Gender Equity in Media Society recently announced the winners of the Genre Film Lab accelerator program, with four out of five productions being B.C.-based: AISHA, OUR BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, ALLIGATOR, and MT. ASHA.
The Genre Film Lab is an accelerator program designed to support the development of Canadian genre film creators whose projects are at an advanced stage of development. The teams include writers, directors and producers selected based on the submission of their original narrative feature film concepts.
This year’s projects were evaluated and selected by a jury of filmmakers and genre industry experts including: Austin-based acquisitions manager, programmer, professor, and producer Logan Taylor; director, writer and actor Mary Galloway (Querencia) from the Cowichan Nation; and Shasha McArthur, a Nakota and Nehiyaw filmmaker and current Vice-President of the Board at GEMS. Leading the 2023 Genre Film Lab, for her second year, is filmmaker, programmer, educator and former Programming Director for Frontières International co-pro market Vanessa Meyer.
The Genre Film Lab program will begin in early June with a masterclass on pitching instructed by Helene Granqvist (Head of Women in Film and Television International) and will culminate with a dedicated pitch session at the Frontières International Co-Production Market (July, 26-29). The sessions will include an introductory group pitch masterclass, three strategy sessions with genre industry experts focusing on financing and packaging, one-on-one pitch development sessions, and individualized consultancies.
The B.C. project finalists, projects, and teams:
Project Title: Our Blood’s Thicker Than Water
Director: Michelle Godoy Priske
Writer: Liz Wallace
Producers: Liz Wallace (lead), Michelle Godoy Priske, Maritama Carlson
Co-Producer: Ekaterina Kan
Project Title: Aisha
Writer: Brishkay Ahmed
Producers: Bonnie Do & Brishkay Ahmed (Digital Warriors Productions Inc.)
Project Title: Alligator
Director: Hayley Gray
Writer: Hayley Gray
Producer: Michael Khazen (High Deaf Productions)
Project Title: Mt. Asha
Co-Director(s): Alex Vance & Stephanie Izsak
Writer: Alex Vance
Producer: Nic Altobelli (Naltobel Productions)
