{"id":21173,"date":"2016-09-23T01:52:12","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T08:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=21173"},"modified":"2016-09-21T09:41:05","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T16:41:05","slug":"looking-at-life-after-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2016\/09\/23\/looking-at-life-after-boxing\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking at life after boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aleks Paunovic, left, and Ben Ratner in scene from the short film Ganjy<\/em>, which Ratner hopes one day to develop into a feature. (photo from Ben Ratner)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Vancouver Jewish community member Ben Ratner steps back into his acting boots for his latest, ground-shaking film, Ganjy<\/em>, premi\u00e8ring at this year\u2019s Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 29-Oct. 14.<\/p>\n

Ganjy<\/em>, directed and written by Ratner, is centred on the character of Ganjy (played by Ratner), a former boxer who is in bad shape, suffering from dementia pugilistica and living in squalor. With the support of his former-boxer friends, he endeavors to survive and lead a dignified life.<\/p>\n

A large part of the inspiration for and foundation of Ganjy<\/em> was Ratner\u2019s encounter and interaction with his hero Muhammad Ali at the screening of the film Facing Ali<\/em> in 2009, along with Ganjy<\/em> co-star Aleks Paunovic. They both had the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time with Ali and the boxer\u2019s inner circle. \u201cIt was just a mind blowing, life-affirming experience for Aleks and I,\u201d said Ratner.<\/p>\n

Ganjy<\/em> was filmed in February 2016, and Ali passed away four months later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe topical subject matter of dementia, particularly in sports-related head injuries, and the recent passing of Muhammad Ali makes Ganjy <\/em>hugely relevant and, in our opinion, very important at this time,\u201d said Ganjy<\/em> co-producer Tony Pantages. \u201cOf course, when we shot the film, we didn\u2019t know Ali would pass away only months later, as we were in our final post, but we were honored to be able to pay tribute to him with the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ratner has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to cover the basic costs of filming \u2013 all cast and crew took deferred wages \u2013 and anything raised over the $15,000 goal will be split between the promotion of the film and entry into notable film festivals, and the Muhammad Ali Parkinson\u2019s Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Ganjy<\/em>, Ben Ratner\u2019s exquisite performance as the eponymous lead character tenderly but powerfully reminds us of the undeniable side-effects of the boxing trade,\u201d said Pete McCormack, the award-winning writer and director of Facing Ali<\/em> and I Am Bruce Lee<\/em>, who saw Ratner\u2019s short film in an advanced screening.<\/p>\n

The three co-stars of Ganjy<\/em> \u2013 Paunovic, Zak Santiago and Donny Lucas \u2013 are all experienced actors and former amateur boxers. Paunovic plays Marko, who quit boxing, opened a business and became \u201cthe Perogie King\u201d; Santiago plays Jorge \u201cEl Matador\u201d Zavala; and Lucas plays Cecil Livingston. Ratner also spent time in the amateur ring as a youth, winning gold at the 1981 B.C. Winter Games and competing in the Canadian Junior Championships in 1982. The latter fight led to a concussion at the hands of Howard Grant (a future Olympian), forcing Ratner into retirement.<\/p>\n

Ratner thinks that Ganjy<\/em> will resonate with the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\"photo
In Ganjy, Ben Ratner plays the title character, who is, among other things, suffering from dementia pugilistica. (photo from Ben Ratner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t think of Jews as boxers these days, but, back in the \u201930s and \u201940s, there were a great many Jewish champs: Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Max Baer, Battling Levinsky; in Canada, we had Sammy Luftspring. These were tough bastards, immigrants living in poverty with no other way to put bread on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the film is about more than boxing. \u201cIt\u2019s about the will of the human spirit to overcome adversity, survive and flourish,\u201d he said. \u201cWho knows that better than Jews?\u201d<\/p>\n

