Alumni Roundup: February-March 2023

Posted: Apr 11, 2023

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Here’s the latest news and updates from CFC residents and alumni this February and March.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

21st ACTRA Awards

ACTRA Toronto announced the nominees for the 21st ACTRA Awards, which take place on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. See below for a list of the alumni nominated this year:

Outstanding Performance – Gender Non-Confirming or Female

  • Grace Glowicki (actor): Until Branches Bend

Outstanding Performance – Gender Non-Confirming or Male

  • Araya Mengesha (actor): Revenge of the Black Best Friend, “The One Who Dies First”

See the full list of nominees here.

2023 Canadian Screen Awards

CFC alumni and program participants earned a record-breaking 115 nominations for the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards across the film, TV and digital media categories. CFC talent can be found both behind and in front of the camera on this year’s most nominated homegrown hits, including the alumni-led CBC/BET+ series The Porter, which leads the TV nominations with 19 noms, and the year’s most nominated film, Clement Virgo’s Brother, which received 14 nominations. Samantha Bee will host this year’s broadcast show, which airs on Sunday, April 16 on CBC / CBC Gem. 

See the full list of CFC Talent nominated at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards here.

Writers Guild Canada Awards

The 2023 WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a ceremony on April 24 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. Among the finalists announced for the 27th WGC Screenwriting Awards is an impressive list of alumni. See below for details.


Children’s

  • Odd Squad, “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Dimension” – Written by Andrew De Angelis

Comedy Series

  • Sort Of, “Sort of 2gethr” – Written by Jenn Engels

Documentary

  • Subjects of Desire – Written by Jennifer Holness

Drama Series

  • Coroner, “Heartbeet” – Written by Laura Good
  • The Porter, “Episode 104” – Written by Marsha Greene
  • Pretty Hard Cases, “Dirty Laundry” – Written by Tassie Cameron
  • Transplant, “And So It Goes” – Written by Laura Good

Feature Film

  • Brother – Written by Clement Virgo
  • The Swearing Jar – Written by Kate Hewlett

Tweens & Teens

  • Astrid & Lilly Save the World, “One Rib” – Written by Veronika Paz
  • The Hardy Boys, “A Midnight Scare” – Co-written by Heather Taylor

See the full list of nominations here.

BANF Rockies Awards

The nominees have been announced for the 2023 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, which will take place during the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) in June. The tally is higher than last year and places Canada third among countries nominated, behind the U.S. and U.K. Some of the nominated series with CFC alumni involvement include Sort Of (Comedy Series: English Language), The Porter (Drama Series: English Language), Ghostwriter (Live-Action: Youth), Odd Squad (Live Action: Children) and The Talented Mr. Rosenberg(Crime and Investigative category).

See the full list of nominees here.

The 95th Academy Awards | 2023 Oscars

On March 12, 2023, Sarah Polley, was awarded her first-ever Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for her film, Women Talking. Based on the novel by Miriam Toews, Women Talking follows the story of a group of women in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith with a string of sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men. From writer-director Sarah Polley, the film features Actors Conservatory alumna Michelle McLeod, with editing by alum Roslyn Kalloo.

See the full list of winners here.

Writers Guild Awards

On March 5, 2023, The Writers Guild Awards announced Sarah Polley as the recipient of the award for Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking

See the full list of winners here.

38th Film Independent Spirit Awards

The 38th Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films and television series of 2022, were presented on March 4, 2023. Sarah Polley’s Women Talking received the Robert Altman Award, which is given to a film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

See the full list of winners here.

FESTIVALS

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival revealed a slate of homegrown films having their world premiere at the 30th anniversary instalment. The full lineup was announced on March 28, 2023 and features a slew of alumni projects. Hot Docs runs April 27 through May 7, 2023. See alum films screening at this year’s festival below:

  • 300 Days of Sun: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Ancestral Threads: Anthony Wallace (composer), Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Beautiful Poison: Elizabeth Radshaw (executive producer), Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Billets and Blooms: Elizabeth Radshaw (executive producer), Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Caiti Blues: Xi Feng (editor)
  • Citizen Minutes: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Cynara: Sherien Barsoum (director + producer + writer), Rich Williamson (editor), Ben Fox (composer)
  • Do You Hear What I Hear?: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Emission Impossible: The Future of Flight: Elizabeth Radshaw (executive producer), Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Field Notes: Xi Feng (editor), Laura Barrett (composer)
  • Hebron Relocation: Kat Baulu (producer), Justin Simms (editor)
  • I’m Just Here for the Riot: Greg Ng and Katie Chipperfield (editors)
  • Janelle Niles: Inconvenient: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Loud & Here: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Mind Check 1-2, 1-2: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Rising From the Ashes: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • She Run The World: Elizabeth Radshaw (executive producer)
  • Sisterhood Softball: Katie Chipperfield (editors), Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • The Floating World: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)
  • Unsyncable: Megan Wennberg (director + writer), Warren Jefferies (editor)
  • Waste to Life: Heidi Tao Yang (executive producer)


See the full list of films screening at Hot Docs here.

Canadian Film Fest

Canadian Film Fest returned this March 4 – April 1, 2023 to screen 9 features and 25 shorts at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre and on Super Channel Fuse. This year’s festival brought in all-new projects from alumni including:

Features

  • Streams Flow From a River: Lindsay Blair Goeldner (producer); Shant Joshi, Abdul Malik (executive producers).
  • Bystanders: Lisa Rose Snow (story consultant).

Shorts:

  • Everything Will Be All Right: Farhad Pakdel (director-writer-producer-editor).
  • Quiet Minds Silent Streets: Karen Chapman (director-writer), Jason Couse (music).
  • Bach Ma: Kimberly Laferriere (director-actor), Lodewijk Vos (music).
  • Great Seeing You: Craig Scorgie (editor), Aubrey McGhee (music).
  • Sissy: Iva Delić (music).
  • There Are No Children Here: Spencer Creaghan (music).

See the full list of films which screened at Canadian Film Fest here. 

SXSW

Vancouver-based Canadian-British-Filipina director Kim Albright’s debut feature film With Love and A Major Organ made its world premiere at the South By Southwest Festival in March. Love and A Major Organ features a list of alum including: Kim Albright (director), Lori Lozinski (executive producer), Anita Doron (story consultant), and Anna Maguire (actor).

See the full list of films that screened at SXSW here.

INDUSTRY NEWS

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