FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 2022 (Vancouver BC), Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) organizers are pleased to announce the eight Canadian directors selected to attend the Women In the Director’s Chair Story & Leadership program, presented in collaboration with the Whistler Film Festival.

Five of this year’s Story & Leadership cohort of directors are award-winning ACTRA members, including Toronto-based Liz Whitmere (Designated Survivor, The Changeling) who is developing the feature drama Loved By You, Supinder Wraich (Sort Of, Private Eyes) developing the feature 4th of July, and Sam Coyle director of award-winning web series, (Avocado Toast the series, Dating Unlocked) who is developing the sci-fi thriller, Audrey 2.0 about an aging actress navigating life with her AI double.

UBCP/ACTRA members, CSA-winner Sarah Strange known for her roles in Loudermilk, Snowpiercer and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, is developing the Queer rom-com series, Funambulist Falling, while Luvia Petersen (Van Helsing, Riverdale) is developing the feature-length psychological thriller Human Nature. Human Nature also earned Petersen WIDC’s 2022 Advantage Award for a first-time low-budget feature, and a spot in the WIFTV Genre Lab.

Also developing their debut feature films are documentary and short filmmakers including Nigerian-born Nova Scotia-based Osas Eweka-Smith who is developing the drama The Road To Back Home; Yukon Territory-based Naomi Mark (How to Bee), developing the dark comedy Lucky Baby; and based in Toronto, multi-award-winner Nika Belianina is developing her comedy feature, Doing Time In Paradise.

“Telefilm Canada is proud to continue its support of the Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) program for mid-career and non-binary directors and writer-directors,” said Francesca Accinelli, Interim Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. “We want to thank and congratulate WIDC for its continued support of diverse voices in film.”

“Over 330 women and non-binary individuals have benefited from the WIDC program,” says Eleanor Noble, President ACTRA National. “Over 25% of alumnae directors [overall] are ACTRA members who have taken their performing skills to the next level and are creating and directing original work that engages other members!”

“This is the 9th year of our collaboration with WIDC and it continues to deliver significant results. It’s gratifying to see previous participants returning with projects they’ve developed through the program, as mentors, and guest speakers,” says Angela Heck, Executive Director, Whistler Film Festival.

Mentors for this session of WIDC include multi-award-winning writer/ director Mina Shum (Mediation Park, the Wire), and screenwriter / story consultant Karen Walton (Orphan Black, Ginger Snaps). Instructors also include Dr. Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian and Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell C.M. who lead a module on equity, diversity and inclusion work; writer and Jungian expert, Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, actor and filmmaker, Lori Triolo (Blackstone, Lost Solace), actor / instructor, Veena Sood (Children Ruin Everything), and Digital Media & Marketing Mentor, Annelise Larson, who will lead sessions on leadership, story development, working with actors and marketing. An ensemble of ACTRA actors from across Canada along with ICG cinematographers, Kim Derko csc (Save Me; The Next Step), and Daytime Emmy winner, Gayle Ye (Odd Squad, Mobile Unit), will also join the program, workshopping excerpts from the directors’ original scripts. WIDC co-creator and producer, Dr. Carol Whiteman facilitates, and leads follow up mentorships for the program.

During the WFF Industry Immersion part of the program, the eight director participants partake in a first-class industry environment during the fest’s virtual component that includes an array of master classes, artist-talks, one-to-ones, and notably, WFF’s Women In Focus series. WIDC-hosted sessions also include industry guests from Telefilm Canada, Bell Media, CBC Films,  the Independent Production Fund, and Creative BC, among others who will participate in roundtables and individual meetings with participants.

The 2022 Whistler Film Festival, which takes place November 30 through December 4 and online until January 2, 2023, will also showcase WIDC alumnae feature films by  Jules Koostachin (Broken Angel), KC Carthew  (Polaris) and Madison Thomas’ doc, Buffy Saint-Marie: Carry It On! Gloria Mercer’s short Smoke Eater also plays the festival, while alumnae Marie Clements, Rebecca Gibson, KC Carthew, Jules Koostachin will be featured speakers.

