The Black List Interview: Zachary Montague
Today, we chat with Zachary Montague about his journey as a writer and how the Black List website became a part of his story…
What do you write?
I feel my strengths are in grounded crime dramas and thrillers. My favorite films create understanding with their characters, even the most contemptible. There’s a quote I love from Roger Ebert, who described movies as “Empathy Machines.” I try to keep that in the back of my mind as a standard to aspire to.
What do you love to watch?
Like my writing, I mostly find myself steering towards those character-driven crime dramas. If I could give a shout out, I recently watched Grant Singer’s REPTILE, which I loved. That’s the type of movie that just feels like it was made for me.
What would you love to write? Do you have a dream project?
I’m Canadian, and we’ve become accustomed to being used as a stand-in for American cities. I’d love to create something that brings a Canadian city to an audience in a way that captures its unique subcultures and character, like Ted Demme did for Boston in MONUMENT AVENUE or Nick Gomez did for Newark in NEW JERSEY DRIVE.
Tell us your Black List story.
I was born and raised in the suburbs in Canada, with no ties or connections to the film industry. I was in high school when I talked myself out of following my dream of making movies.
I didn’t think about it again until 15 years later, when my wife and I welcomed our daughter. Having a kid changes everything. You start to think about their future, and you hope you can instill the spirit that anything is possible. That’s when the realization hit me pretty hard, I wanted her to do what I didn’t have the courage to do myself. So in 2021, I started writing.
I eventually finished a script I was proud of, KEEP QUIET. I wanted to see how it measured up, and I discovered The Black List. So I took the leap and put it up for evaluations.
In June 2022, I got a string of 8’s, and it became “Black List Recommended.” Through that exposure, I began to get emails and phone calls from producers and directors. The script was also a finalist in the Black List’s Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship. A stand out moment came when Mr. Elwes called to tell me I hadn’t won the fellowship. Probably sensing my imposter syndrome, he said: “You’re a real writer, you know that right?” I had never considered myself one, let alone been told I was. It had a real impact on me.
It was shortly after that when filmmaker Vincent Grashaw called me. He had read KEEP QUIET on the Black List, kick starting a collaborative journey to bring the movie to life. He’s such a talented and generous guy. I’ve learned a lot from working with him.
Now, KEEP QUIET is heading into production, with Vincent at the helm and an incredibly talented cast, production team and crew. I couldn’t be happier.
On top of it all, the site led to meeting my management team with James Engle of Navigation Media Group and Andrew McCann Smith at Play Media.
I think that’s what makes The Black List so unique. It opens doors and it connects people based on the merit of your work. I don’t know if I could have had these opportunities without it. No matter what comes from it all, I’m happy that I’ve given this a shot and I can say to my daughter that it’s worth putting yourself out there.
Cheers to you, Zachary! We can’t wait to see KEEP QUIET!
