York University alumnus John Babu, who holds a BSc in biology with a minor in psychology and master's in molecular biology, has always embraced the unconventional.
Although his academic path was rooted in science, he recently found himself at the Brampton Canada International Film Festival (BIFF). There he watched with a mix of fascination and delight how audiences reacted to his science-fiction short film, InTEXTigator 4, the latest in a series examining the uneasy relationship between digital communication and truth.
“It was really interesting to see what resonates with people, which isn’t always what you expect,” he says.
What also wasn’t expected was that the film would go on to win Best Sci-Fi Short at BIFF. It was an accomplishment that felt like the next step in a journey that began years earlier at York, which he credits as the place where he discovered filmmaking.
A newcomer to Canada from India during high school, Babu found comfort in movies. Watching films helped him tackle home sickness and improved his language skills and knowledge of Canadian culture.
When he arrived at York, that interest followed him. In his first year, he and friends attended movie nights hosted by a student club. When the events stopped in his second year, Babu stepped in.
He founded Movies at York, initially a small gathering that quickly grew into a club attracting thousands.
“It was aimed at all students, not just film students, so it really resonated with people,” he says.
The club collaborated with groups like the Disney and Harry Potter clubs at York and even caught the attention of major studios. Warner Bros. and Sony Canada sent merchandise and preview tickets in exchange for help promoting new movies. The club saw early screenings of Skyfall, Cloud Atlas and Unfriended among others.
While promoting Movies at York on the campus radio station 105.5, the host asked Babu if he’s ever considered making his own films. “At the time I dismissed the idea. I’m a science major – I can’t make films. But it planted a seed,” he says.
Eventually, an idea pushed him to write a script. With help from club members, he attempted a short film.
“At the time, I didn’t know anything about making a film. I made a lot of mistakes,” he says. The project was never finished; school got in the way. But the learning stayed with him. From there, he talked to film students, devoured You Tube tutorials and wrote a simpler script with two actors and a single set. This time, he finished it. “It gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says.
After graduation, the pandemic hit. Isolated at home, Babu conceived the InTEXTigator series, which is centred on Sherlock, an artificial intelligence developed by the Toronto Police Service to solve cases through unconventional means. "I remember sitting there thinking, 'What if police used a chatbot to respond to callers,'" he says, noting his films explore both the promise and pitfalls of AI.
He began submitting his shorts to local film festivals, drawing media attention – which helped him attract more serious actors and collaborators.
Even as film took hold of his life, Babu has kept one foot in science. He works as a medical lab technologist at Etobicoke General Hospital, and says science often inspires his fiction. “Looking back at my films, the ideas almost always come from something I learned through science,” he says. “And I plan a movie the way I plan an experiment.”
One of his shorts, Optillus, grew from a psychology course at York – Sensation and Perception – which explores how sensory stimuli are interpreted by the brain. The film follows a police consultant who studies optical illusions and probes the consciousness of her subjects. After completing it, Babu learned the course’s instructor, Martin Steinbach, had passed away. He emailed the faculty to say his film was inspired by Steinbach’s class. “It was a touching moment when they wrote back – and copied the entire department.”
Being honoured by BIFF was another meaningful milestone. “It was an amazing experience. I got lots of feedback and got to watch the other films, which was very inspiring,” he says.
InTEXTigator 4 continues its life beyond the festival. The Sherlock Holmes Club of Toronto is hosting a free public screening at its next general meeting on Dec. 6 at the Toronto Reference Library.
With files from Karen Martin-Robbins