Film Project: WALK IN MY MOCCASINS

An Indigenous woman struggling with alcoholism finds a pair of magical moccasins that show her what her addiction is doing to her family, which encourages her to get sober.

Asha Bear is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and multifunctional artist. She is studying for her Master of Education in Counselling and completed a Certificate in Film Production and Indigenous Counselling at UNB in 2023. Asha did documentary work with CBC in 2022 and created several independent films. She recently participated in CBC New Indigenous Voices, presented by the National Screen Institute in Winnipeg.

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Becky Parsons is an award-winning cinematographer (Rhonda’s Party), fine art photographer (Kodak Achievement Award), and nominated director (Le Coeur Qui Bat – best music video – Music NB). A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, she has 20+ years’ experience in the photographic and motion picture arts.

Becky's experience in documentary motion pictures includes director of photography on the short film, I am Skylar (Rachel Bower), feature documentary Carmine Street Guitars  (Ron Mann), and the CBC documentary Sweet Marie - The Music of Erin Costello (Amelia Curran). In her camera assisting days, her work includes the multi-award-winning Atlantic documentary features by John Walker, Passage and Arctic Defenders, and the highly acclaimed film Animals by Nova Scotia based artist Jason Young.

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Mel McCarthy is a creator based in Atlantic Canada. Her stories and events show audiences how each of us holds power for change. Twenty years in salaried positions enabled her to develop a broad range of experience managing events, contingencies, budgets, deadlines, and people.

She is a longstanding member of the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative, serving since 1999 in many capacities, from boom operator to director, to President of the Board of Directors. She has won prizes in essay and poetry contests, as well as a Short Film Venture grant and the NBFC Volunteer Award. She participated three times in the PEI Screenwriters’ Boot Camp, and is redeveloping scripts that grew there. She has recently taken Improv training through Solo Chicken Productions, and practices and performs with local troupe, Department of Improvised Comedy.

She is also a Reiki Master and practitioner, certified in Mental Health First Aid, a trainer of dogs and humans, and a strong advocate for active inclusion practices in places of work and play.

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Britany Sparrow is originally from Vernon, British Columbia, and has been making films in New Brunswick since 2006. After graduating from UNB with a BA in English (Creative Writing) and a certificate in Film and Video Production, Britany joined the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative, and she directed her first short film, The Perfect Cliché, in 2007. Since then, she has directed nine films. She has also co-produced three short films, including Strange Hobby (dir. Allen Galloway), Gary (dir. Jon Brenan), and Zombies vs. Cannibals (dir. Rob Gemmell). She is currently in post-production on her first feature film, Still Your Song.

Britany has worked on over 75 film and video projects, including short films, feature films, training videos, TV pilots, and web series. She specializes in production management and assistant directing and has also mentored many first-time filmmakers as they navigated their first project. Britany was also the co-creator of the award-winning Fredericton 48 Hour Festival films Sucker Fish (2017) and Growing Younger (2018).

In 2022, Britany was presented with a Special Recognition Award at the Silver Wave Film Festival for her long-time contributions to the NB Film Co-op as president, teacher, and mentor. She is also the recipient of the WIFT-AT WAVE Award (2023), the WIFT-AT Salute Award, NB (2020), and the Silver Wave Film Festival Volunteer Recognition Award (2011).She is the past president of the NBFC, a former board member of WIFT-AT, and was formerly the editor for WIFT-AT’s newsletter, Tidings.

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Alison is a St. Thomas University & ArtsLink NB CATAPULT artist accelerator program graduate. She is known for her colourful abstract fluid art, which conveys the process of decay, transformation, and metamorphosis. She has worked collaboratively with a Canadian Fashion designer, has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions, juried for multiple Artists in Residences, is a mentor through ArtsLink NB, and has completed collaborations and commissions for hotels and many businesses. Alison is well-represented in social and print media. Her work resides in private and public collections in New Brunswick and across Canada, the US, and Europe.

