.

16. What can disappoint you in a movie?

Being predictable; I like to be surprised.

17. Who supports you in your film career?

For the most part everyone is supportive. Friends, family, other filmmakers, and people from my regular job will show up to be extras, especially my Windham, Maine family, which will always hold a special place in my heart.



18. What are the reactions to your film? (opinion of spectators, film critics, friends and family)

For the most part we get amazing support, a lot of compliments, and have won many awards. Friends, famIly, and co-workers go out of their way to be supportive, I couldn’t ask for more. However, there will always be some critics and for the most part these critics are working with a budget that no one can compare to so you have to ignore the comparison between the films or you’ll go crazy.

19. Have you already visited any of the prestigious film festivals?

I go to CIFF in New York every year because it was where I got my first award and I attend a few others depending on my work schedule.

20. What are your future plans in filmmaking carriere?

Having Christopher Fyfe direct my romance movie, The Christmas Cape, is something I’m really looking forward to.

BIO:

I’m 32 years old and I have 7 amazing children. I grew up in Poland, Maine which is a small, rural town. I’ve written and filmed a few shorts: Together Forever and The Ghost of Route 26 are just a couple but my baby and true passion project is Hearts of New England. I’m most known for Hearst of New England but have been on over forty film sets acting.  I love being in other people’s films. There's nothing more rewarding than other people investing in you.