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The Tony Marra interview: Writing, directing and acting in feature film, Billy Runs Boston?

July 17, 2024

Tony Marra is a Toronto, Canada-based filmmaker and runner. He has a long history of making shorts and has now produced his first feature film in the wake of Covid, and injury. With downtime, he had the opportunity to write the script for the mostly fictional film about the character “Billy,” who has experienced mental health struggles and running helps him deal with them.

The film storyline runs along the trajectory of making it to the start of the Boston Marathon.

This is a thought-provoking film that examines subjects relating to various issues within the running community. For example, cheating, training while injured, as well as social media bullying. Complex family dynamics play a role. At the end of the day, the story celebrates running and is a love letter to the sport, health pursuit and recreational activity.

The interview

Christopher Kelsall: Off the hop, tell me about the overarching premise of your new film Bill Runs Boston?

Tony Marra: I feel it is as much a running film as it is a film about mental health. It is equal parts of the two. It is a film about a runner’s journey to the Boston Marathon and family dynamics with his sister and brother.

CK: Is Billy dealing with mental health issues related to depression?

TM: I am not so sure that it is about depression, but family challenges. It is revealed pretty quickly what those are in the first five minutes of this film.

CK: We all know of competitive runners and even sub-elite and elite, who discover the sport for its therapeutic qualities. Is that the approach you came from here when writing the script?

TM: Yes, I definitely touch on that. It is therapeutic in a way and a release. For me, personally, I always feel better after a run. And what I find really interesting is the feedback that I have received — the most passionate feedback I get is — from those people who relate to the mental health aspect of the film. I think everyone enjoys the running piece. The film is a bit of a love letter to the sport.

As I begin to slow down versus how I was previously more competitive I have a perspective now that lends to the idea of writing a love letter to the sport. But beyond that, the people who are the most passionate about this film have been bullied in the past or other issues. There was a guy from New Zealand who saw the film and he wrote that he works with people who have mental health issues, so he really related to it.

CK: Again, we all know people who came from challenges like this and really embraced running. Do you think that medical professionals should write prescriptions for endurance exercise in place of some of the prescriptions for pills?

TM: Yeah, running definitely…I don’t know if it saved me, but it has for sure improved my life. I would be in a different place if it weren’t for running. It taught me a lot, especially as a teenager. You put in the work and results follow. There are measurable successes along the way. I have been able to use this in other parts of my life.

CK: You are going to tour the country of Canada with this film, yes?

TM: Yes, I will start in St. Johns, New Foundland and travel across the Maritime provinces. I have already had a couple of screenings in Ontario, and I will have a couple more, then travel right across the prairies. I have three screenings in British Columbia which I am really excited about. They are in Kamloops, Vancouver and Victoria. And then I will go up to the territories and visit Yellowknife, Whitehorse and end in Iqaluit. This will take me to the tail end of October.

CK: So, you must take video cameras and take advantage of the opportunity while up there.

TM: Yes, I have three goals for that part of the trip, so I will take my cameras. I will promote the film, highlight the running community and run with some locals. And maybe highlight the running groups. The third thing is to highlight the cool and older cinemas we have across the country. Some of them are hurting, right? Like just around the corner from me in Toronto is the Review Cinema and the owner is threatening to close it. Those are the three things I would like to accomplish on the trip.

CK: Is the tour a necessary evil?

TM: Well, I really enjoy the idea. With the Q&A after a screening, I gauge whether the audience is ready to leave or not. But, for example, the screening in Ottawa kept on going and going and I was happy to stay. It was really a great discussion. So, I will do a Q&A after each screening in every city and that will be fun.

Necessary evil? I think it is unusual for filmmakers to do that many cities, but I think it is a fun way to get the movie seen.

CK: You have been in this filmmaking career for some time now.

TM: Yes, this is my first feature film, but I have made quite a number of shorts. Actors need to make projects for themselves between jobs. So, it started with that idea. This one is just under one hour and 17 minutes.

CK: So, you have a protagonist in Billy. Is the antagonist mental health or are there several antagonists?

TM: There are multiple antagonists. Billy can be his own antagonist. There are also toxic family dynamics, illustrated in the first few minutes of the film..

CK: Where does he qualify for Boston?

TM: It is a fictitious marathon that we make up.

CK: Do people recognize you while out running?

TM: Ha-ha, no. People don’t recognize me. But those who have seen the screenings will call me Billy, it’s funny.

CK: It is said to write speeches or stories that have a personal aspect, it makes them more compelling than full-on fiction usually. Being a runner, have you been thinking about this film and the storyline around Boston and mental health?

TM: Yes. I had thought about it, but when I was training for Boston 2020, I got injured so that is when I wrote the script. There are for sure personal elements in it. I also exaggerate some elements, and there is some complete fiction too, so yes, this is how it came about.

CK: Personally, I almost always prefer films directed by the person who wrote the story and script too. They just seem to be more compelling. For example, Quentin Tarantino writes and directs all of his films. Wes Anderson is like that too.

TM: Tarantino speaks about that, doing someone else’s script and he is like, “No thank you.”

CK: Yeah-yeah. It is good to see a film that although has some biographical nature to it is a creative story of fiction.

TM: Yes, it is unusual. For example, the film was seen in Buenos Aires at a running film festival and the feedback there was that the people felt most running films are documentaries. You don’t often see a fictional story around running and a drama-based story. That is one thing that is of interest to people who see the film.