Chris Lennox-Aasen - Magic Trick (BC)
Chris is a filmmaker living in Vancouver BC. He grew up a foreign service brat, and studied film at SFU. As a storyteller, his interest is in archetypes, genres, and alternative subcultures as exciting reflecting pools for human experience, emotion, and growth.
Lesley Marshall - "Time is a Car" by Partner (BC)
An award-winning filmmaker with films appearing in 40 festivals nationally and internationally, music videos by Lesley have been featured on Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Vice, Exclaim!, Brooklyn Vegan, Aux, Rookie Mag, Stereogum, ClashMag and UPROXX. Lesley’s cinematography and editing of the 2019 Inside Out selected webseries “Village Legacy Project” can be seen on OutTV. Lesley’s first documentary web series “Dollar Bin DJ” was shortlisted for Telefilm Talent To Watch and WIFTV IDM Accelerator in 2018. In 2022, Lesley received full funding for her current documentary, the Illegal Midwives of Vancouver Island from the BC Arts Council and is supported by CBC Gem for the short The Colour Orange. Lesley is the founder of MAVNetwork, a production company focused on inclusive crews working with Netflix, Vox Media, TD Bank, MLB and many more. Projection art by Lesley has been performed at the National Art Centre, Montreal Jazz Fest, CentrePHI and in galleries in NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and the Netherlands.
MAVNetwork: Instagram - Twitter - Facebook
Partner: Instagram
Teresa Alfeld - BOSSBABE (BC)
Teresa Alfeld (she/her) is an award-winning writer/director from Vancouver. She is a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, and the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Directing credits include the feature documentaries DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME (Closing Night Gala film at DOXA 2022, premiered on CBC January 2023), and THE RANKIN FILE: LEGACY OF A RADICAL (opening night film at DOXA 2018, broadcast premiere on Knowledge Network 2019), the short documentary JEAN SWANSON: WE NEED A NEW MAP (Hot Docs 2021, VIFF 2021) and short dramatic films ROADKILL (Canadian Film Fest 2013), CHARLIE GAUVIN (Female Eye Film Festival 2012), and BUNKY THE VAMPIRE KILLER (Toronto Independent Film Festival 2010).
Teresa recently premiered the short comedy DAVID FOSTER’S EGGGPAA (NFB 2022) starring David Foster and Katharine McPhee at the Governor General Awards ceremony in Ottawa.
Teresa holds a BFA in film production (SFU 2010), a Master’s in Dispute Resolution (UVic 2017), is fluent in French, and – as a teenager - once helped build a pirate TV tower, successfully knocking out the national broadcaster’s signal for nearly ten minutes to broadcast her and her colleagues’ content (Teresa’s program was a dirtbag dating show called Hookin’ It Up: East Van Style).
Tracey Lavigne - Picture Yourself (NB)
Tracey Lavigne (she/they) is a queer writer, director, and producer based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Tracey’s award-winning short films have screened at festivals across Canada and beyond. An alumnus of the Reykjavik International Film Festival Talent Lab, the FIN Atlantic Film Festival Script Development Program, and a past winner of the WIFT-Atlantic CBC Pitch Competition, she is producer of the upcoming feature length fantasy drama Further Than the Eye Can See.
Shiun Okada, Yuko Masaki - Wish You Were Here (BC)
Shiun Okada graduated from the Film Production program at the University of British Columbia. He is an emerging filmmaker with an eye for cinematography. For over a decade, his goal is to be a Director of Photography with a small interest in Directing. His background, however, began from the technical side of film—learning the specifics of camera and lighting technologies, as well as visual effects. Through the creations in visual effects work, he continued to try and refine the art of visually capturing and creating an image to learn to be a better storyteller. Shiun is a 2nd-generation Japanese Canadian who now works to investigate the human psyche and its influences it has on our mental health while using this non-western lens in his body of works.
Yuko Masaki graduated in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. As a second-generation Japanese Canadian, she focuses her studies on aspects of Japanese culture in order to better understand herself and her heritage. Her interests specifically lie in food and how traditions around food are formed and maintained. “Wish You Were Here” is her directorial and screenwriting debut.
