Liz Marshall is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker. Since the 1990s, she has written, produced, directed, and filmed diverse international and socially conscious documentaries. Marshall’s feature-length films explore social justice and environmental themes driven by strong characters. Previous documentary titles include “Midian Farm” (2018), “Water on the Table” (2010), and “The Ghosts In Our Machine” (2013).

“Meat the Future” was scheduled to screen at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival. A digital version of the fest has been organized due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Meat the Future” will screen in Hot Docs Festival Online, which will launch May 28 and is geo-blocked to Ontario, Canada. More information about the program and how to tune in can be found here.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

LM: “Meat the Future” is an exclusive story about the pioneers behind one of this century’s biggest ideas: “cell-based meat,” also known as “clean meat,” “cultivated meat,” and “cultured meat.” It’s about a revolutionary food science that produces real meat from animal cells without the need to breed, confine, and slaughter animals.

The film chronicles the birth of this industry between 2016 and 2019 with behind-the-scenes access through the eyes of Dr. Uma Valeti, the co-founder and CEO of American startup company Memphis Meats.

“Meat the Future” is about a potential game-changing solution to help aid climate change, the moral issue of animal cruelty, food sustainability, and human health.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

LM: Awe and wonder. In 2016, I was looking for my next film and came across the world’s first “cultured” meatball, unveiled to the mainstream media by Uma Valeti and his Memphis Meats team. The light bulb went off immediately for me. I wanted my next feature documentary to be about a viable solution, and this was a fascinating opportunity to explore something big and meaningful during the genesis phase.

Of course, there was no way to predict the outcome — it was instinct that motivated me. Without unique access, you don’t have a story, and so we’re grateful to Uma Valeti, his family, and the Memphis Meats team for allowing us to witness the twists and the turns, for allowing their passion-driven startup story to be the focus of the film. It is a microcosm representing the birth of the industry around the globe.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

LM: I want people to understand that transformation is possible and is underway. There are people working tirelessly to usher new ideas and realities to the fore, not only for economic gain, but for the betterment of our human society, for planet earth and for animals.

Human ingenuity is a constant, and this is the next step in our human evolution. It’s my hope that “Meat the Future” opens hearts and minds to what is possible.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

LM: It was a labor of love, and challenges are inherent, of course. Overall, it was the nature of being on the pulse over three-and-a-half years, maintaining a laser-focus on story development, which was sometimes subtle and nuanced, and not always visually dynamic. Editorially, the film is character-driven and immersive. It was critical to “be in the room” during some big moments, and to have a wider lens to capture the gravitas — the issues at stake.

We filmed upwards of 200 hours of footage, and the complexities were worked out through trial and error in the edit suite with an excellent team.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

LM: The film financing model in Canada is often a pie that begins with a license from a commissioning broadcaster. I am grateful that CBC’s documentary Channel believed in “Meat the Future” early on — in 2017 — and allowed me to deliver the film in 2020 so that we could shape the story around the birth of an industry told over time.

The other funding partners are The Canada Media Fund, Redford Center Grants, New York Community Trust, and the Rogers Cable Network Fund.

Executive producer Janice Dawe and her team at Bizable Media, a Toronto-based business, finance, and production consultancy firm, helped to expertly shepherd the minutia of business.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

LM: I began my creative career at age 12 acting with Toronto Studio Players, a street and studio style theater company. At 16, I bought my first camera, and that inspired a vision behind the lens. I studied film, video and photography at Ryerson University and later got my masters in cinema production at York University. I’ve been working in the film and television industry since the ’90s.

One thing led to another, so to speak, and I didn’t turn back or doubt my path. That doesn’t mean it has been easy — of course not! As a woman and as an independent documentary filmmaker, there have been roadblocks and mountains to climb. And there have been continuous openings. I am excited to expand my portfolio into fiction and into series.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

LM: Best advice: Trust your instincts.

Worst advice: Don’t trust your instincts.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

LM: Persevere. Develop and hone your voice. Don’t be afraid or feel limited to roll your sleeves up and learn to shoot and edit, get your hands on the gear, and understand the craft from every angle. It helps with directing. Watch both fiction and non-fiction; it doesn’t matter the art form. Study light, framing, pacing, tone, dialogue, and music — continuously.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

LM: Well, it’s not possible to name a single film or a single director — there are too many. I will cite a near-recent feature documentary that inspired me, and that is Laura Poitras’ “Citizenfour.” Her access and relationship to Edward Snowden, her behind the scenes camera, her choices in film structure, music, and encrypted email exchange with Snowden on a black screen creates emotional tension and political urgency.

Kudos also to Rachel Lears’ “Knock Down the House” — her expertise is palpable from behind the lens, chronicling a game-changing story without knowing the outcome, believing in her instincts.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

LM: The pandemic hit when I was visiting family on Canada’s west coast while on a writing retreat, so I am hunkered down in a small community surrounded by spring rainforest weather systems, mountains, and ocean. I can do my part to help keep my mother and father healthy and safe, and be available to other family members if or when they need me. I am in “release mode” with “Meat the Future,” doing interviews and strategizing the path forward.

I am developing new projects with colleagues. I am open to what is next. Yes, keeping creative and keeping healthy, and grateful for that.

Take care, my best wishes for health and sanity to those reading these words.