Private Project

Building Magic

Mario hitchhikes from town to town looking for meaning in his life, until he happens upon a magic shop.

Building Magic blurs the lines between documentary and narrative story-telling, leaving the audience with a more immersive cinematic experience along with an emotional soundtrack by Rob Carey and the Headlocks. The film has caught the attention and support of The New York Times, actor Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Portlandia) and documentarian Ken Burns.

“This doc is cleverly woven to create a feeling of meaning and purpose for its subject matter and well… in all of us.” – Reading Film Committee

"A rare thing: a documentary with a positive message. This movie needs to be seen by every one in this country." – Sue Lange

  • Kal Toth
    Director
    Superhero In The Rain, Tokyo Sally
  • Yulia Kushnir
    Producer
  • Katie Rosa Marchese
    Producer
  • Mario Marchese
    Key Cast
    Sesame Street
  • Rob Carey
    Key Cast
  • Rob Carey and the Headlocks
    Soundtrack
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Coming-of-age, Maker, DIY, Magic, Human Interest, journey, on the road
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 15 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    36,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Yofi Film Festival
    Yonkers, NY
    October 25, 2015
    New York Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Reading Film Festival
    Reading, PA
    November 13, 2015
    Pennsylvania Premiere
    Official Selection
  • SNOB Film Festival
    Concord, New Hampshire
    November 14, 2015
    New Hampshire Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Alexandria Film Festival
    Alexandria, VA
    November 8, 2015
    Virginia Premiere
    "BEST IN FEST" Award
  • Rivertown Film
    Nyack, NY
    February 10, 2016
  • Geekfest Toronto
    Toronto, Canada
    February 14, 2016
    Canadian Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Kal Toth

Based in New York, Kal is an American director and cinematographer best known for his popcorn-noir film Superhero In The Rain which achieved cult status as a music video/short film hybrid. It debuted at Penn Quarters in Washington, DC in 2010 and led to a series of film projects including two music videos for The Christopher Brothers, Food Network videos for Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Paula Deen and Guy Fieri, and a series of interviews with Grammy-winning Duane Eubanks. In 2012, Kal made the documentary short Building Magic which debuted at Lincoln Center and received a write-up in The Huffington Post. Inspired by its success, Kal filmed the feature-length version of the documentary Building Magic in 2015. In 2017, Kal was lead cinematographer for the Marta Renzi / Jonathan Demme production Her Magnum Opus.

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Director Statement

"With Building Magic, my intention is to reinvigorate the documentary form, blurring the lines between first-person interviews and events from the past to leave the audience with a more immersive documentary experience." - Kal