Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), the Canadian organization helping advance women filmmakers, has selected eight directors for its 2018 Story & Leadership program. Anna Cooley, Penny Eizenga, Pamela Gallant, Jude Klassen, Mia Fiona Kut, Michelle Morgan, Meeshelle Neal, and JJ Neepin will be participating in the script development and director mentorship program. Story & Leadership will take place in part during the Whistler Film Festival, which is November 28-December 2.
Morgan, Eizenga, Neal, Kut, Gallant, and Neepin are working on their first feature films. Klassen is making her second, the musical “Theoretically Sentient.” Cooley is developing web series “Everyone We Know Will Be There.”
Story & Leadership is overseen by producer Carol Whiteman (“Never Steady, Never Still”). Directors Deanne Foley (“An Audience of Chairs”) and Siobhan Devine (“The Birdwatcher”) will mentor this year. Writer and Jungian expert Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, screenwriter/story consultant Linda Coffey (“Rustic Oracle”), and actor-filmmaker Lori Triolo (“Blackstone”) will host sessions about leadership, story development, marketing, and working with performers.
CBC Films’ Mehernaz Lentin and producers Lael McCall (“Whistler”) and Terry Greenlaw (“Black Cop”) are among the industry guests who will offer their guidance in roundtables and one-on-one meetings with the Story & Leadership participants.
Bios for the participants are below, courtesy of WIDC.
Anna Cooley (AB) – EVERYONE WE KNOW WILL BE THERE (web series)
Through her company Erratic Pictures, Anna has directed, written produced commercials and docs including the multi award-winning doc, A Saurpod Abroad. She is an alumna of the Academy Apprenticeship for Women Directors program.
Penny Eizenga (ON) – A FAR CRY (ff)
An independent filmmaker and actor, Penny has produced award-winning shorts, television concept pilots, and the feature film Go Fish.Her recent short, Martin’s Hague, written by Gordon Pinsent, stars Sheila McCarthy. She teams up with Pinsent again for her debut feature, A Far Cry.
Pamela Gallant (NB) – MONICA’S NEWS (ff)
With three decades of filmmaking experience in documentary including Port-au-Port, Au Rhythm du courant, and the radio-Canada series, Courants; and short drama (La voisine, Home Care), Acadian director Pamela Gallant returns to her rural roots with the dramatic feature, Monica’s News.
Jude Klassen (ON) – THEORETICALLY SENTIENT (ff)
Filmmaker, comedic songstress, fiction and TV writer Jude Klassen has written for Canuck comedians and her alter-ego Tasha James wrote songs to Rob Ford and Big Oil. Her debut feature, Love In the Sixth world premiered at WFF.
Mia Fiona Kut (BC) – HELIOPHILIA (ff)
Filmmaker and actor Mia’s work reflects her unique voice of Chinese, Russian and Indonesian heritage growing up in Canada. Her work including web series (Ivy Tower), shorts (Wildhouse, Sonder) and genre features scripts, Land of No Noctune and Heliophilia have garnered recognition from WIFTV, Vancouver Asian Film Festival among others.
Michelle Morgan (BC) – THE PLAINS (ff)
Crossing over to directing after fifteen years in front of the camera including starring in CBC’s Heartland, Michelle’s debut short, Mi Madre, My Father landed her at Telefilm’s Not Short on Talent at Cannes. She is in post on her latest short Save Yourself, a concept for a feature comedy supported by TELUS STORYHIVE. She is developing the feature drama, The Plains.
Meeshelle Neal (BC) – SWEET RELEASE (ff)
With an acting / writing / producing background, Meeshelle’s previous multi award-winning works include Mental (BravoFACT recipient) and Therapy. She directed the shorts Check and Ladies Don’t Wear Slacks, which are currently touring festivals. Check recently took home Best Short Form at the Covellite International Film Festival. She is currently in pre-production on the short version of her feature Sweet Release, set to go to camera mid-December.
JJ Neepin (MB) – LUMINOUS (ff)
Indigenous writer and director JJ Neepin has directed for APTN’s CSA-winning series Taken and The Other Side. Through her company JJ Neepin Films, co-owned with sister Justina, she has directed multiple short films and documentaries including Headress which screened at Hot Docs. JJ is an alumna of the inaugural Academy Apprenticeship for Women Directors program.
