The MATRIARCH Teaser has been released! The 1-hour crime drama series was developed through the Canadian Film Centre’s Bell Media Prime Time TV Program. At its heart, MATRIARCH is about a mother and winemaker inadvertently creates the most dangerous agricultural crime organization in Canada when trying to save her family from crippling debt. A special thanks goes out to the incredible cast and crew who helped make this teaser a reality.
For more details on MATRIARCH, click here.
In a press release today, the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) has announced that Helmann Wilhelm was selected for the prestigious Bell Media Prime Time TV Program where he will further develop his original one-hour dramatic television series, ENIGMA, from July to December of 2022. As part of the program, Helmann will also work under Executive Producer, Patrick Tarr, who is set to lead a story room for his upcoming one-hour mystery procedural, THINK TANK.
”Bell Media is delighted to continue our partnership with the CFC to provide new TV series writers with the opportunity for first-class training in a simulated writers’ room. We are thrilled that the participating members will be led and inspired by Patrick Tarr, an incredibly dynamic and talented executive producer.
Rachel Goldstein-CoutoHead of Development, Original Programming, Bell Media
The Canadian Film Centre was founded in 1988 by seven-time Oscar nominee, Norman Jewison (Fiddler on a Roof, In the Heat of Night, and Moonstruck). Notable showrunners who have participated in the Bell Media TV Program include Graeme Manson (Orphan Black) and Brad Wright (Travellers).
For more details, a copy of the CFC’s press release can be found here.
Some exciting news! Our short film, AN APOLOGY, has been selected as a finalist for the Reel Asian Film Festival’s So You Think You Can Pitch competition, sponsored by NBC Universal. Now in its 25th year, the festival will be held from November 10th-19th, 2021 with the live pitch taking place on the last day of the festival. Tickets can be purchased here for the short film programs, features, and live events!
Festival season is around the corner and we’re delighted to announce that Helmann’s 1-hour pilot, THE DISAPPEARED ONES, is a semi-finalist while his second script, CREEMORE VILLAGE, has placed as a quarter-finalist at the 52nd annual Nashville Film Festival. Founded in 1969, the Nashville Film Festival will be held this year on September 30th – October 6th. For a complete list of all the quarter-finalists, please visit: https://nashvillefilmfestival.org/.
Some very exciting news — Helmann is 1 of 25 participants selected for the 2021 Netflix-Banff Fellowship and Pitch Program where he will receive an exclusive one-on-one mentorship with Joseph Kay, EP/showrunner of TRANSPLANT. As part of the program, Helmann will also be given a full access pass to the Banff World Media Film Festival.
The festival, which is partnered with the Black Screen Office, the Canada Media Fund, the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), and la Société de développement des entreprises culturelles, will take place virtually this year from June 14 – July 16th. To learn more about the Banff World Media Festival, visit https://banffmediafestival.playbackonline.ca/2021/
”“This is an important collaboration and step towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive cultural community. Congratulations to this year’s participants, your voice is vital in continuing to build and elevate a vibrant industry and ensuring that all Canadians feel represented, in front of and behind the camera."
Chris ReginaDirector, Original Series at Netflix
We’ve just received word that two of Helmann’s scripts have placed at the 27th annual Austin Film Festival. His original 1-hour dramatic pilot, THE DISAPPEARED ONES, was selected as a Second Rounder while his spec for SUCCESSION (“Human Piñata”) placed as a semi-finalist, making it the top 2% out of 13,000 submissions. This is the second year one of Helmann’s scripts have placed at the Oscar-qualifying festival, which is going virtual this year. For more information on speakers and badges, have a look here: https://austinfilmfestival.com/
We’re thrilled to announce that Helmann will be part of the Reelworld Emerging 20 Program for his 1-hour pilot, CREEMORE VILLAGE! Every year Reelworld selects the top 20 emerging BIPOC filmmakers from across the country.
The E20 Program is Reelworld’s initiative to connect some of Canada’s most talented emerging BIPOC talent with industry executives and professionals within the Canadian entertainment industry. E20s are given the opportunity to network, learn, and pitch their projects to industry decision makers.
After the program has concluded, E20 participants are eligible to apply for up to $150,000 from Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program to make their first feature film.
For more info about Reelworld’s Emerging 20, check out their website here.
”“We had over 250 submissions this year and it was with great difficulty that our jury had to whittle that down to only 20 projects. Each year the competition gets more fierce. Congratulations to all our E20’s. I look forward to seeing their projects bloom and find rightful homes on our screens.”
Tonya WilliamsFounder, Reelworld Film Festival & Screen Institute
Great news! Helmann’s pilot, THE DISAPPEARED ONES, is a quarter-finalist at the Atlanta Film Festival (2020). The script was chosen out of 1300 submissions for the feature, pilot, and short categories. Now in its 44th year, the Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying festival that will take place April 30 to May 10, 2020.
The official trailer is here! We’re still putting the finishing touches on the film, but we’ll be posting updates throughout the year.
The Things that Shape Us is a short narrative about Romina, a 16-year-old tomboy, is paid to clean the house for Mrs. Lewis, a strange and recluse woman with a troubled past. After the work is done, Mrs. Lewis offers Romina even more money for an unusual request.
