We recently connected with Natalie Novak Remplakowski and have shared our conversation below.
Natalie, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?
We’re more likely to be open-minded in our approach if we shed the idea that there is a ‘perfect template’ in order to put together a creative project such as an independent film. Every film has a unique way of coming together both creatively and financially. Yes, we always seek case studies and look for precedent to uphold our process, however we must stay open to how things unfold given so many variables beyond our control such as market forces, and cultural shifts.The mentality that we’re always forging a new path reduces complacency as we become less vulnerable to thinking that because something has been done a certain way before, then that should be the way in which we proceed. One of the most exciting aspects of filmmaking is that we’re always forging a new path, pushing the boundaries of the medium both in process as well as results. What is working should lead the way rather than ‘what has worked before’ and every project has a unique set of attributes and every filmmaker a unique set of needs that we everyone benefits from tending to.
There is an element of alchemy in what makes a creative project thrive. It’s best when the business side can be flexible to best support that. Instead of adhering to an objective template for ‘the creative process’ and leading everyone down a familiar path, it takes interpersonal intelligence to assess under what circumstances everyone works best, and then shape the path forward in order to accommodate that. This is true at every stage of a film from script development through to finishing where a creative might be most vulnerable to various kinds of feedback that might dilute their initial intention. The goal of the producer is to protect the highest values of the project’s intent by facilitating a process that will best support that coming through at its fullest potential.
Natalie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Natalie Novak Remplakowski and I am an independent filmmaker based between Toronto and NYC with over a decade of broad experience in scripted and creative non-fiction work for all platforms. I am the founder and president of Citrine Productions, an independent Canadian film production company driven by auteur filmmakers offering a kaleidoscope of perspectives. Filming this summer, we’re filming a feature film debut titled Seahorse written, directed by and starring Aisha Evelyna (Alex, The Drop). The project, funded by Telefilm’s Talent-to-Watch, also stars Canadian actor Ruth Goodwin (Private Eyes) and London-based actor Joseph Marcell (Fresh Prince of Bel Air). Lensed by cinematographer Ian Carleton and set to feature an original score by Jason Couse (The Darcys), the film is a Toronto-centric story that follows Nola, a Black woman, desperate for stability following a mental health crisis, who is forced to reconcile her family’s past when her estranged father, now an unhoused man on the street, reappears in her life. The project is scheduled to start principal photography at the end of June in Toronto with Craig Scorgie (In Flames) standing by to edit. June Charles is on board as the production designer with Jeannette Linton (Learn to Swim), returning from the short film to costume design. Daniel Bekerman and Jordan Hart of Good Question Media and Karen Harnisch of Film Forge are serving as executive producers. Seahorse is my first feature film as the lead producer and the first film under the Citrine banner. I founded Citrine in order to house independent projects I felt would otherwise go underserved in the broader producing landscape. I am a hands-on creative producer acting as both a business and creative partner to the director as we work together to navigate each phase of the project from development through to distribution. Seahorse marks my and Aisha’s third collaboration which began with the short film Accidentals (2017) that Aisha wrote and starred in and that I directed, produced by Elizabeth Fraser. Six years later, Aisha and I co-directed and produced another short film, the precursor to Seahorse titled Nola (2024) which premiered at Aspen Shortsfest in April 2024 to an enthusiastic audience.
I started out in the industry, as many do, as an actor. Having grown up participating in the Polish community’s performing arts, I went on to study acting at York University’s prestigious acting conservatory, graduating with a BFA. Soon after, I would put together projects that I would create, unintentionally ‘producing’. This evolved into producing projects for close collaborators before it quickly became a job for which I was hired. Producing short form work became my main source of income while I continued to develop original work on the side. I founded a commercial production company that housed the production of commercial work while I continued to produce scripted work on a freelance (read unpaid) basis. Then, an incredible opportunity aligned when Canadian prolific film producer, Daniel Bekerman of Scythia Films and Good Question Media, was in need of an executive assistant. I wound down my commercial production company to accept the position– having felt burnt out from producing commercials and scripted work simultaneously knowing that my heart was in scripted storytelling. The next four years working for Daniel were some of the most formative years of my career where I absorbed exponential knowledge about the business of film, and the process of producing feature films both in Canada as well as internationally. I was set on a steady path, with no shortage of opportunity, to work on amazing projects. However, my deeply seeded desire of generating my own original work became magnified as the process of filmmaking became further demystified. I knew I had to take drastic measures to carve out the space in my life to pursue my own and so I enrolled at NYU TISCH graduate film program in screenwriting and directing. It was there that my passion for producing was reignited as the closer I felt to sharing my own voice, the more ‘emotional bandwidth’ I had to support other filmmakers’ again. I had started working on Seahorse with Aisha in 2020 and throughout graduate school, steadily raised the financing and worked to build the wider creative team, which we did ever-so-intentionally.
Initially set to co-direct the feature with Aisha, it became apparent in co-directing the short film that our collaboration as co-directors would inevitably lead to a compromise of either of our singular visions and ultimately for the project itself. We agreed that although Aisha would also be acting in the film, that she would serve the execution of the project best as the film’s director having penned the script. The screenplay was developed with the support of several organizations including the Indigenous Screen Office Solidarity Development Fund and the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab.
