Filmmakers await 8:37 Rebirth premiere

“It’s been a really great learning experience,” said Juanita Peters, the film’s director.

Co-producer Marty Williams, who is formerly from New Glasgow, and Peters were in Pictou briefly this week on their way back to Halifax.

“I can’t wait to see the people involved in the film see what they helped make,” Williams said. “They haven’t seen any of it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Peters was able to share a 20-second-long trailer of the film, including passages featuring the two male lead cast members Glen Gould and Pasha Ebrahami.

Gould’s character is trying to renew his life through art after his recent release from prison for killing the father of his friend, played Ebrhami.

“He’s a monster talent,” Peters said of Gould. “There is a lot there (in the script) to feed him. These are people who make choices that affect them for a lifetime.”  

Peters talked about her background in writing, as well as a time as a reporter and broadcaster on radio and television.

“I was always a writer first,” she said. “To me it’s all about story.”

She praised the fact the film could be made in Halifax. It is mostly location filming, with pandemic restrictions limiting the amount of inside sets for shooting.  

“It's an emotional film that resonates heavily, and is a representation of what kind of content can be achieved and shot in Halifax,” she said. “Everyone has worked really hard on this project, and we are really passionate about what we have put together.”