Dan O’Meara heads up non-fiction at indie powerhouse Neon, where he has recently worked on films like Andrew McCarthy’s Brat Pack title Brats and GameStop stock doc Rise of the Players. He will be on the ground at the Toronto Film Festival with the documentary Men of War.
Described by TIFF programmers as “Rambo meets Fyre Fest,” the title from director Billy Corben and Jen Gatien follows a former U.S. Green Beret who is recruited to remove Venezuela’s president in an operation that fails in spectacular fashion.
Ahead of the fest, O’Meara shared with THR some tips and tricks for serving the fest (ask a Canadian for a cigarette), as well as one funny encounter with Jamie Foxx.
My “only in Toronto” moment?
Got a last-minute invite to the premiere of No Country Old Men.
My “Canadians are so nice” moment?
I asked a guy on Bloor St if I could bum a cigarette. He gave half a pack + a lighter. True story.
The one place I have to visit when in Toronto?
Ravis’ Soups.
The place I avoid during the festival is?
The Soho House (too far from everything).
My favorite Canadian director/talent is (and why)?
Sarah Polley. Away From Her broke me.
The most Canadian thing about Toronto?
Tim Hortons.
The one thing I won’t travel without (besides my phone)?
If not my phone, then a charger…for my phone.
Biggest star encounter in Toronto?
Jamie Foxx sat down for breakfast with me at The Intercontinental and began talking to me believing I was his agent’s assistant.
Ryan Gosling or Ryan Reynolds?
Gosling. No contest.
In Toronto, you should always?
Take a long walk in High Park.
In Toronto, you should never?
Order a breakfast burrito from a food truck at the start of an 18-hour day.