Mike McKinlay - MARTY (BC)
During his 20 years as a Director of Photography Mike McKinlay has carved out a respectable niche as a multi award winning Cinematographer in the Canadian documentary scene - taking part in some of the top documentary stories spanning the west coast. Some of his most recent clients have included CBC, National Geographic, Netflix, National Film Board of Canada, Knowledge Network, and APTN.
David K Greene, Nate Kelly, Parker Thompson
- After the Rain (BC)
Nate Kelly and Parker Thompson are part of Gritzmore, the art collective and production company led by David K Greene. Together, over the years, these three and many more have produced comedy, music videos, and many experimental films. Production company for hire and arts collective for fun, Gritzmore is here to stay.
David K. Greene: Instagram - D. Greene's Egregious Guitar
Nate Kelly: Instagram
Parker James Thompson: Instagram
Gritzmore: Instagram
Mawrgan Shaw - Forgotten (ON)
Mawrgan Shaw BA (Media&Comm), M (DigFilm), is a visual artist and animator based in Toronto, Canada, originally from Melbourne, Australia. Mawrgan’s art is inspired by our sense of self and the intersection with our physical reality, and how we move through and make meaning
in the world. Mawrgan creates 2D frame- by-frame animation traditionally using mixed media; ink, marker, charcoal and watercolour, and digitally to explore texture and feel. Recently, Mawrgan has had her animated work featured in festivals in Canada and the United States, and has upcoming programming in South Korea and China.
Adam Mbowe - Halves and Doubles (QC)
Adam Mbowe is a Gambian/Canadian, Montreal-based filmmaker. Recently a graduate from Concordia University, creating art through moving images has given her the means to describe experiences that may otherwise be forgotten or rarely explained. It has given her the power to illustrate blackness and queerness through film as reclamation. With her work, she is inspired by the inherent value of simple memories and how these tiny poignant moments almost escape description yet say so much. She hopes to continue to create entertaining films that resonate and keep viewers subtly reflecting.
Jamie Lam - Romantics (BC)
Hailing from Richmond, BC, Jamie Lam is an emerging director, writer, and filmmaker of Hong Kong descent. Her latest short film, "The Mess We're In" won awards at the 17th Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon, including Best Film. Her short films have played at various festivals, including the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon. As a writer, Jamie is an alumni of the Arts Club’s LEAP Playwriting Intensive and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre's MSG Lab. Jamie's work aims to explore the nuances in how human connection is pursued, built, or undone. She strives to contribute to the landscape of media as a woman of colour focused on fostering empathy and understanding.
Jackie Wong: Instagram
Nils Franzen Kimmel, Karl Kimmel
- Worst Day Ever (BC)
Nils and Karl are Canadian filmmaking brothers with a passion for both horror and comedy. They have always been drawn to the art of storytelling, and have honed their skills through years of hard work and dedication. They have created several films that explore the intersection of horror and comedy, showcasing their unique perspectives and innovative approach to filmmaking spanning an array of DIY projects and funded budgets.
Michelle Tran - Santa's Homophobic (AB)
Michelle Tran graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She has been drawing since she was four years old. Nowadays she draws a bunch of little consecutive pictures in the hope that it makes something that sort of looks like an animated short film. When she’s not animating, she loves being with her friends and hamsters.
Vimeo - Instagram - Art Instagram - Youtube - Website
Simon Garez - Torch Narrows (SK)
Simon Garez is a Saskatoon-based actor and director who works in French and English. Raised in Saskatchewan, he holds a BFA in theatre performance from Simon Fraser University, a diploma in acting from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, and is a recipient of the RBC YFF Mentorship Program. His directorial debut, Torch Narrows, won the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards for Best Short Film and Best Technical Achievement. His films examines themes of rural life and humanity’s interactivity to its ecological environment. Alongside his art practice, Simon works with bees and honey production.
