Zoe Kazan and Daniel Radcliffe star in The F Word, produced and written by alumnus Elan Mastai | Photo credit: Larry Busacca/Getty
“This is the result of a dozen years of hard work and many, many people,” says Mastai.
A romantic comedy set in Toronto, The F Word puts a contemporary twist on a classic dilemma — boy meets girl but girl has a boyfriend. The ‘F’ stands for friends.
The summer flick is far from Mastai’s first industry success.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Mastai made his way to Montreal to pursue an MA at Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies, after earning his BA at Queen’s University.
“I came from a family where being an artist was a reasonable ambition,” he notes. “But you had to have a pragmatic relationship — you had to do it in the real world.”
Concordia’s open-minded approach helped Mastai translate his academic pursuits into storytelling: “Your thesis could be more than just words on the page.”
Mastai produced and co-wrote a feature film for his thesis, Sk8life (2006), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
Elan Mastai is grateful for Concordia’s open-minded approach: “Your thesis could be more than just words on the page.” | Photo credit: Caitlin Cronenberg