Telefilm distributes $3M across four Indigenous features

Michelle Latimer's Forgotten and Loretta Todd's Monkey Beach are among the selected projects.

Telefilm Canada has awarded more than $3 million across four Indigenous features, including Michelle Latimer’s Forgotten.

Produced by Toronto’s Sienna Films and Latimer’s Streel Films, Forgotten follows Canada’s only female dangerous offender as she tried to make sense of the loss of her daughter. Based on true events, Latimer, who is writing and directing the project, was given unprecedented access into the life of one Canada’s most notorious inmates. Forgotten is produced by Sienna’s Jennifer Kawaja (Cardinal). Latimer’s previous credits include the docuseries Rise, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2017.

Meanwhile, Zoe Hopkins (Kayak to Klemtu) will direct Running Home, produced by Toronto’s Big Soul Productions. The “magical romantic dramedy” follows Beck, a single mom to 10-year-0ld Eric. When Eric decides he’s tired of his mother’s tendency to run away from her commitments, Beck decides to take up running in an effort to win back her son. Laura J. Milliken, president of Big Soul, will produce the project.

She’s also set to produce Tales of an Urban Indian, written and directed by Darrell Dennis and co-written by Katya Gardner. The film follows Simon Douglas as he “transitions from life on a small Indian reservation to skid row in the big city and finally to salvation.” Tales of an Urban Indian was previously produced as a one-man show by Dennis and adapted as TV pilot by Vancouver-based Soapbox Productions. The pilot starred Gardner and Dennis, and received funding from Creative B.C.

Finally, Loretta Todd’s Monkey Beach has also received funding. The film follows a woman with supernatural powers who must discover the true meaning of her powers, while also saving her brother who has gone missing on a fishing trip. Vancouver-based Reunion Pacific Entertainment will produce the project. The prodco’s president, Paddy Bickerton, serves as a producer on the feature.

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