(June 5, 2017 – Toronto, ON) There are many things we love about getting emails at Northernstars, but two kinds of emails in particular tend to ring our chimes. The first is when we hear from someone in the Canadian film and television industry asking how they can get listed on the website. The other happens far less often these days and we think that’s by and large thanks to the job we’ve done since 1998 promoting Canadian actors, directors and other filmmakers. It’s those emails that begin with “I didn’t know (fill in the name) was Canadian.” It makes us smile that we have found another convert to the Canadian cause, or more importantly, they have found us.
Recently we received an email introducing us to British Columbia actress Andrea Bucko. Despite our work we have yet to list everyone on this website and with new filmmakers coming along every day we doubt our job will ever be finished. But, we should have known about Andrea Bucko. So we asked the questions we always ask, trying to get as much information as possible for our readers, and we’re pleased to share with you a response from the young actress:
“Good morning, everyone,” she wrote. “My parents are from Slovakia and immigrated to Canada in 1990. Shortly after I was born on March 11, 1991 in New Westminster, BC. I grew up in Coquitlam a small suburb outside of Vancouver. My parents always knew I was going to be an actress as I constantly dressed up as different characters impersonating different people and was never afraid to be center of attention.”
We had asked about her training and she responded, “I studied with private coaches starting off with Jeb Beach and Andrew Mcilroy. They are audition technique teachers. I then moved to Railtown Theatre Society based in Gastown where I trained with Kate Twa the most remarkable acting teacher, coach and director. Her theatrical training is very raw, real and rooted. Some of my favourite actresses and actors come from Broadway.
I speak both English and Slovak, in which I am fluent. My entire family was raised in Bratislava the capital of Slovakia. I have European roots which I think really relates to why I love telling these true deep stories because a lot of them are in fact from Europe! For example Paul Getty is set in Italy and Freedom Flight in Hungary.”
Speaking of Kate Twa, we had learned in a separate email that Bucko will next be seen on camera in September of this year as Trina in Neon Candy, written by Courtney Paige Theroux and directed by Kate Twa. Other cast members include, to date, Sean Carrigan, Courtney Paige Theroux (Anika) and Sarah Porchetta playing Mia. Neon Candy is about two sisters who are determined to find freedom and go on the run from a life of abuse. When they find their ticket out, life becomes a drug-fueled mess of blurred lines between what is real and what is not. Set in the early 90’s, this psychosexual thriller takes place along Route 66 and the Vegas outskirts.
In her latest screen appearance, Andrea Bucko (Big Eyes, The Orchard) leads a cast of lauded, next-generation film stars who join veteran Sam Neill in a harrowing portrayal of a true Cold War escape. Directed by Hungarian actor/director Endre Hules, the forthcoming film Freedom Fight takes place in 1956, and vividly follows the first-person account of journalist Frank Iszak and his struggle to divert a domestic Hungarian flight across the Iron Curtain to safely find refuge in West Germany.
Freedom Flight begins shooting this Fall, and is director Endre Hules’ powerful follow-up to his CINE Golden Eagle Award-winning feature The Maiden Danced to Death. A director whose work has been seen on every continent, and at over 50 festivals, Hules hand-picked Andrea Bucko’s for the role. “She has impressed me immediately with her talent as an actress,” stated Hules. “Her sensibility and quirky sense of humor made her perfect for one of the film’s vital roles.”
Along with a cast that includes David Kross (The Reader, War Horse) and Ella Purnell (Never Let Me Go), Andrea Bucko brings to light the liberating journey that began on a rainy afternoon on Friday, July 13, 1956. Seven desperate young people boarded a twin engine DC-3 in the Eastern Bloc People’s Republic of Hungary, with plans to redirect it to freedom. They had no weapons, no map, and no idea whether the plane carried enough fuel to get them there. They braved Russian MiG fighters in hot pursuit and a harrowing flight over the stormy Alps, without navigation. Failure would mean certain death.
“Reading Frank Iszak’s inspiring true story, I felt it must be told” said Bucko, who portrays Monika, adding,“Storytelling can make a difference and sometimes have a huge impact on the world. I want to make an impact with the stories I choose to be a part of.”
Other upcoming roles clearly demonstrate her sincere passion. She’s slated to portray Evelyn in Jubilee, a feature film by Mason Freeman with Peter Fonda and Tarynn Manning currently attached. Jubilee follows the path of the Underground Railroad and the lives of enslaved Americans seeking liberation on a long road towards justice. Bucko will also play the role of Danielle Devert in the international co-production that draws from the riveting facts of the 1973 kidnapping of Paul Getty III.
Please join with us as we welcome Andrea Bucko to Northernstars.ca
