Myth making, Truth, and Blackberry with Matt Johnson and Jay Baruchel, TIFF 2023

Matt Johnson and actor Jay Baruchel stop by Studio 9 to delve into the captivating world of their latest film, Blackberry. The writer, director and actor discuss the writing process, the importance of mythmaking in story telling, and why sometimes bending the truth makes for a much better story. Every era has its visionaries, and BlackBerry, cowritten by Director Matt Johnson and Producer Matthew Miller, investigates the brilliance of the individuals that invented the worlds first smartphone. Recounting the Canadian companys humble yet chaotic rise to market dominance, BlackBerry is a darkly comedic telling of the tragic tale of a Canadian company that revolutionized the way we communicate, before swiftly plummeting into obsolescence. Its 1996, and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and his business partner and best friend Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) are on the edge of creating the worlds first smartphone. Unfortunately for them, they are less business savvy