Yesterday I attended the Women in Film and Television Toronto (WIFT-T) Showcase at The Royal. Eight short films by WIFT-T members were screened, a mix of work by emerging talent and established professionals. It was great to see some familiar faces, including Heidi Tao Yang (TYS2014 jury member), Alison Rheaume (My Brother's Keeper, TYS2011), who now works with WIFT-T and Elaine Poon (EXT 5683 L-O-V-E, TYS2009), who showed her most recent short, Entrain, at the event.
One of the evening's highlights included Lines by Amy Jo Johnson who also stars and reunites with her Flashpoint co-star, Enrico Colantoni in shiny plastic makeup playing a sleazy dermatologist who tries to sell Johnson on his botox injections. One of the producer of Lines is Jessica Adams, (The Highwayman, TYS2009). Arranged by Renuka Jeyapalan stars Anne Blythe from the webseries Space Janitors and is a light-hearted take on the dreaded tale of relationship woes and the need to find companionship and love. Emily Piggford returns to the frosty screens of the CFC in Slater Jewell-Kemker's Still, who continues to impress with her range. Given Your History by Molly McGlynn is a poignant portrayal of familial love and loss starring Katie Boland from Reign.
The shorts were diverse in content and the one thing I was personally pleasantly surprised about was that it didn't beat you over the head with "female themes" for the lack of a better term. While most of the shorts centered around a female protagonist, the stories would be equally effective if the genders were reversed. It's nice to see universal stories like these that celebrate a particular community without the need to emphasize how different they are.
If you're in the industry and are looking for a supportive network that aids in your career development as a filmmaker, consider becoming a member of WIFT-T. They also have student rates available. Perhaps you can have your work shown alongside some of these big names at next year's showcase.
-Henry
One of the evening's highlights included Lines by Amy Jo Johnson who also stars and reunites with her Flashpoint co-star, Enrico Colantoni in shiny plastic makeup playing a sleazy dermatologist who tries to sell Johnson on his botox injections. One of the producer of Lines is Jessica Adams, (The Highwayman, TYS2009). Arranged by Renuka Jeyapalan stars Anne Blythe from the webseries Space Janitors and is a light-hearted take on the dreaded tale of relationship woes and the need to find companionship and love. Emily Piggford returns to the frosty screens of the CFC in Slater Jewell-Kemker's Still, who continues to impress with her range. Given Your History by Molly McGlynn is a poignant portrayal of familial love and loss starring Katie Boland from Reign.
The shorts were diverse in content and the one thing I was personally pleasantly surprised about was that it didn't beat you over the head with "female themes" for the lack of a better term. While most of the shorts centered around a female protagonist, the stories would be equally effective if the genders were reversed. It's nice to see universal stories like these that celebrate a particular community without the need to emphasize how different they are.
If you're in the industry and are looking for a supportive network that aids in your career development as a filmmaker, consider becoming a member of WIFT-T. They also have student rates available. Perhaps you can have your work shown alongside some of these big names at next year's showcase.
-Henry
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