A New Brunswick filmmaker is headed to Hollywood. In 2018, Halifax-based filmmaker Jon Mann was accepted into Stephen King’s Dollar Baby program, a unique initiative that allowed emerging filmmakers to license one of the authors short stories for just one dollar. “I don’t know any other author who is so willing to do that with their work,” said Mann in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. A lifelong Stephen King fan, the project is a full-circle moment. “I think it’s fair to say he’s my literary idol,” said Mann. Mann’s short film Popsy is based on a 1993 story from King’s collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes. “Popsy is a short story about a young boy who’s abducted from a mall - to surprising consequences for both his abductor and for him,” said Mann. Popsy was filmed in Fredericton, N.B., in the same neighbourhood where Mann grew up. “That made it extra special,” said Mann. Now, six years after its release, the film is heading to Los Angeles as part of a showcase celebrating the history of King’s Dollar Baby program. “The Academy Museum has selected six films from the 47 years to screen that evening on the 19th, and Popsy was selected as one of them,” said Mann. Mann says being the only Canadian chosen for the event adds an extra layer of pride. “There are so many things I feel honoured to represent … Canadian filmmaking, Canadian horror, and Stephen King. It’s the biggest privilege and honour.” Popsy will screen at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Nov. 19 as part of Stephen King’s Dollar Babies: Shorts, a one-night program celebrating nearly five decades of adaptations created under King’s initiative.
