SMAK! Productions - The Parties (BC)
Maria J. Cruz, Arianna McGregor, Kel Salerno, and Sarah Kathryn Young make up SMAK! Productions and they’re showing off the trailer for their feature THE PARTIES at Cinema Spectacular! “A Series of holiday parties challenges the bonds of friendship and lays bare lifelong fears amongst a group of four single friends who revel in their superior command of all things pop culture. LIFE’S MESSY. THROW A PARTY.“Four Friends. Staying Sober. One Drink at a Time.”
THE PARTIES is a collaboration between Maria J. Cruz, Arianna McGregor, Kel Salerno, and Sarah Kathryn Young: four Vancouver actors that don’t quite fit. Like all good stories of unrequited love, our protagonists have opted to celebrate what makes them stand out, rather than feign fitting in.
Sad Hill Media - We Three Heathens (BC)
Devan Scott is the director of such short films as Butterfly (2011), TIFF Official Selection Paradiso (2013). As a cinematographer, Devan has shot many short narrative and documentary films, developing his fascination with existential questions by seeking out unique and vital ways to express them using every possible resource at his disposal. See some of Devan’s sillier work at his Youtube channel.
Daniel Jeffery is an endlessly curious filmmaker. Armed with a handycam and editing software, Daniel has created over 75 videos with content ranging from absurd sketch comedy to intimate portrait documentaries: His short films include Manboyhood (2011), Whoops! (2012), and The Script (2013). Currently, Daniel is employed as an Assistant Editor on a feature documentary. See some of Daniel’s many videos at his Youtube channel here.
Will Ross is a contemplative editor and critic. His film work and writing grapple with the questions “how do we make films? ” “why?” and “how can we make them better?” Will has edited and sound designed the films Bread of Heaven (2012), Paradiso (2013), and Highly Effective People (2013). His latest film, The Bottom of My Heart, delves into the experience of depression and bureaucratic alienation through experimental means.
Together, these three form Sad Hill Media, a filmmaking collective based in Vancouver, BC which aims to directly engage with cinema culture by collaborating with local artists, writing extensive criticism, and making films that combine formal innovation with powerful storytelling.
Carinne Leduc - Les Grebiches (QC)
Carrine Leduc came to directing after her experiences as an award winning actress, screenwriter and photographer.She has embraced every role in film and television with enthusiasm, nuance, and an astute emotional intelligence. Her love of story led to the co-writing of the feature film 3 Saisons, and she has since been active writing and editing multiple projects. While discovering and exploring the human experience through acting and writing, photography uncovered for her the vast world of image composition, light variation and the subtle art of bringing the best out of her clients.It was a natural transition – with her love of storytelling and the appeal of capturing human nature – that she decided to direct her first short film. Even in the early stages of the production, she knew she had found her path, and has since directed a number of other short films, music videos and commercial specs.Carinne brings passion, curiosity and a sense of fun to all her endeavours. Her light- hearted attitude and love of people, coupled with her artistic conscientiousness, defines Carinne and her work.
Matthew Hayes - Tilco Striker (ON)
Matthew is bringing us a documentary called TILCO STRIKER - “In the 1960s women workers at a factory in Peterborough, Ontario went on strike. In the middle of winter. This is the story of the Tilco Strikers, and their effort to fight against a tyrannical employer.” Matthew Hayes is an independent filmmaker and PhD student in Canadian Studies at Trent University. His research will explore Cold War science policy and government secrecy by coming through Canada’s UFO archive. He earned his MA in Anthropology from Simon Fraser University, and spent most of his time while living in Vancouver seeing films at the city’s independent cinemas - especially Vancity. He’s fascinated by local and bizarre histories, and loves using archival material in films, research, and art pieces. His short films have screened in Canada and the US, and he is currently working on his first feature documentary, titled ELECTRIC CITY, an observational montage of Peterborough, Ontario.
R. W. Gray - Zack & Luc (NB)
I was born and raised on the North West Coast and now make films. I am a professor of film and creative writing at the University of New Brunswick on the East Coast. Thanks to all of my moving around for work and my travel addiction, I never actually feel like I am from a place which I think gives me a useful skewed perspective on the places and people in my films. I am also a short story writer and have two collections of short stories, Crisp, and my new book Entropic which will be released next month and launched May 28th in Vancouver at the Paper Hound bookstore.
Greg Doble - False Allegory (AB/QC)
Greg Doble is an animator born and raised in Canada. Since graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design with a BFA in Media Arts in 2011, Doble has moved to Montreal, QC, where he currently works as an illustrator and creates short animated films.
