Announcing Directors for WIDC Career Advancement Module St John’s

WIDC CAM St John’s 2016
Director Participants

(L to R) Emily Bridger, Wanda Nolan, Melanie Oates, Carolyn Saunders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 2016: Organizers of the Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) program are pleased to announce the four women directors selected to partake in the next edition of the WIDC Career Advancement Module (CAM) slated to take place at the St John’s International Women’s Film Festival, October 18 to 24, 2016.

Newfoundland-based filmmakers selected to develop their next screen projects include, Emily Bridger, who was just named the 2016 winner of the RBC Michelle Jackson (MJ) Award for her next short film, Waste It. Her latest short film In So Many Words screens at the festival; Wanda Nolan, who was the 2015 MJ Award winner – her short Crocuses will also screen at the festival along with another short Mystery of the Secret Room; and Melanie Oates whose short Ida Here and There is screening as well. Toronto-based filmmaker Carolyn Saunders who is developing her second feature film, rounds out the CAM cohort.

The CAM will be lead by award-winining WIDC co-creator and producer, Carol Whiteman, with MCE executive producer, Marina Cordoni. Face to face sessions of the CAM are designed to dove-tail with the Festival ‘s Interactive Film Festival Forum. During the week in St John’s director participants will meet with additional industry experts (TBA). At the end of the week, each director sets strategic career goals. She then meets for one on one coaching once a month for the three months following the workshop to keep up the momentum generated during the festival.

This intimate career incubator was originated through social benefits from CTV (aka Bell Media), and has been solely sponsored by Telefilm Canada and collaborating women’s film festivals (Female Eye Film Festival, Vancouver International Women In Film Festival and St John’s International Women’s Film Festival) for the past five years. Canadian directors that have spring-boarded their careers forward through the CAM have included Jordan Canning, who is completing post production on her WIDC Feature Film Award film Suck It Up! and directs an episode of Saving Hope this fall; Siobhan Devine, who went on to direct both series and feature film won awards for her direction of television series (Package Deal) and her debut feature the award-winning WIDC Feature Film Award-supported The Birdwatcher; Karen Lam, who directed her second feature film Evangeline, created a distribution company, and an award-winning web series Mythos; and Barb Briggs, who was recently funded by TELUS Optik Local for her series Super Drycleaners.

The next deadline for director applications for a CAM session will be December 15, 2016. That session will take place at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival and will be presented with the support of TELUS Optik Local.

For more about WIDC: enquiries@widc.ca

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About the Author: CW

Best known as the co-creator and producer of Canada's highly respected Women In the Director's Chair (WIDC) program, Dr. Carol Whiteman's passion for creating space for authentic creative voice to thrive has been recognized by two Governor General’s award nominations, multiple awards for promoting women’s equality in Canada’s screen industry, and is the subject of her SFU doctoral thesis. A skilled moderator and facilitator, Whiteman has presented at conferences and women's film festivals across Canada and internationally. She has also executive produced eight award-winning feature films and produced over 150 short films through WIDC.