Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) has named eight Canadian directors for its Story & Leadership program, which is presented in collaboration with the Whistler Film Festival.

Participants and projects include Liz Whitmere, who is developing the drama feature Loved By You; Supinder Wraich with her feature 4th of July; Sam Coyle with the sci-fi thriller Audrey 2.0; and Sarah Strange with the queer rom-com series Funambulist Falling.

Other directors selected are: Osas Eweka-Smith with the drama The Road to Back Home; Naomi Mark with the dark comedy Lucky Baby; Nika Belianina with the comedy feature Doing Time in Paradise; and Luvia Petersen with the psychological thriller Human Nature, which earned WIDC’s 2022 Advantage Award for a first-time low-budget feature.

The program allows directors to develop a project with the help of mentors and partake in WFF Industry Immersion, which will gives participants access to master classes, artist talks, one-to-ones, and the WFF’s Women In Focus series. WIDC receives major financial support from Telefilm Canada, while the program is supported by ACTRA National, the Independent Production Fund, and Creative BC.

The program will end with an intensive follow-up on the development of story and marketing materials as well as career coaching modules that run through spring 2023.

Lunenburg Doc Fest reveals pitch winner

Writer Anna Quon, who creates short animated films of her original poetry, has won the Lunenburg Doc Fest’s 2022 The Launch: Documentary Development and Pitch Contest in Halifax. The concept for her documentary Me & My Teeth, which will premiere at the Lunenburg Doc Fest in September 2023, beat out four other emerging Nova Scotia media creators from diverse and underrepresented communities for the honour.

The $20,000 prize package includes cash and in-kind filmmaking rentals and services, as well as one-on-one mentorship with an acclaimed Canadian documentarian for the duration of the development of a short documentary. Participants in the initiative were offered sessions on story development and pitch preparation consultations with an international pitch expert to hone their pitch materials ahead of the contest.

CFC Media Lab sets Fifth Wave Labs cohort

The Canadian Film Centre’s (CFC) Media Lab has revealed the five companies and founders who will participate in its Fifth Wave Labs.

Participants include Pollinate Networks’ Christy Pettit; Curate Concierge’s Jenn Hazel; True2Soul Network’s Keda Edwards Pierre; Untangle Money’s Kristine Beese; and Perspective Squared’s Melanie Grad and Ruth Wylie.

The virtual four-month, mentorship-based business boot camp for women-owned or led businesses runs from November to February 2023. Participants will learn through a range of webinars, virtual workshops and events, online sessions and expert presentations. They will also be connected with a lead guide mentor, who will coach them through business development and modelling, marketing, sales, strategy, partner development, financing, planning for scale, staffing company culture and wellness, and fundraising.

It is one component of the larger Fifth Wave Initiative, which is Canada’s first feminist business accelerator. The Fifth Wave Initiative addresses “significant gaps women entrepreneurs face to equitable access to capital, connections, and opportunities in the digital media industry,” according to a news release.

With files from Victoria Ahearn

Image courtesy of Women In the Director’s Chair. Top (L-R): Sarah Strange, Supinder Wraich, Sam Coyle, and Osas Eweka-Smith. Bottom (L-R): Nika Belianina, Naomi Mark, Liz Whitmere, and Luvia Petersen.