The subsequent film that I am developing is a Polish and English-language comedy-drama feature titled MY MOTHER’S TONGUE. The project was a selection for ‘Warsaw Next’, a workshop for debut feature filmmakers as part of the 39th Warsaw Film Festival.
In the projects that Citrine embarks on, I hope to celebrate authorship by leaning into the filmmaker’s singular perspective. In the specificity of personal filmmaking, I trust that we’ll find a devoted audience of cinema lovers creating works that will stand out in an attention deficit world, and be time capsules of the era in which we live.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
It still feels like an impossible feat. coming up against the way our world is designed but I’ve strongly come around to the ineffectiveness of multi-tasking. My accidental mantra is ‘one thing at a time’. I say it’s an ‘accidental’ mantra because I’ve started to say this to myself and my colleagues all the time mostly because the pressures of acting against that intention are relentless. Of course, the definition of ‘one thing at a time’ is elastic. It would be a luxury at this phase of my career to focus solely on one ‘project’ at a time, so we must adjust our expectations. However, to fool myself into thinking that I can achieve two goals, of an all-consuming nature, simultaneously is a thing of the past. One project will always fall second in line to another, and ultimately will be underserved. I’ve become hyper in-tune with how I manage my time. I have great confidence in my ability to excel in something when I have the resources of time on my side. It’s only when I feel as though I’m being pulled in too many directions that the energy required to ‘toggle’ between the two is taken away from the main event; the work itself. We’re both encouraged and forced out of necessity to wear multiple hats in our filmmaking careers and though it’s undoubtedly possible, we need to make peace with the fact that our commitment to excellence in one of the roles will be diminished. I’ve found it most difficult to commit to writing and producing a project around the same time. They require such opposing things from me, and the way in which I need to organize my time for one is in direct conflict with the other. I find that my producer brain sets me up on a linear track of thinking for the day and the capacity for my ability to problem solve feels endless. My creative or writing mind needs to have the bandwidth to meander a little bit more and take a walk around the block (both figuratively and literally) in order to thrive. My ‘producer mode’ primes me for interruptions and a level of responsiveness to whatever may arise whereas my ‘writer brain’ wants to be left alone, unbothered by external stimuli as it’s making its own assessments for what gets on the page. It feels frustrating to be pulled out of a deep focus too quickly and I need time to acclimatize to the new mode. An oversimplification is to say that one mode is extroverted and in need of human feedback while the other is introverted and wants to ruminate on ideas as I sort through them. Ultimately, I find it overly challenging to do both at the same time. I like to set up my work schedule in blocks where one ‘mode’ will be my primary focus minimizing potential setbacks.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Great teams are built of diverse thinkers, some who lean towards the macro universe in their perspective, and others who thrive in the world of the details. The macro people are the ‘vision holders’, they keep the big picture intact, understanding how every piece fits into the larger whole. The same gift makes them vulnerable to losing sight of the details and firming up the nuts and bolts in order to make the wheels turn. They may develop unrealistic expectations in order to see results on a larger-scale. Another type of person operates in a way that I like to define them as ‘the executor’. These minds lock into the minutia of a particular process, and carry tasks through to the finish-line (when others have long fallen off, often tending to other vital aspects of the big-picture). The steadfast nature of ‘the executors’ can make them vulnerable to getting lost in the weeds, losing sight of others’ priorities. They can get hung up on a task that may not be the most effective use of their time and energy and missing puzzle pieces on a project can bring about distress.
Ultimately, most people fall somewhere on the spectrum between these two poles. The key to maintaining morale amongst a team is to illuminate one side to the other. By shedding light on the priorities of both sides, we’re able to make everyone feel less isolated and that their role is essential. An understanding of our own impact unites people. A sense of frustration can be reduced and even eliminated when people who operate differently and ultimately have different needs that serve them to do their jobs at the utmost effectiveness can have empathy for one another.
Every detail-oriented executor needs to feel that their efforts are ‘adding up’ and equally ‘the big picture holder’, whether it be a manager or creative leader, needs to have an appreciation and precise understanding for how the many details add up to their– dare I say, ‘vision’.
In a fast-paced setting it may often feel overly time consuming and even pedantic to over-communicate a particular process that doesn’t necessarily feel relevant to everyone in the moment. However, when all members of a team have context for the needs of their colleagues, they are more likely to add a step in their own processes in order to bridge the gap between what they accomplish and another person or department. From the leaders’ perspective, they need to take the ‘hate me now, thank me later’ approach and push for everyone to take the time to share their seemingly contrasting modes, both acknowledging that both are needed to achieve their goals, thus creating a harmonious work environment.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.natalieremplakowski.com
- Instagram: @nremplakowski
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieremplakowski/
- Other: http://www.citrine-presents.com
Image Credits
Headshot by Lauren Vanderbrook Poster by Jessamine Yú Fok Aspen Shortsfest press photos by Daniel Bayer On set stills by Joyce Jiang