Story & Leadership culminates with intensive follow up development of story and marketing materials, and career coaching modules that run through to spring 2023.

WIDC receives major financial support from Telefilm Canada. Story & Leadership is also supported by ACTRA National, AFBS, the Independent Production Fund, and Creative BC.

WIDC recognizes the term Woman/Women is in an evolution of language and note that our intention in our use is to be fully inclusive of underrepresented persons who may identify as she / her and or they / them and share the goals and values of WIDC to promote these marginalized voices and stories.  Further, we gratefully acknowledge that the WIDC program originates from the traditional and unceded lands of the Coast Salish people, including the xmkym (Musqueam), Swxwu7mesh (Squamish), and slilwta (Tseil-wau-tuth) Nations. We also acknowledge the Indigenous Nations on whose traditional lands our guests, participants, and colleagues live, work and create. We commit to working together in the spirit of collaboration and respect for the generations that came before, those living now, and the generations to come.

About the Directors

LIZ WHITMERE, ON – Initially an actor, Liz Whitmere performed as both an improviser with the On The Spot Players in Montreal and as a stand-up comedian. She produced her first short film, the critically acclaimed This Is Not What You Had Planned, and discovered a love of producing. She then associate-produced the Canadian Screen Award-winning The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island, one of the most-viewed series on the CBC digital comedy platform. Shifting gears, Whitmere directed the Bell Fibe talk show Rapping With Actors, which profiled Canadian celebrities in an unconventional, comedic format. Her film directorial debut, Up To Here, is a comedic reality-bending exploration of one woman’s unsuccessful search for mental solitude. She Co-Executive Produced Late Night in the Studio for CBC Gem, which The Globe and Mail’s John Doyle called a “trippy, tonally perfect Canadian comedy.” She recently produced Season 1, directing episodes 5 & 6, of ZARQA, from the creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie which is currently streaming on CBC Gem. She continues to work in front of the camera, with recent appearances on Titans, Designated Survivor, and Handmaid’s Tale.

LUVIA PETERSEN, BC – Luvia Petersen is a multi-nominated actor and director best known for her work as the scrappy, stern-gazed soldier Garza on SyFy’s Continuum. Her directing credits include three short films which have all received Leo nominations; Dog Bite (2019), H.appiness (2020), which has secured distribution in Canada on CraveTV and internationally on the streaming service DUST, and iDorothy (2021) which was made entirely in eight days as part of the prestigious Vancouver filmmaking event, Crazy8s.  Luvia is the inaugural recipient of the Women In the Director’s Chair Advantage Award (2022) for her feature film Human Nature which is currently in pre-production and slated to shoot in the fall of 2023. Luvia works alongside her team at Download Joy Productions, a women-led production company she started with writer Huelah Lander and producer Amanda Konkin.

NAOMI MARK, YT – Naomi Mark is a Writer / Director from Canada’s North who works across genres writing and directing short and long form films in both fiction and documentary. Her work spans the gamut from super silly comedies about serious social issues to emotive character driven documentaries that explore family bonds and the nature of grief. Naomi’s most recent films include the mid-length documentary The Arctics (winner of the 2021 Yorkton Film Festival’s Golden Sheaf Multicultural Award), the feature length documentary How To Bee (winner of the 2019 RIIFF Marilyn Mason Award) and the short film Grey Mountain (2019 – selection for the Canadian program at Cannes: Not Short on Talent). Naomi’s work has been commissioned by both CBC and Knowledge Network and screened in festivals around the world. Naomi is currently developing her first feature narrative film, Lucky Baby. Naomi is based in Whitehorse, Yukon where she co-founded Midnight Light – a small production company that she runs with her husband.

