Exciting things are afoot for genre cinema! Friends, neighbours (and inadvertent keepers of my Sopranos discs!) Katarina Gligorijevic and Colin Geddes from Ultra8 Pictures (Birdland, Replace), along with Zed Filmworks’ Rob Menzies (Hurt, Gutshot) and casting director Ilona Smyth are spearheading an initiative to support and promote emerging female genre filmmakers.
This “incubator” will involve mentor services, helping nascent filmmakers navigate the waters of casting, production and post with key industry players, all while helping to foster Female voices within the genre community.
The Bloody Mary Film Festival runs November 8-9 at Toronto’s Carlton Cinemas.
Press release below:
THE BLOODY MARY FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES THE CREATORS COVEN: GENRE FILM GENERATOR FOR FEMALE TALENT IN CANADA
The Bloody Mary Film Festival announces that “the feature is female” by launching an exciting industry initiative: an incubator for the development of genre features by women in Canada.
Alumna filmmakers from the past two years of BMFF as well as this year’s filmmakers are invited to submit feature projects to the Creators Coven. BMFF founders and a panel of industry experts will select a winner to receive a yearlong development deal with experienced producers. In future years, submissions will be open to all emerging female filmmakers in Canada.
“There’s a gap between the rich pool of female talent in Canada and the number of features made by women each year. This initiative addresses that issue in a hands-on way, and aligns perfectly with our festival’s mission to address this inequality,” said Co-Executive Director Laura Di Girolamo.
BMFF is working with Industry Consultant Katarina Gligorijevic (producer, Ultra 8 Pictures), who will lead the development process with her partner Colin Geddes (curator at leading horror streaming service, Shudder, and former programmer of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness selection from 1997 to 2016) and Rob Menzies of Zed Filmworks, a prolific and seasoned international producer with 35+ feature credits.
“This initiative is both timely and crucial, and we believe it will be eagerly embraced by the Canadian industry,” said Gligorijevic.
The development deal will also include mentorship sessions with industry professionals, including BMFF alumna filmmaker Audrey Cummings (Berkshire County, Darken, She Never Died), Diana Williams, EVP Creative for the Universe division at Madison Wells Media, and others (to be announced).
The initiative will be launched at an event on Wednesday November 7, 2018 at Hotel OCHO in Toronto, where participating filmmakers and industry professionals will meet to discuss projects. After the industry session, the event will transform into the opening night reception for BMFF.
Additional in-kind donations (including casting services, post-production support and more from our other industry event partners) will be announced at the November 7 launch event.
Two runners up will also receive $1000 each in free story editing and script consulting support from Ultra 8 Pictures.
Please see below for a full list of participants who will attend the November 7 industry session.
LEAD DEVELOPMENT PRODUCERS:
Katarina Gligorijevic (Ultra 8 Pictures) is a producer and story editor with over a decade of experience in the film industry. She also works as manager of National Canadian Film Day, an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate our culture through film.
Colin Geddes (Ultra 8 Pictures) is a producer and consultant in areas of development, post-production, sales, marketing and festival strategy. Colin is also a curator at the leading horror streaming service Shudder, and for 20 years curated the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness selection.
Rob Menzies (Zed Filmworks), is a prolific Canadian producer whose company, in addition to producing many of its own films from conception to delivery, also provides creative and production services to both Canadian and International partners.
Ilona Smyth, CSA (Casting Director, Smyth Casting), runs an experienced casting agency, providing casting services for feature films, TV series, national commercials, print campaigns, corporate videos and events in Canada and internationally.
ADDITIONAL MENTORS AND PARTICIPANTS (to date):
- Susan Curran, VP of Corporate Development, Vortex Pictures
- Daniela Kelloway, President, Clutch PR
- Courtney McAllister, Head of Development, Vortex Pictures
- Candice McHugh, Sr. Producer & Post Supervisor, Eggplant Pictures
- George Mihalka, filmmaker (My Bloody Valentine; Faith, Fraud & Minimum Wage; La Florida)
About The Bloody Mary Film Festival
In 2014, Women in View found that women directed only 17% of films supported by Telefilm Canada. A year later, the Centre for Study of Women in Film and Television in San Diego found that women account for only 11% of individuals working on horror films in the U.S. The Bloody Mary Film Festival aims to highlight the achievements of female directors across Canada working in genre films, and by fostering a community of genre filmmakers and film fans, to contribute to remedying gender inequality in the film industry.