Ryder White - Shadowbox (BC)
Originally from the mountains outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, White left the United States at 18 to study film production at Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University. White is a writer, filmmaker, and multimedia artist whose works centre around themes of alienation, miscommunication, and the absurdity of modern living. He is also a member of Iris Film Collective and runs an artist-focused video and media consulting company with his partner Alexandra Caulfield.
Joel MacKenzie - Lumberjacked (ON)
I’ve always loved drawing, but I also loved making money, so I tried to find a way to combine my two passions. I equipped myself with degrees in classical animation and film in order to try and combat poverty. Past clients include Teletoon, BBC Kids, Cartoon Network, Sesame Street, HBO, and many more.
Kurt Spenrath & Frederick Kroesh - The Match (AB)
Kurt Spenrath is the director and Frederick Kroetsch is the Producer/DP. We own a production company in Edmonton called Open Sky Pictures. Most of the content we produce is for Telus Optik and includes a series about an adventurous quadruple amputee, and ambient kitten television. The Match was funded by a grant from bravoFactual. We won a grant in the inaugural bravoFactual competition. In fact, we were the only people in western Canada to win. We’re currently in development with the NFB making a documentary about bike messengers. Ironically we are NOT big fans of wrestling.
Laurel K Brown - Sometimes We (BC/AB)
Raised in Canmore, Alberta, Laurel came to Vancouver seven years ago to pursue a degree in film production from Simon Fraser University, which she received last year. A purveyor of weird and whimsical films and creations, she has taken a shining to cinematography and all manors of animation. A strong proponent of Canadian film and local artists, Cinema Spectacular is her first and largest initiative to support and bring more great, small-budget, independent work to the big screen with friendly community events. (And boy, are there plans to expand it) This photo of her and this crab is still the most personable image of her available.
Stephanie Young - Masculins (NS)
Stephanie Young is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, photographer, and activist. In 2013, she received her BFA in Film from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Her work is heavily influenced by issues facing her as an active member of both the queer and mental health communities. She currently works as a research videographer with McGill University creating documentaries on mental illness, and as a Peer Support Worker with Laing House. When not creating visual art, she performs drag at various venues, fundraisers, and events as her male alter-ego, Felix Static. Stephanie currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Joelle Arseneau - Ancrage (QC)
Joelle Arseneau is passionate about cinema forever. In 2009, she founded her own production company LE PIED MARIN now producing more of its own projects presented in several festivals around the world. She has several other film projects in which she is a director, producer, and editor. She does not hesitate to take on new challenges!
Nathan Douglas - Son in the Barbershop (BC)
Nathan is the Vancouver-based writer and director of several short films including Bread of Heaven (2012) and Brother’s Keeper (2011). He also moonlights as a producer, most recently on the short film Networking with James (2015), and works fill time as a cinematographer and editor with SFU’s Centre For Online and Distance Education. Deeply fascinated in the contemplative and liturgical properties of cinema, his work seeks to capture a sense of longing within a culture beset by materialism and indifference.
Shelagh Carter - Is it My Turn (MB)
Shelagh Carter is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio as an Actress and Director, a Professor of Theatre and Film and the University of Winnipeg, and a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors Lab in Toronto. As a director, Shelagh has created work for over ten years. Night Travellers, her third short film, was a National Screen Institute Drama Prize winner in 2007. Her award winning 35mm short, One Night, filmed as part of the Canadian Film Centre’s Short Dramatic Film 2009 series, screened at several international film festivals. She has also won world festival recognition with her experimental narrative short films Canoe and Rifting/Blue. Her recent experimental short, Is It My Turn, a 3D black and white dance film, has begun its festival tour. “I am very happy for an opportunity to show my work. If I stood back from my films, some words to describe what I am interested in are ‘transitions and delicate and dangerous transformations. I hope you enjoy them.”
L & C Style Productions - Power of Prayer (AB)
We are Luis and Candace, also known as L&C Style. We are a dynamic duo, with a partnership of over 20 years. Living and working in 29 countries and counting has given us a very unique global perspective when it comes to any type of production. From music videos to cinematic shorts to corporate media reels to narrative full features, we do it all.We have extensive experience in multiple fields of business. From launching successful start-ups, to production for live events and film/TV productions, in managing corporations, in humanitarian work, we feel we have done it all.More than anything, we love telling the story, and telling it well. It’s what makes our lives, enriches our relationships, defines the human experience, and moves us toward action. It’s all about the story for us.
Johan A. Du Toit - Short End (ON)
Johan A. du Toit was born in South Africa, grew up in Belgium, and now lives in Canada. As a kid he loved reading Belgian comic books, inspiring him to create his own. That was his introduction to visual storytelling. Today, Johan strives to create films that viewers will think about for days later.