NIKA BELIANINA, ON – Moscow-raised, Toronto-based Nika Belianina is an award-winning multi-hyphenate: writer/director, camerawoman and a photographer. An ex-props person, she’s a fresh DGC member, who works in both scripted and documentary realms. Nika’s films have screened across 25 countries and at numerous film festivals, including Tribeca, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Atlanta, Cinefest Sudbury, Just for Laughs and Boston Sci-fi. Nika’s directing credits include a block of the crime docu-series Fear Thy Neighbour (Discovery), along with a dirty dozen of short films, music videos and documentaries. In her narrative work, Nika likes to explore alternative realities, be it in a character’s imagination (Crazy Lovin’), or a full-on anti-utopia and fantasy (Butterflies of Trip City, The Last Mermaids). She sprinkles magical realism when possible and loves working on comedies. Belianina’s latest film, a microshort PARADOX, was shot in just 2 hours on a Digital Wall with Unreal Engine. At WIDC she is developing a female-centric comedy feature Doing Time In Paradise. Nika is an MTV Paramount mentorship recipient and has a tireless curiosity towards life that comes with a big smile on her face.

OSAS EWEKA-SMITH, NS – Born and raised in Nigeria, Osas grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Saint Mary’s University. After her BA, she worked in South Korea for a few years and travelled throughout Southeast Asia. When she returned to Canada, she wanted to “try a different part of the country” and ended up in the prairies. Osas is an emerging filmmaker who was based in Edmonton, Alberta for the last 12 and a half years but has recently returned to Halifax in spring 2022. She is passionate about using film to tell stories that keep her grounded in her Nigerian (Bini) roots, elevate the human spirit, and bring marginalized voices to the forefront. She gives visibility, equity, and access to stories that otherwise would go unrepresented. In 2020, she debuted her first film — Beyond Curls & Kinks — which follows a group of women who are challenging beauty standards and empowering each other and the next generation to embrace their coily kinky curly hair. The film explores the complex relationship they have with their Afro-textured hair and issues such as self-esteem, confidence, and identity. It also challenges society to see women and girls beyond their curls and kinks. Osas has made content for TELUS, Eastlink Community TV, and IndieFlix. She is looking for opportunities to create more exciting and meaningful work. Osas has amassed over 10 years of experience in public relations/communications before venturing into the film industry.

About WIDC

Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) – first presented in 1997 by ACTRA, The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Women In Film and Television Vancouver, WIDC is administered by the national non-profit society Creative Women Workshops Association. WIDC offers mentorship for Canadian women screen directors, along with project development and production awards to help them get their narrative stories on screen. With more than 330 award-winning director alumnae across Canada, over the last twenty-six years WIDC has advanced the voices of a generation of women screen directors.

WIDC is presented with major support from Telefilm Canada, and with the participation of Creative BC, ACTRA National, UBCP/ACTRA, Actra Fraternal Benefit Society, Independent Production Fund; WIDC appreciates community collaborations with TIFF, VIFF, Reelworld Film Festival, Vancouver International Women In Film Festival, Female Eye Film Festival, St John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Crazy 8’s, and the Whistler Film Festival.

WIDC Feature Film Award is valued at nearly $250K and is supported by some of Canada’s most influential screen industry companies including MELS Studios, MTL Grande, Sim, Panavision Canada, Keslow Camera, William F. White International, Company 3, Elemental Post Productions, North Shore Studios, The Bridge Studios, Vancouver Film Studios, Poste Moderne, Walter Lighting & Grip, The Research House Clearance Services Inc., Descriptive Video Works, Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc, Portable Electric, Signal Services, EP Canada, Line 21 Media Services.

WIDC recognizes the term Woman/Women is in an evolution of language and note that our intention in our use is to be fully inclusive of underrepresented persons who may or may not identify as women and share the goals and values of WIDC to promote these marginalized voices and stories.  Further, we gratefully acknowledge that the WIDC program originates from the traditional and unceded lands of the Coast Salish people, including the xmkym (Musqueam), Swxwu7mesh (Squamish), and slilwta (Tseil-wau-tuth) Nations. We also acknowledge the Indigenous Nations on whose traditional lands our guests and participants live, work and play.