What does it take to produce three feature documentaries, a feature comedy, and have two more in the works? Producer Leslie Bland shares the “special sauce” that’s made his production companies Orca Cove Media and Less Bland Productions so successful. There’s plenty to learn as he tells host Joyce Kline why filmmaking pulled him away from a success…

KATHLEEN GILBERT, long-time CineVic supporter and head of Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission shares what the Film Commission actually does, how it's financed, what it can offer indie filmmakers, and how we can support their work to expand local film production. Learn what she considers the biggest accomplishment—and biggest disappointme…

Did you know Victoria had one of the first film studios in Canada and the province’s first film commission? Here's your chance to learn the fascinating history of filmmaking in southern Vancouver Island from someone who knows the film scene inside and out - outgoing Head of the Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission, Kathleen Gilbert. Kathl…

Who else but innovative City of Victoria Artist-In-Residence Kemi Craig would find links between Afrofuturism, west African free divers’ traditional spiritual practice of Orisha, and the spirits of captives drowned in the west African slave trade? In work encompassing immersive, multi-sensory, site-specific installations and performances, this inno…

From how to apply for the position, to how much you’ll get paid, Victoria’s 2022-24 Artist-in-Residence Kemi Craig shares everything you ever wanted to know about her job but were afraid to ask! Kemi is a dancer, filmmaker, multi-media creator and performance artist whose work encompasses immersive, multi-sensory, site-specific installations and pe…

You may say you’ll never do it but, if you’re an indie filmmaker, chances are at some point you’re probably going to wind up producing your own work. In this fun and frank episode, actor, writer, director, and producer Ana de Lara really tells it like it is: Why ultra low budget films are so tough to produce, how she ended up producing in the first…

With all the talk about toxic masculinity, it’s a real treat to watch a film that explores traditionally held “masculine” qualities like aggression, competitiveness — even homophobia — while also acknowledging masculinity’s potential for tenderness, nurturance, and protectiveness. Working with amateur actors from the Bogotá barrio, filmmaker Andrés…

When you’re on set and your film deals with the potentially triggering subject of suicide, how do you provide for the physical and emotional needs of a diverse cast and crew? This was the challenge that led filmmaker Ana de Lara to collaborate with Women In the Director’s Chair to develop a ground breaking new program called Safer Creative Spaces. …

Is your concept brave enough to be “not safe, taboo," or “mean and awful”? Filipina/Canadian filmmaker Ana de Lara thinks it just might make a great comedy! In Part I of our interview with this multiple award-winning Filipina/Canadian actor/writer/director/producer, Ana tells us about Best Friend Me—her six-episode comedy web series that involves t…

The brutal “treatments” that the Canadian government and CIA jointly funded at the height of the Cold War era’s brainwashing paranoia are the stuff of nightmares. Patients with diagnoses as innocent as postpartum depression were rendered virtual zombies for life, creating a legacy of intergenerational trauma and perpetrator guilt that inspired film…

If you’re interested in ways a filmmaker’s career can advance, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! Listen up as multiple award-winning Vancouver writer/director Connor Gaston shares the roots of his fascination with reincarnation, the value of graduating from programs like the Canadian Film Centre and the TIFF Talent Lab, and what ultimately…

There’s certain to be lots that filmmakers and other creatives can relate to in part one of Joyce Kline’s two-part interview with Vancouver based, internationally award-winning, writer/director Connor Gaston. With humour and rare honesty, Connor shares the joys and challenges of growing up in a household of writers, adapting his own father’s novel,…

Last episode, we heard from one of the most requested camera operators in Canada, award-winning, daredevil cinematographer DAVID MALYSHEFF. David is known for delivering the goods under extreme conditions - filming from horseback, helicopters, and even Zodiacs crashing their way through rapids. This episode, David fills us in on his quieter, but no…

Not many cinematographers shoot on submarines or from horseback, helicopters and kayaks - but today’s guest filmmaker, award-winning industry veteran David Malysheff, has done exactly that. With more than 25 years of television production experience in film and broadcast video, David Malysheff has been behind the camera on numerous Canadian TV show…

Film sets are high pressure environments with brutally long hours and the traditionally hierarchical structure of a military campaign. In this episode, filmmaker and much sought-after editor Lesley Marshall tells us how she balances the needs of her young daughter with her work in the film industry, why she thinks we should demand on set childcare,…

Unless you’re already a well-heeled nepo baby, this might be the one Push In episode you literally can’t afford to miss! Last episode, Push In interviewed filmmaker Denver Jackson, the brilliant creator and one-man animation team behind the web series Esluna: The Crown of Babylon, the feature Esluna: The First Monolith and the upcoming feature The …

Pride yourself on being hard working and dedicated to your art? Well, this interview with award-winning Victoria animator Denver Jackson will make you feel like a total slacker! Buckle up as this one-man powerhouse shares how he got into animation, the brutal details of his typical work day, the importance of keeping focus to complete projects, and…

