#FIRSTLOOK: 2023 FUTURE OF FILM SHOWCASE

Future of Film Showcase (FOFS), Canada’s most sought-after festival for emerging Canadian filmmakers, turns 10! To celebrate this milestone anniversary, the festival welcomes 2023 Canadian Screen Award winner Lamar Johnson (Brother, The Last of Us) as this year’s keynote speaker and announces the official film selections and industry programming. Tickets to the four-day festival — taking place May 18 – 21, 2023 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St. W), Startwell Studios (230 Niagara St.), and virtually across Canada — are on sale now at fofs.ca. 

This year’s FOFS feature film selection is the Toronto premiere of Geneviève Albert’s critically acclaimed debut feature film NOÉMIE SAYS YES. Written and directed by Albert, the story follows 15-year-old Noémie who befriends a group of delinquents and falls in love with a pimp. After some convincing, she finds herself thrust into life as an escort. The film received 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations for Best First Feature Film, as well as Performance in a Leading Role for Kelly Depeault. Preceding the feature is the Toronto premiere of short film RESTE directed by Quebecois filmmaker Ginger La Pecheur, following the story of a young girl left alone in an apartment, bringing to light what can be the daily life of a child with candor and bitterness. Both films will screen on Sunday, May 21st at the Scotiabank Theatre. 

The official shorts programming features an exciting lineup from emerging Canadian talent including: 

• Marilyn Cooke’s award-winning and incisive NO GHOST IN THE MORGUE (TIFF ‘22), a 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama; 
• the Toronto festival premieres of LATE SUMMER, a whimsical romance in the vein of Canadian legend Guy Maddin, from Winnipeg filmmaker Ryan Steel, and Toronto filmmaker Suzannah Moore’s insular drama QUICHE, presenting a quite gaze over a suspicious neighbor and a private new mother;
• the Ontario premieres of Montreal filmmaker Charles Marois’ HORIZONS, an experimental short that deconstructs the landscape in a way that makes us lose our sense of reality and continuity, and Toronto filmmaker Richard Reeves’ INTERSEXTION, an experimental animation in which two abstract energies fall in love, unite as one, then disappear into a vanishing point. 
• EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT (SXSW ‘22), an intimate portrait of anguish during the beginning of the COVID Pandemic, directed by Montreal’s Farhad Pakdel;
• I THOUGHT THE WORLD OF YOU (TIFF ‘22, VIFF ‘22), an elegiac, sensuous fictionalization of a real life Canadian musician’s myth, from Vancouver based filmmaker Kurt Walker;
• Katie Matthew and Jess Shane’s Guantanamo Bay-set aural documentary SIGNAL AND NOISE, a stirring investigation into colonial effects through senses not often considered; 
• BLUE GARDEN (Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival ‘22), a hybrid documentary-animation about a Japanese-Canadian fisherman during the WW2 internment, by Vancouver’s Natalie Murao; and
• the experimental drama AT EACH NIGHT from Montreal’s Marie-Josée Tremblay.

“Film’s immersive experience has the power to excite, inspire, transform and transport audiences, and the conversation that follows our screenings offers a window into the motivations and processes of leading professionals,” said Eric Bizzarri, Co-Founder and CEO, Future of Film Showcase. “We’re looking forward to celebrating 10 years of the Future of Film Showcase with audiences in person and virtually across Canada, and connecting aspiring talent with industry veterans and rising stars like Lamar Johnson. This year’s program is not to be missed!” 

FOFS also presents seven awards to featured filmmakers: Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Picture Editing, Best Director, Best Screenplay and People’s Choice. Award winners are selected by the FOFS 2023 Jury: Jason Anderson (TIFF), Brad Deane (Producer, So Much Tenderness), Samah Ali (Hot Docs, DOC NYC), Miryam Charles (Director, Cette Maison), Anthony Q Farrell (writer and producer; The Office), and Simone Holland (Content Creator, Wieden + Kennedy). The People’s Choice Award is determined by audience vote. The award-winning films will stream free across Canada on CBC Gem beginning May 23, 2023.

In addition, FOFS presents industry programming that offers valuable development opportunities through workshops, panel discussions and one-on-one mentorship, directed towards fostering the future of emerging Canadian filmmakers. 