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Kylie Fox is a Canadian singer-songwriter fusing indie-folk storytelling with vintage jazz and alternative rock elements. Her perceptive lyrics and undeniably catchy melodies are illustrated by a classically trained voice, warm and textured with a laid-back richness. With influences like Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and Sharon Van Etten, her music is ethereal, lush, and authentic.

Currently based in Fredericton, NB, Fox exudes fun and love for her art and storytelling, which is evident on “Confetti” (April 2023), the lead single from her second studio album. “It’s a bright and brooding alternative rock ballad, which speaks to the nostalgia of novelty,” explains Fox. “I was thinking about how the newness of romance can fall and simply be swept away -- like confetti.” This track and the album Sequoia (release date TBC) are produced by Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, The Good Lovelies, Fortunate Ones).

Fox’s debut album, Green (2020), led her to tour Canada extensively, sharing stages alongside names like Bahamas, The Strumbellas, and Joel Plaskett, along with showcasing at the East Coast Music Awards (2021), Folk Alliance International (2021) and the Canadian Song Conference (2021). She participated in the Banff Centre for the Arts International Songwriting Residency (2020) and the SOCAN Equity X Music Production Program (2023).

Fox is also a music educator, freelance composer, songwriting instructor, and voice teacher.

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Jessica Kenney is a non-binary, disabled, neurodivergent artist. They work in several mediums, finding unique and playful combinations of techniques and principles (digital art, photo manipulation, 2D animation, visual fx, needle felting, sculpture, illustration, and watercolour). Jessica enjoys finding connections between unlikely mediums; often, many of their works are a collage of techniques. Colour is an essential part of their work as well. Jessica believes you should be able to feel, taste, and hear the colour in each piece. They strive to produce vibrant work that pops off the page.

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Sara Griffin, from Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NSCAD University (2001), a Bachelor of Education from UNB (2010), and a Diploma of Ceramics from New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD, 2023). Highlights of her career include residencies in Pietrasanta, Italy (stone-carving, 2001), Malaspina’s Printmaker’s Society in Vancouver, BC (printing Lithographs, 2006), and teaching English in Japan (2007-2009.) Sara has exhibited internationally, curated exhibitions and learning programmes in Eastern Canada, and serves as studio manager for several large-scale mural projects. Griffin is an active arts advocate and served as the former Executive Director of ArtsLink NB. She then returned to her native island of Grand Manan, teaching art in the public school system, as well as facilitating several sizeable public art educational programs, such as the Grand Manan Green Initiative, using student artwork in a campaign to improve the island’s recycling capacities. Griffin is now using the culmination of her education and experience in her business to create production lines, one-of-a-kind ceramics, paintings, and sculptures. She lives in Fredericton, NB, and pursues a full-time art practice.

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Caroline Bell is an actor/creator from Saint John, New Brunswick. After graduating from the conservatory theatre programme at George Brown College in Toronto, Caroline returned home to make art in the 506. She has been fortunate enough to work closely with the Atlantic Repertory Company performing and devising new Canadian works as well as timeless classics with a rotating cohort of nationally awarded directors and talented Atlantic Canadian peers. With ARC, Caroline performed the titular role in Mary’s Wedding touring Southern New Brunswick, making its European premiere in Konstanz, Germany, and culminating in a performance at the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France. Caroline has had the pleasure of working, learning, and playing with companies across the province, including devising new bilingual work with Satellite Théâtre, new play development and a holiday show with Theatre New Brunswick, workshops with Solo Chicken, and several productions with the Fundy Fringe Festival including her self written and directed solo show SWING. Most recently, Caroline made her feature film debut in Strike Pictures’ Do I Know You From Somewhere? as Olive, the protagonist caught between two worlds. Her heart is full from how much she has been able to create and play in her home province.

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Rebecca Elmire Tremblay (she/her) is an East Coast storyteller, screenwriter, and director passionate about telling stories that elevate women’s voices, experiences, and perspectives. She’s the recipient of various awards to turn her screenplays into short films, including The Short Film Venture Program Award and the CBC/NB Joy Award. In addition to screenplays, Rebecca has written scripted podcasts, puppet show scripts, and plays. Her writing has been published in magazines (VIVE el éxito magazine, Mexico) and selected for festivals (St. Thomas University’s Propel Festival). Rebecca operates her own production company, By Odin’s Beard Pictures, and has worked on over 40 film, television, and commercial productions as an actor, director, production manager, wardrobe supervisor, and producer.