This September, after over 40 years, Victoria’s iconic Pic A Flic Video will close, imperiling its unrivaled collection of 25,000 cult classics, musicals, foreign films, sci-fi, short films, silent movies, independent animations and rare documentaries you can’t find anywhere else. Video stores may be an endangered species, but losing this treasure …

Host Joyce Kline reaches across the Pacific for a fun chat with Singapore based, BAFTA-nominated animator Calleen Koh. Calleen’s short To Kill the Birds and the Bees—a real highlight of this year’s Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival—will screen again in Ottawa June 21st as part of Short Circuit’s National Tour. Hear how this talented young fil…

In this fun episode, Joyce meets up with writing/directing team Sonya Chwyl and Anik Desmarais-Spencer. Their latest short horror comedy Slip poses a sadly relatable question for these inflationary times: “How far will you go to keep your shitty rental?” Slip just won Audience Choice at this year’s Short Circuit Pacific Film Festival and you can wa…

What’s it like to pitch to a panel of judges in front of a live theatre audience— when you think you’re awful at pitching? That was the challenge for multi-talented filmmaker Daniel Kwon, the writer, director, editor and co-producer of 2022’s Cinespark winning film The Girl in the Forest. Daniel is a true renaissance man: filmmaker, screenwriter, d…

Every screenplay has at least one element that a filmmaker knows is going to be tricky to carry off. But when the script demands you track down an elusive rare bird and find a location where an actor can safely fell a giant tree with a hand axe, you’re going to have to get extra creative. How director James Hunter, with the help of producer Faith G…

Revealing what your family’s really like behind the scenes can be a giant leap of faith that few have the courage—and family support—to take. In her sensitive short The Mess We’re In, emerging Vancouver writer/director JAMIE LAM draws upon personal experience growing up in the loving home—of a hoarder! While the film never sugar coats the stress th…

Is it possible to use surreal, magical realist narrative methods to engage audiences in an experience best described as visually immersive, especially when the protagonists are young black men and the antagonists are police officers? JOHNNY KIRK is a graduate of California State University in LA and is the Creative Director and Founder of the digit…

Wondering how much you should budget for insurance in your Telefilm Talent to Watch application, or what insurance you actually need for making a short film? This interview with Front Row Insurance Brokers VP Mike Groner covers everything you ever wanted to know about insurance but were afraid to ask! Pure information gold — and just in time to mak…

A traumatic work injury would stop most of us, but that’s what it took to steer Chris Vautour from her beloved 25-year career as a location scout and manager towards her original goal of becoming a filmmaker. With refreshing candor, the self-proclaimed “gatherer of certificates” describes how she got her start in film, why the PA role is so importa…

In today’s info-packed episode, Push In interviews veteran film industry location scout and manager Chris Vautour. With astounding clarity, Chris concisely sums up the most important things to know when location scouting. If you want tips on scoring that perfect location, this is an episode not to be missed! Listen up as Chris tells host Joyce Klin…

Curious about the brave new world of interactive documentaries? Experimental filmmaker Morgan Rhys Tams’ “elevated cinema” goes where few have gone before. From a community-based animation with 120 collaborators, to an animated site-specific installation of strategically placed QR codes on aluminum plates, Morgan’s oeuvre stretches the limits of wh…

When BC documentary filmmaker Morgan Rhys Tams was 31 years old, he wrote a short letter to the absentee father he’d never known. This led to his decision to drive 5000 kilometers to the opposite coast of Canada so the two could meet for the first time. Dear Mr. Dudley: Morgan’s unconventional latest short film, chronicles this real-life road trip …

You’ve spent a ton of time perfecting your elevator pitch, but have you considered the importance of how your present yourself? If you want that extra leg up, you won’t want to miss this interview with filmmaker, musician, and personal, wardrobe and costume stylist Michael “Oz” Osbourne! Oz has composed, performed and produced music for 20 years an…

“You should make a movie about that!” Whether you’ve just regaled someone with a juicy anecdote, or they’ve buttonholed you at a party with one of theirs, if you’re a filmmaker you’ve undoubtedly heard this. Before you’re tempted to act on that impulse, you’d be well advised to listen to novelist and screenwriter Claire Mulligan explain the differe…

‘Tis the season for butter, sugar, sentiment and...Hallmark holiday movies! Host Joyce Kline asked award-winning actor, producer and casting director Darlene Tait to take us behind the scenes of Hallmark’s upcoming Five More Minutes: Moments Like These premiering in Canada, December 18th on the W Network. In this frank interview Darlene tells Joyce…

On today's episode, host Joyce Kline interviews filmmaker, podcast producer, animator and CineVic’s own Vice President, Grady Lawlor. We all know filmmaking can be a pricey hobby. So why pay to put together a production when you can get the cast to bring you onboard? Grady turned his love of filmmaking into a life of adventure and heart with weddin…

Who better to interview for Halloween than multiple award-winning actor/writer/director Octavian Kaul? Victoria's wunderkind fright master talks nightmares and biggest fear with host Joyce Kline...and why he’s virtually possessed (apologies for the pun) by the horror genre. ·Joyce surprises Octavian with something she’s found online. ·Octavian brea…

