“A Day in the Life” with: Toronto Filmmaker Gursimran Datla

Gursimran Datla is a filmmaker and producer based in Toronto, Canada. Gursimran migrated from Panjab to Toronto in 2016 with the goal of establishing his own film company and indulging in independent filmmaking. He started his own production company, BetterHalf Films, in 2022. Gursimran is an alumni of the EAVE Producers program. His career in filmmaking spans over 15 years as an independent director and writer of various short films. His award-winning short film, “Refuge,” was screened at the Royal Cinema, Toronto. His recent short film “Cinnamon Tea” was screened at the South Asian International Film Festival, Toronto, and at the Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival, Nova Scotia. He is currently shooting a South Asian comedy series titled – ‘Masala Love’, which was recently selected at the Export Training Asia Pacific (ETAP).

“As an introverted child, I used to spend a lot of time at the library. I was born and raised in a remote community with a large landscape. I was captivated by oral storytelling and folktales infused with creativity and fantasy aspects. Then I relocated to a big city to pursue graduate studies. During my graduation in film production, I became active in theatre and playwriting. Here, I started developing my scene-making, script-writing, and character-building skills. I moved to Toronto for further studies and continued screenwriting in the post-graduate program. I also enjoy poetry as an art form and its similarities to filmmaking.

Initially, pitching my stories to Toronto producers was difficult. During my time working in and around the Canadian film business, I saw a lack of platforms for South Asian creators. It can be challenging to get people to produce our stories since they are multi-linear and filled with myths, metaphors, and obsolete traditional forms. So I decided to establish Better Half Films. A company grants you greater creative flexibility and control over your intellectual property. It’s also a more effective approach for a producer to contact broadcasters and networks.”

Which neighbourhood are you in?

East York, Toronto – Danforth Main Street

What do you do?

I am a filmmaker and run a film company, BetterHalf Films

What are you currently working on?

I recently developed my first digital series, ‘Masala Love’ with the support of Ontario Creates and CMF. Its first episode can be seen here. We will be shooting the next episodes very soon.