Filmed over two long days in a questionable motel in Surrey, the cast and crew, including director of photography Pieter Stathis, assistant director Gordie Macdonald, production designer Josh Plaw and Pantages worked together to bring the film to fruition. In true independent filmmaking style, Ratner and co-star Paunovic spent a night in the motel guarding the equipment and feeding the cockroach, which guest starred in the film.<\/p>\n

Ratner said he probably only slept two hours that night: \u201cI had nightmares about skin disease breaking out on my legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ratner worked with his long-term mentor and acting coach Ivana Chubbuck in preparation for his role as Ganjy. Chubbuck is known for her bestselling book The Power of the Actor<\/em> and for working with Sylvester Stallone on his ultimately Golden Globe-winning, Academy Award-nominated performance in Creed<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his touching, yet unsentimental self-directed short film, Ganjy<\/em>, Ben Ratner gives a performance and directs a piece that is a testament to the human spirit,\u201d said Chubbuck. \u201cNo matter how much battering, both emotionally and physically, a human being can withstand, there is a survivor in all of us. Ganjy<\/em> is this, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among Ratner\u2019s many accomplishments are 100-plus film and television credits, as a multiple-award-winning actor, writer, director and producer. As but one example, at the 2013 Leo Awards, Ratner\u2019s Down River<\/em> won for best director and best feature film screenplay, and the film garnered nine wins and 12 nominations, including best world showcase feature, at the 2014 Soho International Film Festival in New York City.<\/p>\n

Ratner has starred in numerous feature films that have played at top festivals worldwide and has had various types of roles on North American TV shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just finishing a fun acting job, a supporting role in a film called Wonder<\/em>, with Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Mandy Patinkin and Jacob Tremblay, the amazing kid from Room<\/em>,\u201d said Ratner. \u201cAfter wearing so many hats on Ganjy<\/em>, it\u2019s a relief to be a small part of a big film, to just focus on playing my role the best I can and staying out of the way when I\u2019m not called upon to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wonder<\/em> is set for release in April 2017.<\/p>\n

Also keeping Ratner busy is his coaching work. He has run his own studio in Vancouver, Haven, for more than 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some ways I am Ganjy,\u201d Ratner said. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing this showbiz thing a long time, about 27 years, and I\u2019ve got banged up along the way. But I\u2019ve got a lot of fight left in me, and there\u2019s no way I\u2019m going down!\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal is to eventually develop Ganjy<\/em>, which runs 14 minutes, into a feature-length film. But the immediate future is focused on the Indiegogo campaign and promoting the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been creating my own work since 1990,\u201d said Ratner, \u201cand this is the first time I\u2019ve ever done a crowdsourcing venture. In some ways, I feel uncomfortable asking people for money to fund our film when there are so many people in the world who desperately need help to stay alive. On the other hand, Jews have always understood the importance of art in society, and have made it a priority to create and support it. As Albert Einstein said, \u2018creativity is contagious, pass it on.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ganjy<\/em> screens at VIFF on Oct. 2 and 8, preceding the film Marrying the Family<\/em>. The full festival schedule and tickets are available at viff.org<\/a>. To contribute to the fundraising campaign, visit indiegogo.com\/projects\/ganjy-film<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alice Howell<\/strong> is a graduate of the University of Otago, New Zealand, with a BA in film and media studies and a BSc in psychology. She has worked in the entertainment industry as a performer for 12 years and, most recently, as a writer and director. She lives in Vancouver, where she counts herself lucky to be one of Ben Ratner\u2019s acting students at Haven Studio.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aleks Paunovic, left, and Ben Ratner in scene from the short film Ganjy, which Ratner hopes one day to develop into a feature. (photo from Ben Ratner) Vancouver Jewish community member Ben Ratner steps back into his acting boots for his latest, ground-shaking film, Ganjy, premi\u00e8ring at this year\u2019s Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[787],"tags":[6354,6353,6355,1900,1916],"class_list":["post-21173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv-film","tag-boxing","tag-ganjy","tag-muhammad-ali","tag-vancouver-international-film-festival","tag-viff"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}