Exciting news! Helmann’s spec script for Better Call Saul (“Misfire”) was chosen as a Second Rounder out of 12,000 entries for the 2019 Austin Film Festival (AFF). An Academy Award qualifying festival, the AFF has been around for 26 years, establishing itself as career launchpad for emerging writers and filmmakers alike.
Congratulations to all the other finalists! A full list of the scripts can be found here.
Thrilled to announce that ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL is an official selection at the Soo Film Festival in Saulte Ste Marie, Michigan! For those in the area – and anyone coming to join us – the film will be screening on Friday, September 13th, 2019 at 6PM. To learn more about the Soo Film Festival, and to see the full lineup of films, check out their website here.
Can’t make it, but still want to see the film? Grab a digital download at our shop:
Watch the Film
We’re excited to announce that ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL is an official selection at The Bloody Mary Film Festival in Toronto. The film will be playing at the Imagine Carlton Cinema on Thursday, November 8th at 9PM. Tickets can be purchased here.
See you there 🙂
That was fast! ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL is an official selection at the 51st annual WorldFest Houston Film Festival and the winner of a Remi Award out of 4,500+ submissions. With a rich history, WorldFest Houston has the proud distinction of being the first to recognize Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, and Oliver Stone, among others.
Ava and I wanted to share with you some photos from the 22nd annual Kansas City Film Fest. It’s always been a dream of ours to share any film that we’ve made in front of a live audience and to interact with the community, so it was a wonderful experience from beginning to end.
A HUGE thank you to Kansas City and all the volunteers who helped make the festival a sweet and unforgettable event. Check out some images from the festival below and stay tuned for more updates!
We’re thrilled to announce that our short film, ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL, is an official selection at the 22nd annual Kansas City Film Festival! Our film is screening Saturday, April 14th at 10:05pm as part of the “Romantic Blues” shorts block, but a detailed schedule can be found here. The event itself will showcase over 100 films with seminars, panels, after-parties, and a VIP Filmmaker Lounge from April 11-15th at the Cinemark Palace downtown. Individual tickets can be purchased at the box office while VIP passes for entry into all events start at $80. For details, check out the Kansas City Film Fest website at https://www.kcfilmfest.org!
Special thanks to our Kickstarter backers for making this a possibility, and if you haven’t had a chance, check out the trailer below.
Catch a glimpse of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage on the set of All Things Beautiful.
For Kickstarter backers only.
TORONTO, July 5, 2017—Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) is pleased to announce Ava Torres as the recipient of the 2017 WIFT-T Meridian Artists Agency Mentorship. Launched this year, the Meridian Artists Agency Mentorship is a unique experience for a female emerging professional working in the Canadian screen-media industry that offers a three-week experience in the day-to-day operations of a talent agency.
“We’re thrilled to have Meridian Artists join our roster of mentorship opportunities for emerging talent,” says Heather Webb, Executive Director, WIFT-T. “This partnership represents WIFT-T’s commitment to providing emerging professionals with career development opportunities that highlight the numerous entry points and roles in the industry. At WIFT-T, our goal is to highlight the diverse possibilities existing in the industry and provide the tools needed for women to emerge and thrive as vocal, innovative, and visionary leaders in Canadian media.”
At Meridian Artists, Ava will learn, through job-shadowing, how a select roster of the most talented writers, directors, actors and authors are represented and managed.
“We are very pleased to have Ava as our inaugural mentee,” says Kerry Ball, Literary Agent and Head of Department, Meridian Artists. “The initiative and proactiveness she has demonstrated in her career so far is very impressive to us. She is eager to learn more about the role of an agency as it relates to her producing career. We are excited to welcome her to our office in the fall.”
Making a film is not just about your vision, but all the hard work your team puts towards making it a reality. One of the reasons why this is a bit surreal for us is that the screenplay for All Things Beautiful was written back in 2008, and although we were very keen on filming, we needed the team and resources to fully flesh out the idea.
That said, we’re very happy to see that our supporters continue to grow and we couldn’t have done this without you.
We’re excited to announce that Through Rose-Colored Glasses won Best Short Film at the 10th annual Grand River Film Festival. This was especially meaningful to us, not only because of the hard work that everyone put into the film, but also due to the fact that Helmann had previously worked as a volunteer years back. With a lovely introduction by Philippa Gates, Professor and Film Adviser at the Wilfred Laurier University, we were able to watch the film at the newly built Apollo Cinema, all of which made for an unforgettable experience.
We’re so happy to have worked with such a wonderful team and very grateful for the continued support from everyone.
We had a blast teaching the workshop at the Kitchener Public Library, and were incredibly honoured that the event was featured in The Record, The Kitchener Post, Make it Kitchener, and SPOKE magazine. Our goal has always been to encourage emerging filmmakers to work within their means – especially with a micro-budget – but we place an equal amount of importance on community engage, and so we couldn’t be more excited at the attendance and level of interest for more films in the region.
Thank you to everyone who came out, and thanks again to all the writers for taking the time to cover the event. Please check out the links below for more details 🙂
Kitchener Post:
http://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/6883142-it-s-in-the-can/
The Record:
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6883142-it-s-in-the-can/
Make it Kitchener:
http://www.makeitkitchener.ca/makers/details/~25-Filmmakers-produce-with-pennies
Spoke Magazine:
http://spokeonline.com/2016/10/the-art-of-micro-budget-filmmaking/
