Temperatures keep heating up in Halifax as summer’s arrival looms, but one corner that’s already red-hot? The city’s film and TV sector, which is riding an ever-rising wave according to statistics from the province (“The film industry contributed about $180.8 million to Nova Scotia’s economy in 2021-22 up from about $78 million in 2019-20 and $91.6 million in 2020-21,” says a release from last June). The fair weather also marks high season for filming, with more and more productions yelling “action” during this time of year. Here on Team Coast, we’re keeping track of industry buzz all season long, from what’s filming where to which new projects are being green-lit to how to stream the shows and series being made here.
Now, let’s get roll this week’s scene news:
Mother’s Skin goes international
Leah Johnston’s short film Mother’s Skin—in which a neglected child attempts to cope with her mother’s depression—is continuing to make waves long after its 2022 release: Aside from star Briar Mosher taking home her first Screen Nova Scotia ACTRA Outstanding Performance award at only six years old for her turn in the flick, it is gaining attention on the festival circuit, shortlisted for the Shanghai International Film Fest and also screening in competition at Olhar de Cinema in Brazil. Peep the trailer below:
Screen Nova Scotia gives 2023 industry awards
Speaking of Screen Nova Scotia, the industry association’s annual awards were held last weekend. Best Feature Film went to Ashley McKenzie’s second feature, Queens of the Qing Dynasty. Halifax writer-director-actor Koumbie’s debut feature Bystanders also did well, netting two ACTRA Outstanding Performance awards. Peep our full recap of the awards here.
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The Screen Nova Scotia awards crowned its 2022-2023 winners
Local director goes To The Moon
Kevin Hartford, whose 2022 flick Lemon Squeezy documented a promposal gone biblically wrong, is preparing to go to camera on his next feature film, To The Moon, this summer. The flick tells the story of a single dad coming out at 40 and the daughter who often ends up parenting him instead. In typical Hartford fashion, though, the story doesn’t stop there: The dysfunctional family and their friends must come together to stop the moon from crashing into the earth. Get the vibe for Hartford’s signature dry humour and big drama mix with this Lemon Squeezy trailer:
Amrit Kaur’s Nova Scotia stay wraps
Me, My Mom & Sharmila—the feature directorial debut from lauded queer Muslim writer-director Fawzia Mirza—has wrapped shooting. Tracing the separate coming-of-age stories of a mother and daughter against the backdrop of a shared Bollywood fantasy, it began filming in the province late last year. It also has star power to spare, courtesy of
The Sex Lives of College Girls‘s Amrit Kaur leading turn.
Thom Fitzgerald is filming another soon-to-be queer classic
Legendary Halifax writer-director Thom Fitzgerald (Stage
Mother, The Hanging Garden, we could go on)—one of the OG Nova Scotian filmmakers—is back with another flick that has finished filming: Aversion. The feature sounds very One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest meets Boy Erased: “After a gay couple is bashed in 1963, Ryan’s parents commit him to a mental hospital for aversion therapy to straighten him out. Once inside, Ryan realizes the hospital is infested with strange, faceless creatures that stalk the patients,” reads a project summary.
Watch for Sharp Corners
Another locally shot flick in production? Sharp Corners. Written and directed by Jason Buxton, the film follows the seemingly idyll country life of couple Josh and Rachel MacAulay, who witness two car accidents by the sharp corner near their home. While Rachel would rather forget the incidents, Josh sees himself as the first responder the hazard needs.
Hollywood writers’ strike continues
And against all this, the Hollywood writers’ strike continues stateside. As The Coast previously reported, Screen Nova Scotia has stated to its members that the ongoing American work stoppage doesn’t affect Canadian productions, but “Productions filming under Writers Guild of America contracts may experience disruptions, as American writers and producers will not be allowed to work on new scripts or make any script changes until negotiations are settled.”
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This article appears in May 1-31, 2023.