Industry Programming Highlights for the FOFS’ 10^th Anniversary include:

Thursday, May 18

• The Future of Equity in Film Panel, Co-Presented by Fae Pictures: In conversation with Christopher Yip (Showrunner, Streams Flow from a River), Yazmeen Kanji (Founder, Films With a Cause), and Thomas Antony Olajide (Learn to Swim) and moderated by Aashna Thakkar (Manager of Programming, Regent Park Film Festival), the panel centers on the importance of equity within the film industry and explores initiatives that can help improve it. 

Friday, May 19

• One-on-One Virtual Coffees Sessions, Presented by the DGC Ontario: Participants can register for a 15-minute one-on-one conversation with an industry professional in their area of interest to network and receive valuable insight, advice, and mentorship. Sessions are available for directing, producing, cinematography, art department, picture editing, sound editing and more. The meetings are not pitch sessions. A variety of diverse industry professionals will participate, including Tom Hastings (Paramount+ Canada), Melanie Hadley (Executive Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada), Carolyn Wu (Bell Media), Abdul Malik (Fae Pictures), Claire Peace McConnell (VVS Films), Jenn Kuzmyk (Banff World Media Festival), Paige Murray (CBC) and others. 

• In The Casting Room BIPOC Workshop, Presented by ACTRA Toronto:  BIPOC actors have the opportunity to meet with and audition for leading casting directors Millie Tom (Casting, Degrassi: The Next Generation), Larissa Mair (Casting, Run the Burbs, The Hardy Boys), Sergio Alvarado (The Brunch Store Casting) and Linds Christopher (Casting, Family Feud Canada). Actors will receive feedback and critique and have the ability to foster a relationship with their assigned casting directors. 

• In The Casting Room Panel, Presented by ACTRA Toronto: Toronto’s leading casting directors will discuss how actors can create greater impact with their self-tape and auditions. Following the open panel discussion, Janet Rose Nguyen will moderate a Q&A session with Millie Tom, Larissa Mair, Sergio Alvarado and Linds Christopher. This panel will be ASL interpreted and a recording will be posted to FOFS’ digital channels with closed captioning. 

Saturday, May 20

• How To Get Funded Panel,  Presented by Canada Media Fund: Access to funding is fundamental to a film’s success. Join some of Canada’s leading funding organizations for an intimate discussion about what they look for when selecting projects, including the different funding opportunities that exist within their space. Participating in the panel are Peter Kingstone (Toronto Arts Council), Ayesha Husain (Telefilm Canada), Zachary Goldkind (Director of Programming, FOFS), and moderator Eman Pathan (Chief Financial Officer, FOFS). This event will be ASL Interpreted and a recording of this panel will be posted to FOFS’ digital channels with closed captioning.
  
• Art Department Panel: New this year, FOFS presents an informative discussion featuring various departments within the art department, such as production design, set decoration, props and more. Learn about various roles, day-to-day duties and pathways to working within the art department, moderated by Frances Santiago (Creative Director, FOFS) and featuring Flora Yin (Production Designer, OLG x Raptors, Foot Locker, Little Caesars), Chelsea Attong (Production Designer, The Bay, McDonald’s, Junos 2022), Michelle Braham (Property Master, No Time to Die) and Dialla Kawar (Production Designer, Soft, Learn to Swim)

Sunday, May 21

• Closing Keynote Conversation with Lamar Johnson: This in-conversation discussion will explore Johnson’s journey as an actor; his body of work, and touch on how to pursue a career in the industry for young creatives hoping to follow their passions within film.

• Web & TV Pilot Workshop, Presented by Canada Media Fund and Fae Pictures: The workshop begins with a special screening of the pilot episodes of CTV’s Shelved, a new workplace comedy from creator Anthony Q Farrell (The Office, Run the Burbs); Fakes, a new digital series by David Turko; as well as digital series virgins! from Aden Abebe. Farrell, Abebe, and Jasmin Mozaffari (Firecrackers) will lead a discussion following the screenings. 

For more information, visit fofs.ca. Future of Film Showcase can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at @FutureFilmShow and #FOFS2023.