For every Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan there are a countless number of aspiring directors. If you’re one of them then you need to see Clapboard Jungle. In this age of streaming services, where there is more content than ever before, you’d think that just about anyone with a camera, editing software, and a modicum of artistic merit would have their film available for public consumption. And that’s partly the problem. There is so much content that it gets buried amongst the heavy hitters which makes it that much harder to be discovered. Canadian indie filmmaker Justin McConnell knows this only too well as Clapboard Jungle documents his five-year journey to get one of his projects up and running.

McConnell charts the frustration at trying to raise financing. He’s told to get a star name attached to his project, but in order to do that he needs the financing, but he can’t get financing as he doesn’t have a star name. He attends film markets at prestigious film festivals around the world, gets some interest only for his hopes at finally getting a project of the ground dashed. Along the way McConnell gets advice, often contradictory, from the lucky indie filmmakers that are making a career for themselves, as well as Hollywood legends such as Guillermo del Toro, Paul Schrader, Mick Garris, George Romero, Tom Savini, Dick Miller, and Lloyd Kaufman amongst others.

Part of the charm of Clapboard Jungle is McConnell himself. He’s such a personable chap that you can’t help but feel as devastated as he does when a project that looks like it’s happening is suddenly scrapped. There may be more content than ever before, but there’s only so much money to go around to make those projects. Through McConnell we get an insight into just how difficult it is in selling a film, attracting star names, practical effects and, of course, the dreaded financing. McConnell is told that it’s no longer enough that you can write, produce, and direct, you also have to be a legal expert and a maths genius. But forging a career in film is not just knowing the technical aspects, it’s being able to take rejection after rejection after rejection until that break finally comes.

This is by no means a cautionary tale about starting a career in the decidedly unglamorous indie film world, it’s more a guide to show just how tenacious you have to be, and the pitfalls that can be encountered along the way to achieving your vision. If you have no desire to work in the film industry, Clapboard Jungle is still a hugely interesting look at the process of getting a film off the ground. It’s a wonder anything gets made at all.

The extras are plentiful with extended interviews from all who gave their time to this documentary. There’s also several of McConnell’s short films that show just how inventive he is when shooting with no budget and naturally, there are a couple of trailers.