The 2022 Norman Jewison Film Program Digital Brochure

THE 2022 NORMAN JEWISON FILM PROGRAM

ANDREW HAMILTON Andrew Hamilton is a Toronto-based Jamaican-Canadian filmmaker and CFC alumnus with credits in the commercial, music video, and narrative space. Fascinated with genre films and dramatic storytelling, he actively shapes introspective and empathetic stories filled with the type of wonder you can only find at the movies. Recently, his short film Duppy was featured in film festivals across North America. He is currently in the development of his first feature One of the Good Ones.

WEBSITE: https://www.madmanforhire.com/

SHORT FILM SYNOPSIS Unwilling to process the trauma of a near-fatal car accident, an overworked director arrives four hours late to the set of his horror film moments after leaving the hospital to find that most of the crew has left. All that remains is a determined and worried producer, a jaded cinematographer, and the lead actor of the film. With the task of capturing the final shot of their film on a pick-up day, the director attempts to fall into their work to escape the incident, but the world of the accident begins to bleed into the shoot, turning an already heightened situation into a surrealist nightmare for the frantic filmmaker. As the two worlds collide, the small team of filmmakers find themselves being pushed to new highs, and new lows, while attempting to capture that single moment of magic.

To watch a clip or trailer, click on the one sheet ↑

DIRECTORS’ LAB

BEA SANTOS

SHORT FILM SYNOPSIS

Bea is a filmmaker and actor based in Toronto. She studied literature and art history at McGill and is an alumnus of the CFC Directors’ Lab. Bea’s films often fuse elements of magic realism with themes of grief, loss, hope and renewal.

Cassandra is an eccentric middle aged sculptor who claims to have the gift of prophecy, despite everyone else’s doubts and condescension. When Cassandra’s estranged daughter Judith and Judith’s fiancé come for a visit, Cassandra is presented with a mysterious gift. Instantly, Cassandra knows that bringing the gift inside the house will cause something unspeakably horrible to happen. However, her claim is brushed off as a delusion and her insistence on barring the gift from the house is ignored. The result is a series of tragedies that call the validity of Cassandra’s prophecy into question.

To watch a clip or trailer, click on the one sheet →

WEBSITE: www.beasantos.com

DIRECTORS’ LAB

ERICA OROFINO

SHORT FILM SYNOPSIS

Erica Orofino is an award-winning filmmaker whose work focuses on the female perspective, sexuality, complex familial relationships, and mental illness. Erica’s latest dramatic short, She Keeps Me, won Best Canadian Short at the 2022 Pendance Film Festival. Her work has been supported by the Ontario and Canada Arts Councils. Erica was a Directors’ Lab resident at the Canadian Film Centre in 2022.

Desperate to keep her promise to host the best superhero party for her 6 year old, young mother Sid, a sex worker, takes extreme measures and books a last-minute client with a dark fetish. Dirty Bad Wrong is a drama/body horror that explores the darkest side of capitalism, and just how far we’ll go for the ones we love.

To watch a clip or trailer, click on the one sheet →

WEBSITE: www.ericaorofino.com

DIRECTORS’ LAB

MEHRTASH MOHIT

SHORT FILM SYNOPSIS

Mehrtash Mohit is an Iranian-Canadian writer and director.

His work explores themes that unpack societal values and expose dilemmas. His most recent short film, Retributive Minds, won Best Foreign Language Film at NYC SHORTS and he is currently in development on another short, Finding Shelter, which was nominated for best short screenplay at the Atlanta Film Festival and New York International Screenplay Awards. Mehrtash is also in development on his first feature film, which was selected for research funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.

A day in 14-year-old Pouya’s life.

New desires and a self-absorbed father, as the closest representation of who he is meant to become, leave him feeling confused and alone as he navigates the uneasy path from adolescence into adulthood.

WEBSITE: www.mehrtashmohit.com

To watch a clip or trailer, click on the one sheet →

DEMO REEL: https://vimeo.com/user12431829

DIRECTORS’ LAB

LU ASFAHA

SHORT FILM SYNOPSIS

Lu Asfaha is an award-winning writer and director whose films bend genres to question what it means to belong. In 2019, she was a Hot Docs Doc Accelerator Fellow, and won RPFF’s Emerging Director Award. Her most recent film, Fresh Meat, premiered at Inside Out 2022 before broadcasting on CBC. Also in 2022, she was BlueCat’s Feature Winner and won the Fellini Award for Best International Script before completing the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors’ Lab.