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Jeff Patch was born in Montreal, Quebec but has lived in New Brunswick for close to 50 years. Although he has been writing and performing original music since he was a teenager, he put music mostly to the side as he pursued a career in natural resource management. In 2014, Jeff became more active in the New Brunswick music scene and formed a band (Free to Grow) to record and perform songs he had written. In 2015, Free to Grow won the prestigious Stingray Rising Star Award at the 25th annual Fredericton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. Jeff’s songs have received local, national, and international airplay and have charted on radio stations in Canada, USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, and Australia. Jeff has also written music that has been included in New Brunswick films such as the late Brian Carty’s “Blowies,” and Brenda Malley’s award-winning “After the War” and “OK Boomer.”  

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Anne Lebans is a mental wellness consultant, sound healer and founder of Anne Ellen Sound. A trained opera singer passionate about holistic wellness, Anne’s studies of psychology, natural medicine, mindfulness, meditation, coaching, yoga, reiki, and other forms of energy work, led her to discover the profoundly healing power of self expression and sound. Anne now uses sound to help people release mental, emotional and energetic blockages.

Beginning in 2016, Anne co-founded a mental wellness and empowerment program called It’s Ok to be Awesome (now Inner Child Healers) and has led various talks, workshops and programs on wellbeing and resilience for children, parents and educators. Anne’s content has been endorsed by the Canadian Mental Health Association of NB and can be found in schools across the province. Additionally, in her capacity as a Health Program Coordinator with NB Lung, Anne has had the privilege of presenting her insights to over 2000 medical professionals.

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Leone Pippard is an emerging photographer, painter, and literary author. Born in Stoney Creek, Ontario, her career path saw her first studying fine arts and graphic design at OCAD University, followed by writing and producing radio programs at the CBC Broadcasting Corporation. Afterward, with colleague Heather Malcolm, Leone organized a multi-year behavioural-film study on the St. Lawrence beluga whales. This led her to advocate protection and conservation on the population’s behalf. During this period, Leone wrote the COSEWIC status report that saw this marine mammal population designated as an endangered species of Canada, and she also partnered with World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace in organizing a successful public campaign to see the creation of Canada and Quebec’s Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. This was followed by Leone’s founding and running for many years, first in Quebec and then in New Brunswick, a sustainable development consultancy. Woven, however, throughout all these ventures has been Leone’s lifelong love for photography, painting, and creative writing, all of which she is pursuing more fervently today. Leone has received national awards and honours for her contributions to Canada and Canadians.

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Jeff Patch was born in Montreal, Quebec but has lived in New Brunswick for close to 50 years. Although he has been writing and performing original music since he was a teenager, he put music mostly to the side as he pursued a career in natural resource management. In 2014, Jeff became more active in the New Brunswick music scene and formed a band (Free to Grow) to record and perform songs he had written. In 2015, Free to Grow won the prestigious Stingray Rising Star Award at the 25th annual Fredericton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. Jeff’s songs have received local, national, and international airplay and have charted on radio stations in Canada, USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, and Australia. Jeff has also written music that has been included in New Brunswick films such as the late Brian Carty’s “Blowies,” and Brenda Malley’s award-winning “After the War” and “OK Boomer.”  

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Mel McCarthy is a creator based in Atlantic Canada.  Her stories and events show audiences how each of us holds power for change.  Twenty years in salaried positions enabled her to develop a broad range of experience managing events, contingencies, budgets, deadlines, and people.  She is currently resting and playing more, and pushing the edges of her comfort zone by delving into short films, music, and Improv performance.  

She is a longstanding member of the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative, serving since 1999 in many capacities, from boom operator to director, to President of the Board of Directors. She has won prizes in essay and poetry contests, as well as a Short Film Venture grant and the NBFC Volunteer Award.  She participated three times in the PEI Screenwriters’ Boot Camp, and is redeveloping scripts that grew there. She has recently  taken Improv training through Solo Chicken Productions, and practices and performs with local troupe, Department of Improvised Comedy.

