Lots of great news all around lately! I’m happy to announce that BODYMAX won Best Picture at the Toronto 48-hour Film Challenge, along with Best Editing and Best Sound. For coverage of the event, check out the video below by Film Army, who interviewed us post-awards!
TORONTO 48-HOUR FILM CHALLENGE:
If you missed BodyMax, it will be screening again in competition as part of the very first Breakthroughs Film Festival hosted by Octavia Films. The Breakthroughs Festival is aimed at showcasing short films by young women under 30 – and I think it’s great to finally have a niche festival for this. This screening will happen June 23rd.
In a nice bit of timing, my other short film from last year, Queen of Clubs, will be screening at the Female Eye Film Festival on June 22nd as part of the Canadian Shorts and Feature presentation. June is a big month for female-focused film festivals!
Finally, my last bit of good news is that I’ve been selected to participate in the Worldwide Short Film Festival’s WORKING LAB. I’m really excited about this one - I attended the Worldwide Short Film Fest last year and had a blast and learned a lot by going to the symposium events, so I’m really happy to actually get to be a part of the festival this year. Basically, it means that along with two other writers, I’ll have a new short film script workshopped by an industry mentor, John Galway from the Harold Greenburg Fund, who will help provide feedback and advice on pushing it forward to fruition. This is a private workshop event rather than a public reading, so unfortunately I can’t invite people along to watch, but I’ll share details on that project as it materializes more.
As a side note, if you’re an aspiring filmmaker I highly recommend getting the $170 do-it-all-combo pass for the WSFF which gets to admission to all symposium events and screenings – it’s really not that much money considering all the education you can get! Get it here: WSFF Box Office
And, if you’re a female filmmaker under 30 working on short film projects and need some funding, check out the initiatives by Octavia Films – we also recently got awarded a grant for another short film project called Second Honeymoon. They’re a new not-for-profit organization doing great things: Octavia Films
So without further ado, here are all the details for the upcoming screenings, I hope to see you there!
BODYMAX at the Breakthroughs Film Festival
Saturday June 23, 2012 from 7:30-11:00 PM
at The Projection Booth
1035 Gerard Street East
Tickets are $15 at the door or can be reserved in advance by emailing breakthroughsfestival@octaviafilms.com, or calling Brian Carver at 416-554-3639
There is also a Facebook Event link HERE
QUEEN OF CLUBS at the Female Eye Film Festival
FRIDAY JUNE 22nd
6:30PM – 8:30PM – CANADIAN SHORTS AND CANADIAN FEATURE PRESENTATION
Carlton Cinema
20 Carlton Street
Bill Please, dir. Jessica Han. When a bill comes between two friends, they go to lengths to make sure the other doesn’t get to pay for it. (TP, 2011, Comedy, 3 min. Burnaby, BC)
Queen of Clubs, dir. Christine Buijs. In a post-apocalyptic world, playing cards are used as insignias and characters scrounge together what they can to survive. A drifter arrives in an abandoned city and seeks vengeance for the death of his wife, family and tribe. (WP, Drama, 4 min, Toronto, ON)
Lady Bare Knuckles, dir. Madison Cawker. Elizabeth Stokes is a Regency girl who has to make the ultimate choice between a gentility marriage and her one great secret; she moonlights as a no holds barred bare-knuckle boxer. (WP, Drama,15 min, Courtice, ON)
FEATURE PRESENTATION: Beat Down, dir. Deanne Foley. Beat Down is an irreverent comedy about wrestling, family and following your dreams no matter how painful that can sometimes be. Fran Whiteway (Marthe Bernard, Republic of Doyle) is eighteen and a real firecracker. More than anything else, Fran dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Her single-father Whitey (Robb Wells, Trailer Park Boys) is a former-pro (known as White Lightning in the ring) is dead set against Fran wrestling. Fran is determined though and when Whitey’s old rival Dark Thunder (Tony Nappo, Saw II) comes to town, she runs away to join his tour. Whitey is devastated and while he tries to get his daughter back, Fran learns the ropes of the wrestling game and of life itself. (WP, Drama, 01 hr : 32 min, St. John’s, NL)