Nadia turns a hungry eye to her co-worker Grace when her allconsuming envy transforms her into a hyena. This story is inspired by the concept of the evil eye, where individuals that envy you curse you with a glare. SIGHT is a modern parable by Lu Asfaha inspired by black magic, ancient symbols, and East African folklore.

WEBSITE: www.defar.media

To watch a clip or trailer, click on the one sheet →

DIRECTORS’ LAB

BRETT CARON

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Brett Caron is a screenwriter and horror junkie who loves collaborating with other filmmakers and finding humour in dark places. Brett completed his residency in the 2022 CFC writers’ lab and has two TV series in development, as well as a follow-up collaboration with High Star Entertainment on Level Film backed action-satire Merc Work.

When not manacled to his keyboard Brett is a rabid supporter of Toronto's Revue Cinema.

When Gary and Elle start their new jobs at CleanUp Incorporated’s call center, they’re not prepared for the intense work culture. Or the psychedelic rush when they speak the weird self-help “meditations” on the phones. Or the secret rituals in the server room. And definitely not the Wet Egg hidden there.

When other employees start to go missing, Gary and Elle must work together to survive their probation period... and the hideous Monster worshiped by these corporate cultists.

To watch a short promo click on the one sheet →

WEBSITE: http://brettcaron.com

DEMO REEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRzQ-FRNFCU

WRITERS’ LAB

BRISHKAY AHMED

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Brishkay Ahmed is an Afghan Canadian screenwriter and playwright committed to sharing subversive stories that disrupt the narrative of Muslim women and girls as personified victims or heroes.

Ahmed began her narrative career writing and directing episodic drama for Tolo TV and Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) in Afghanistan. In Canada, she’s recognized for her Reelworld 2021 Outstanding Feature winner, In the Rumbling Belly of Motherland, and the Canadian Screen Award-nominated short doc Fatima In Kabul (CBC Gem). Ahmed is a member of the WGC, DGC, PGC, and of the Canadian Academy.

As corporate and religious institutions unite to change the face of an archaic town, Aisha finds herself trapped as a pawn.

Determined not to end up like the other burdened wives, Aisha first rebels against her polygamous community, but as plans to trade her for profits progresses, Aisha knows she must escape this unholy destiny. As the other Noor women surrender to the so-called righteous path that commodifies them, teenage Aisha plots her escape and plans to kill.

WEBSITE: www.brishkayahmed.com

To watch a short promo click on the one sheet →

WRITERS’ LAB

JUSTIN NEAL

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Justin Neal writes offbeat narratives that weave comedy with high-stakes drama, creating uplifting tales of personal transformation. His screenplay The Skins Game was optioned by Curiosity Pictures, and his projects Boundary Bay and The Traveller have received Indigenous Screen Office and Creative BC development grants. A 2022 resident of the CFC Norman Jewison Film Program Writers’ Lab, Neal moved to his family’s traditional Squamish territory (Vancouver) to earn an MFA in Creative Writing and Theatre from UBC.

Joe travels to Australia to escape a tragedy he caused at home. He becomes entranced by Alice, a woman who happens to be part of an elaborate identity theft scheme.

This revelation comes to Joe as he awakens from a drugging, as Alice rams a gun into her former crime partner’s face. Together Alice and Joe run from danger to her remote Aboriginal homeland. The two bond over the harrowing circumstances and their complex relationships with their Indigenous identity.

To watch a short promo click on the one sheet →

WEBSITE: justinbneal.com

WRITERS’ LAB

CHRISTINE RODRIGUEZ

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Christine Rodriguez is an award-winning writer from Montreal who creates from a mixed-race, Afro Trinidadian perspective. She was nominated for Filmmaker of the year

by Gala Dynastie thanks to her debut short film Fuego. She’s the recipient of two Rogers – BSO development grants and was part of the inaugural WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program. With a Certificate of Professional Screenwriting from UCLA, Christine is also an alumnus of the Norman Jewison Writers’ Lab at the Canadian Film Centre.

Maya is devastated when her husband is brutally murdered in their quiet Vermont home.

Haunted by strange voices and blackouts, something inside her drives her to find out more about her birth family. Was she the intended victim? Was it her daughter? Through her search, Maya learns that she’s manifesting a power inherited from her African ancestors; one that she must use to save her family from an ancient evil.