If you think it’s too late to start a filmmaking career after you retire you need to think again! Listen in as up and coming filmmaker Suzanne Moreau details how she made the leap from civil servant to recognized writer/director. Suzanne tells host Joyce Kline how Cinevic Society of Independent Filmmakers gave her a start, what it’s like to move fo…

Host Joyce Kline catches documentary filmmaker Krista Loughton in the midst of Krista’s campaign for city councillor in the upcoming Victoria BC municipal election. Krista describes a harrowing incident in Vancouver’s notorious Downtown East Side that inspired her 20 year career fighting homelessness and addiction through filmmaking. Krista is wide…

Were the perpetrators of Nazi death camps evil psychopaths, sadistic, radicalized extremists or just ordinary, everyday men? That’s the question Israeli writer/director Ye’ela Rosenfeld set out to investigate in her riveting short film Hedgehog, one of the most thought-provoking films in Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival’s 2022 line up. Liste…

In the wake of his father’s death, a young boy is forced to deal with, and ultimately respect, his mixed family’s Muslim and Christian mourning practices in Lebanese/Canadian filmmaker Jay Kamal’s touching short film Baba. Baba swept up three awards in CineVic’s 2022 Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival, winning Outstanding Direction, Cinematogr…

On today's episode, host Joyce Kline interviews Comox Valley’s Stephanie Rossel. Drawing from her 34 years of experience as script supervisor on top film and TV productions like Juno, Tully and When We Rise, Stephanie is at the helm of her latest short, Baby Steps. Lean on budget, equipment and doing “all of the production design, ADing, everything…

What do Evil Dead, King Kong, Power of the Dog and the CineVic Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival have in common? Allow us to introduce Maori filmmaker Nicholas Riini (Ngai Tuhoe) of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Connecting with the elemental world of his ancestors, Nicholas’ film A Morning With Aroha combines creativity and imagination for a show n…

When Graham takes his new step-son Emil on a camping trip, he hopes they will finally bond through the traditions and lessons he learned from his own father. However, the scars of the recent death of Emil’s father hang heavy over the pair and Emil resists Graham’s attempts to get closer to him… Reads the logline of Ann Marie Hak’s 2020 CineSpark co…

A young woman falls in love with a waitress in a greasy-yet-nostalgic Hong Kong-style cafe, but a language gap divides the two - or is there something more? Animator and filmmaker Alayna Y goes back to her roots through food with the appetizing short animated film, Macaroni Soup. An artist specializing in making soup - she throws people, experience…

On this episode, host Joyce Kline catches up with director, writer, actor, past CineVic president and overall man-about-set, Trent Peek. Trent recalls going from “not ready at all” to being chosen to direct Sarah Nicole Faucher’s CineSpark winning production, Going Home. This film tells the story of a young deaf woman trying to work in the film ind…

With more than a decade of experience working in the Eastern European film industry, we’re lucky to have director/producer/writer Lukas Hanulak now call Vancouver Island home. Enjoying festival success with his short film, The Father (2009), Lukas rose in the ranks to direct a dramatic TV series, for major broadcasters in Czech Republic and Slovaki…

Atmospheric rivers, mudslides, and washed-out roads frame the latest episode of Push In, The CineVic Podcast. Host Joyce Kline invites filmmaker and photography manager for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Arnold Lim to share how he and his team made it through a shoot day against all odds. What do you do when your route to set just got washed away by a …

You know the saying “two is company and three’s a crowd”? Joyce Kline sure does and it’s one of the reasons she felt inspired to bring her film to life. No stranger to the Victoria film scene, she's moonlighted in many roles including visual artist, writer, playwright, teacher and production designer. Now as a Production Designer and familiar voice…

Need a task completed? Give it to the busiest person you know. Want to make sure a feature film is created? Give it to Mia Golden. Mia’s first feature, Fragile Seeds, is a way to share what she’s passionate about in her day job. Heading off youth exploitation and human trafficking , she makes an impact daily as a youth and family counsellor. At a c…

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2 for Push In, The CineVic Podcast! We’re starting off with award-winning producer, actor, former board member of Vancouver Women In Film & Television, Vice President of Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission, Host of Film Fridays AND Past President of CineVic, Darlene Tait. Find out the 3 most importa…

Ever hear the one about the geologist who wanted the rocks to talk back? Join host Joyce Kline in a chat with Telefilm Canada Talent to Watch director Jason Karman. Following up from his Incubators 2.0 workshop with CineVic, Jason touches on the importance of having ’unique selling proposition’ as a filmmaker. But what was it that really drew Jason…

We just couldn’t stop chatting with Meeshelle Neal and are back with… Part 2 of our interview this multi-talented screenwriter-director-actor-novelist. Ever feel stuck on a round story idea not fitting into a square hole? Host Joyce Kline explores Meesh’s approach to the creative process. Find out how Meesh takes an idea that’s not quite hitting th…