Lynn Dana Wilton - Under the Full Moon (ON)
Lynn Dana Wilton’s (Sheridan, Classical Animation -2001; Ryerson, BAAID - 1991) commercial work includes directing & animating stop-motion for TV series, specials, docs, ads, and interstitials including "Ultra City Smiths", "Sesame Street", "Angakusajaujuq: A Shamen's Apprentice", "Book of Dog", "Biidaaban: the Dawn Comes", “Scout & the Gumboot Kids”, "Four Faces of the Moon", “What’s Inside?”, “Glenn Martin, DDS”, “Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In All the World”, “A Miser Brothers’ Christmas”, and “Lunar Jim”. Indie shorts including “(Re)Cycle” and “Celestial Red & Blue” have screened around the world and she conducts workshops & lectures at home and abroad. She’s also very proud of her former involvement in Scratch Track, a cameraless film project performed live with hand-drawn sound (yes, drawn sound!) at the 2002 OIAF.
Ariel Hansen - Damned Supper (BC)
Ariel entered the entertainment industry as an actor, but being a passionate connoisseur of horror, she absorbed as much knowledge as she could while acting on various film sets in order to learn how best to bring her own nightmares to life. The first fright she birthed into the world was Ready to Burst, a pregnancy-based horror short that acted as her writer-director debut and led to her co-founding Bad Cookie Pictures. Since then she’s directed The Man in the Rabbit Mask, Paint the Town Red, Relaxing Rituals ASMR, Nepenthes, Clout, and most recently the Halloween horror Damned Supper. Behind the camera, Ariel seeks to create a collaborative atmosphere and is always excited to hear the new ideas others bring to the table in order to craft the most terrifying tale possible.
Rob Hunt - Milkshakes (BC)
Rob Hunt is a filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada with roots in Victoria. With experience as a camera assistant on big budget productions and a member of Iatse 669, Rob brings technical expertise to his work as a director. His portfolio includes a variety of short films, web series, and music videos, showcasing a diverse range of styles and genres. However, Rob's most notable project to date is the fantasy comedy web series "Standard Action." In addition to his film work, Rob is also an avid fan of board games and Dungeons & Dragons. This love for fantasy and gaming is evident in his creative projects, infusing them with a unique sense of humor and imagination.
Fiona Cully - Marry (QC)
Fiona Cully is an emerging filmmaker from Montreal. After getting her degree in Film Production at Concordia University and completing her third year short film, she went on to direct some music videos as she worked as a production coordinator at the documentary production company Intuitive Pictures. While writing and directing Marry, she reconnected with her love of fiction and storytelling as well as the thrill of collaborating with actors. She is now developing a web series project with funding from the CALQ.
Joel Salaysay - Wok Hei (BC)
Joel Salaysay is a Canadian filmmaker based in Vancouver. His work ranges from live-action, to documentary, and 3D animation. His directing credits include the award-winning Lifers and Last Night, and the Netflix series Sonic Prime.
Daniel Jeffery - Cameo (BC)
Daniel Jeffery is a lifelong independent filmmaker whose comedy and documentary short films explore subjects like pet euthanasia, adult circumcision, family, and friendship. His absurdist talking-dog comedy, A New Leash On Life, has screened at over 30 international festivals (VIFF 20’; EIFF 20’; DC Shorts 20’) and broadcast Canada-wide on CBC, while his impromptu home movie, Free Range, premiered at DOXA Documentary FF 21’. In 2022, he was a recipient of the DGC Award for Best Director at Vancouver’s Run N’ Gun Film Competition for his team’s short film, Stanley Kubrick’s The Moon Landing. Daniel holds a B.F.A. in Film Production from Simon Fraser University and currently works in-house as a filmmaker for Lush North America.
Paul Johnson - The Dragon Awakens (BC)
Paul is currently employed directing video game cinematics and has worked for more than 25 years in TV and theatrical animation. Paul divides his time between studio work and personal work, including music composition, concept, design, marketing, and animation for film #10 of "20 short films in 20 years".
Paul found an animation career in 1995 at the age of 24, and has evolved from creating hand-drawn animation through digital 2d, 3d, and video game cinematics.
Paul also taught animation p/t for 15 years.
Maxime Divier - Peanut Butter (QC)
Artist in the 3D Animation field, I write, direct and experiment, guided by my passion for storytelling and visual composition. Interested in all the formats that allow to tell stories visually, I challenge myself by directing and creating project that are dear to my heart. Through my films, I always try to bring a new look and spotlight on societies subjects that I feel are too often ignored, so that the viewer leaves the film with a new vision, a new reflection. I truly believe that a better world is possible, and that art in general have something to do with it.