WEBSITE: www.productionslatigresse.com

To watch a short promo click on the one sheet →

FUEGO TEASER: www.blackwealth.media/movie/fuego

WRITERS’ LAB

MAZIN ELSADIG

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Mazin Elsadig is a Sudanese-Canadian-American writer and actor whose work explores morally ambiguous characters and tensions within Black communities. He worked as a story editor and writer on Pretty Hard Cases (CBC/Netflix) and is currently in development with Mirvish Productions on a play he co-wrote called The Pryce Academy. Mazin was tapped to write Drake’s hosting material for the JUNO Awards in 2011, the ESPY Awards in 2014, and produced three of his music videos (Marvins Room, Headlines and The Motto). In addition to writing, Mazin is an alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York) and has been acting for two decades in film, television and theatre.

A look at three defining chapters in the life of Shadow – a young Black man with an identity crisis, who insidiously latches onto different alpha males. At the age of 10, he meets Rodrick and becomes popular by modeling himself after him. When Shadow meets Ambrose in high school, he wants to be just like him: he wants to fit in, and be an entertainer. Ten years later, their friendship has fizzled, but Shadow decides to follow in Ambrose’s footsteps and shows up out west. When he arrives, he meets Fork (an ex-criminal), and is seduced by his legacy. So Shadow turns to petty crime, and breaks into celebrities’ houses to steal their valuables and sell them on the black market.

To watch a short promo click on the one sheet ↑

REPRESENTED BY

Amy Stulberg (Writing Agent) amy@vanguardeartists.com

Julia Schneider (Acting Agent) julia@ambitiontalent.com

WRITERS’ LAB

AMY TREFRY

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Amy is an emerging writer, producer and actor, and co-founder and owner of Interwoven Films. Their work is primarily female and 2SLGBTQ++ focused and they seek to elevate marginalized voices and narratives.

Amy’s select credits include short film Jerky, digital series I Hear You, workplace comedy series King and Pawn (Bell Fibe TV1), and the short documentary I See You. Amy is currently in development as writer-director on Good Grief, a new dark comedy digital series for Bell/OUTtv; as a writer on Bluebirds, an adaptation of Vern Thessin’s stage play Vimy; and on a thriller/drama Goddess. In 2021, Amy was selected as one of 10 emerging Canadian television producers by RDV Canada.

Self-sufficient and introverted, sixteen-year-old Kia spends most of her days looking after her elderly grandfather and caring for the animals on her family’s rundown farm, including thirteen pit bulls, chained to the ground. Secretively skipping school to work at a local mechanic shop, Kia is intent on saving enough money to find a way out of the grim reality that has become her life. As her father delves deep into the world of illegal dogfighting, their already strained relationship grows increasingly complicated and violent. Exploring themes of family, desperation, and what it means to be free, Until the Night Turns tells the story of a girl trapped by her father’s greed and cruelty in the shadows of a society willing to turn a blind eye to the darkness of animal abuse.

WEBSITE: https://www.interwovenfilms.com/

PRODUCERS’ LAB

BONNIE DO

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Bonnie began her career at Telefilm Canada’s Vancouver office while completing an undergrad in political science at the University of British Columbia. She worked briefly at the Canada Media Fund before joining Toronto production company, Serendipity Point Films where she worked on seven productions, most recently as an associate producer on Crimes of the Future (dir. David Cronenberg). Bonnie is an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre’s Norman Jewison Film Program’s Producers’ Lab.

Three friends bound together through an affair... Each experience the emotional fallout of their actions.

CONTACT: bonnie.do@gmail.com

PRODUCERS’ LAB

FONNA SEIDU

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Fonna Seidu burst onto the film scene in 2018 with the multi award-winning short film Promise Me. She’s since worked on 50+ projects, including CSA award-winning series Being Black in Toronto, and CBC Gem’s Virgins!.

She also produced Fresh Meat, supported by CBC and BIPOC TV & Film, and is collaborating on a queer comedy heist feature called Let’s Do This. Through her production company, Snail Mail Media, Fonna provides production services on impact-driven commercial work for clients like The City of Toronto, TD Diversity, Audible, and Western University

Trevi Adamu is a former shut-in who put in the work to improve her mental health since leaving home as a teen, never to return. Not even when her beloved father, George, committed suicide only a few years later. Nearly two decades have passed since then, but she returns to the home that holds few cherished memories, to care for her dying mother, Ester. Trapped by her own guilt, she is flooded by memories of her difficult upbringing, and of her younger sister Marie, who went missing when they were children, and Trevi’s mental health once again deteriorates. Trevi has begun to notice strange occurrences around the house - realizing that the home is haunted by a malevolent force, hell-bent on doling out punishment to the wicked.

