otf.

rca boxing director scores big win

By Garth McLennan

he Other Press recently had a
| chance to sit down with local

boxing aficionado Evan Chan,
who aside from running his own
successful boxing-devoted website,
www.boxingcinema.com, has also
begun to carve out a niche for himself
as a documentary film-maker.

Chan’s most recent project, The
Sweet Science: The Boss was released
earlier this year and has aired several
times on The Fight Network. It received
enough critical acclaim to be admitted
to this week’s YoungCuts Film Festival,
a prestigious event that only takes in
100 films from people under the age of
25 from all across the globe. Back in
July, Chan’s project took top honours in
the Best Canadian short documentary
department at the Okanogan
International Film Festival.

The documentary centers on
professional fighter Kevin “The Boss”
Reynolds, who three years ago was
the number one ranked cruiserweight
in Canadian boxing, but who hasn’t

18

laced up the gloves in almost two years.
Despite his prolonged absence from the
ring, Reynolds holds a sparkling 10-1
record.

The Other Press sits down with
Chan here:

Other Press: When did you first
develop an interest in filmaking?
Evan Chan: I’ve always enjoyed
watching movies, and when I was little
I used to watch “Movie Magic” a lot to
see the behind the scenes stuff. As far
as I can remember, I have always had
an interest in the movie business.

OP: Is filmaking something you could
see yourself doing as a career?

EC: Yes it is, and I’m currently a
member with the Directors Guild of
Canada.

OP: What was the best part about
making a documentary relating

to boxing, something you’re very
passionate about?

EC: Having an opportunity to work ona
boxing documentary was a lot of fun. A

lot of people don’t realize {it}, but the
boxing gyms are a lot friendlier than
they are made to believe. It was a very
easy shoot because everyone involved
was pretty laid back, so I was able to
get just about everything I wanted for
this project.

OP: Do you have any other projects
in the works?

EC: I’m currently in post-production for
a second boxing documentary that I’m
working on, and am planning another
documentary project for next year.

OP: Can you describe what it was
like to be accepted into the film
festival?

EC: This film has surprised me a couple
times. When I originally finished it

I thought that I would have a tough
time getting it out there. But then The
Fight Network took an interest in it
and they ended up airing it on their
channel multiple times over the course
of two days when they first aired

it. After that it got an award for “Best
Canadian Short Documentary” at the

Okanogan International Film Festival
which surprised me since I wasn’t sure
if it was even going to get accepted to
the festival in the beginning. And now
it’s going to YoungCuts, which only
takes 100 films a year from filmmakers
around the world under 25. Again, that
wasn’t something I expected with this
being my first real documentary and
everything. This project definitely has
brought a lot of surprisingly positive
experiences and honours so far which
I’m very grateful for.

OP: How was Kevin Reynolds to
interview?

EC: Kevin is a good guy. He likes to
joke around which always helps...keeps
things interesting (laugh).

OP: Where do you expect Reynolds
to go in his career, thinking both
long and short term?

EC: Short term I think Kevin will keep
working at his gym. Long terms...as
long as the boxing politics don’t hinder
him, then he will get the Canadian title.

 

 

 

 

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