Toronto filmmaker Karen Chapman is expanding on her award-winning short film Measure with a feature that kicks off production this week.

Village Keeper started principal photography on Monday (June 26) in Toronto and will continue through July 14, according to a news release.

The drama marks the feature film directorial debut of Chapman, who is also the writer and a producer on the project. It’s based on Chapman’s Measure, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won a Women In Film and Television – Toronto Showcase Award for best direction in 2020.

The feature is produced by Smallaxx Motion Pictures and funded with financial participation from Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Executive producers include Christina Piovesan (French Exit), Floyd Kane (Orah), Taj Critchlow (Utopia Falls), Susana Ferreira (Hip Hop Evolution), Molly McGlynn (Bloody Hell), Jordan Oram (Spiral), Lora Campbell (Two Penny Road Kill), and d’bi.young antiafrika.

Village Keeper is scheduled to hit the festival circuit in Q2 2024, with Canadian distribution handled by levelFILM and CBC as the Canadian broadcasting partner, said the release.

The film features a grief-stricken single mother trying to shield her children from violence that arrives at her doorstep.

The stars include Olunike Adeliyi (Revenge of the Black Best Friend, The Porter), Zahra Bentham (Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker), Patricia Wright-Domingue (American Gods), Micah Mensah-Jatoe (Home Free), and Oyin Oladejo (Star Trek: Discovery, Orah).

Chapman’s other films include the short Quiet Minds Silent Streets, which premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and won Best Documentary at the Canadian Film Festival.

Photo credits: Olunike Adeliyi by Destinee Condison, Zahra Bentham by Jaclyn Vogl, Oyin Oladejo by David Chang, Karen Chapman by Jalani Morgan