WEBSITE: https://snailmailmedia.com/

PRODUCERS’ LAB

FARHAD PAKDEL

FEATURE SYNOPSIS

Farhad Pakdel is an Iranian Canadian filmmaker whose work explores identity (de)construction, liminality, absence, place, and memory. He holds an MFA in Film from York University in Toronto and an MA in Cinema from the University of Art in Tehran, where he experimented with film form and taught film courses. He has produced, directed, and written several short films that have screened internationally. He is currently developing his first feature film.

Khaterah, a swimming instructor who lost her child in a school bombing in Kabul, seeks a fresh start in Canada, but the past keeps haunting her. Her grief is compounded when her hard drive crashes, causing the only pictures and videos she has of her son to disappear. Thus begins her journey to regain what seems to be lost forever. Khaterah has always believed everything that has happened to her is part of some divine plan, but a series of events causes a shift in perspective. She comes to realize that fate lies in her own hands and is shaped by her own choices.

WEBSITE: https://miseenabyme.ca

PRODUCERS’ LAB

CLAIRE DESMARAIS Claire Desmarais has over thirteen years’ experience in the entertainment industry. Her background includes producing live entertainment, comedy writing, and assistant directing. As a creative producer, she’s driven to both entertain and enlighten audiences by creating refreshingly honest content that challenges stereotypes and champions voices underrepresented in dominant media. In 2022 she produced three short films and held a six-month residency at the prestigious Canadian Film Centre Norman Jewison Film Program Producers’ Lab.

CONTACT: clairedproduction@gmail.com

PRODUCERS’ LAB

EDITORS’ LAB

RÉMY HUBERDEAU

ANNA CATLEY

Rémy Huberdeau is a trans film & television editor. His debut feature-length collaboration will be on D.W. Waterson’s coming-of-age queer cheerleading drama Backspot. He is also returning for a second season of Paris Paris, Dominic Desjardins’ French-language comedy available on Unis TV & CBC Gem.

Anna Catley owes her unique eye and approach to an edit to her lifelong obsession with cinema. Her latest editor credits include the Sundance 2023 short film, Thriving, and the TIFF 2021 short film Little Bird, for which she was nominated for a Canadian Cinema Editors Award. She is currently editing the feature film We Forgot to Break Up, and has cut pieces for Alessia Cara, The Tragically Hip, Mother Mother and more.

CONTACT: remyhub@gmail.com

WEBSITE: www.annacatley.com

EDITORS’ LAB

JOSH ARIES

CARROLL CHIRAMEL

Josh Aries is an award-winning director and editor based in Vancouver, dedicated to stories that embrace the beauty and absurdity of everyday life. Through martial arts and comedy, his films Mr. James is Dead, Reverse, and Five Fingers of Fury have been seen in festivals all over the world--ranging from LAAPF to Cannes. He is currently show running an upcoming finger fighting series with TikTok and Bell Media while figuring out how to do a handstand push-up.

Carrol Chiramel is a film editor and owner of Orange Spot Productions.

He started his career in the Indian film industry and has been editing for the past 20 years. His experience working with filmmakers across the globe in multiple languages has helped him evolve as an editor with a difference. Under the Same Sun, a feature he edited, received the Audience Award at the Heartland film festival, and Meet the Parents won the best short film at the prestigious African Movie Academy Awards. He will be editing his next feature film Fat Lady Sriracha which is written and directed by CFC alumni Reeyaz Habib.

CONTACT: www.josharies.com

WEBSITE: www.orangespotproductions.com

LEAD SUPPORTERS

PROGRAM PARTNERS

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

The Norman & Margaret Jewison Charitable Foundation

WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING BURSARY SUPPORTERS

Comweb/Whites Jay Switzer Indigenous Creator Award Bursary Fund in Memory of Anneli Ekborn

& Daryl Duke and William Vince Bursary

Donors to the CFC Endowment Fund

CFC SPECIAL THANK YOU

Reel Medics in Motion Ltd

Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Heim Finlay LLP

Total Two Way

College of Makeup Art & Design

BFL Canada Risk and Insurance Services

TIFF

Chubb Insurance of Canada

Gail Haupert, Bridget Deer, Brooke Argueta Enterprise - Samir Patel

APPRECIATION TO

ORIGINAL MUSIC SUPPORTED THROUGH The CFC / Slaight Family Canadian Music Fund