St. John’s-based indie Island Horse Productions is in production on the documentary Striking Out the Boys, commissioned by local broadcaster NTV.

The feature doc examines the career of Newfoundland sports superstar Jaida Lee, the first female to play baseball in a male competition at the 2022 Canada Games. At only 16 years old, Lee’s performance set in motion a change that will see female baseball being introduced at the 2025 Canada Games.

The film is written by Kelly Meadus, with Meadus and Kenneth J. Harvey sharing directing and producing duties. The $100,000 film is financed by NTV and PictureNL (formerly the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation). Principal photography is scheduled to wrap this fall in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is the first feature documentary for Meadus since joining the company, while Harvey is a two-time Canadian Screen Awards and Giller Prize nominee.

Island Horse Productions programs have aired on CBC, Documentary Channel, NTV and Gem, and have screened at over seventy film festivals around the world.

With files from Taimur Sikander Mirza

Photo courtesy of Island Horse Productions