She is also a Reiki Master and practitioner, certified in Mental Health First Aid, a trainer of dogs and humans, and a strong advocate for active inclusion practices in places of work and play.

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Ryan Gardiner is a primary school teacher and lover of all kinds of music. He has begun releasing original music under the artist name The Blackline Masters with the help of Dylan Ward at Shiftwork Studio.  His newest release, Seasons, features his daughter Gracie and partner Charlene singing harmonies. Studio musicians, Josh Correia and Stephan Westner played bass and drums.

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Amanda is an Inuk multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and journalist from Nunatsiavut. She has a deep passion for Indigenous arts and works to create space for underrepresented and marginalized communities by amplifying their voices and elevating their stories. Born and raised in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, she lives in St. John’s with her two children and husband. Amanda takes great pride in sharing her culture and helping her community by volunteering at First Light- St. John’s Friendship Centre and hosting Beauty and Braiding workshops focusing on the anthropology and history of Indigenous beauty rituals.

Renée Laprise started in the film and television industry in 1999 as an animation editor in Ontario for several broadcast television series. In 2005, she moved to Prince Edward Island, where she continued to work in animated series and then moved into editing online live-action material. Renée took on the role of Executive Director of FilmPEI for eight years and developed and created her own media work during this time. In 2017 she and her creative partner were awarded a Telefilm Micro-Budget production grant for the 84-minute web series Lovely Witches Club. Renée recently produced and edited the local Mi’kmaq series The Ice Walk and Gina’matimg: Time of Learning and is currently producing and editing a feature for a local Mi’kmaq producer, as well as developing her own series, The Island of Mystical Artists. Renée is also a practicing artist.

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As an award-winning filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor, Colin has been honing his creative talents in the Nova Scotia screen industry over the past ten years. He has produced over a dozen short films and music videos, including the award-winning projects Stitches (2022), Presents (2019), and Presence (2013).

Colin’s career in post-production has also granted him the opportunity to be the lead editor, colourist, and assistant editor on numerous documentary films and series, including Militaria (2020- 2023), I See You (2022), Farrin (2020), Generation We (2019), Fanarchy (2015), and Nightmare Factory (2011)

Colin’s passion lies in collaborating on documentary and narrative films that strongly focus on character and story, striving for creative and innovative ways of evoking emotion in the audience.

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Fluent in French, English, and Spanish, Rebecca Elmire Tremblay (she/her) is an East Coast storyteller, filmmaker, and actress. She received the Short Film Venture Grant for her short comedy, Good Mom (2023), which will begin making festival rounds later this year. Rebecca has been nominated for her acting in two short films, and her other on-screen acting credits include Garde Partagée (Unis TV), Diggstown (CBC), The Town Clown (Bell Fibe TV1), and Beyond Silenced (Silver Wave Film Festival). Rebecca owns and operates her own production company, By Odin’s Beard Pictures, and has worked on film productions as a director, producer, production manager, and wardrobe supervisor. She’s available for hire as a production manager.

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Originally from Miramichi, McKenzie moved to Fredericton in 2015 to attend St. Thomas University and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts (Criminology/Economics). Long after graduation, though not his primary focus, McKenzie began dabbling in the arts by working on short films with close friends, and it became something he wanted to do regularly. McKenzie has met many incredible artists from all different mediums and has been involved in other ventures, including concert photography.

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Austin Gardiner is a fourteen years old student in Fredericton New Brunswick. His objective is to become a director and improve his acting.

Ben Harrison launched the theatre company 15 years ago with a strong focus on the organization being a safe and accommodating place for people of all ages and experience levels to explore the performing arts. Ben Harrison is a mental health advocate by day and a theatre artist by night. He is an avid storyteller and the Founder and Artistic Director for Branch Out Productions, a community theatre group in Fredericton, NB.

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Lisa Thompson is a raw poet based in Saint John New Brunswick.