AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS from director Deanne Foley and writer Rosemary House looks at mental illness through the eyes of a woman trying to reconnect with her daughters

LEVEL 16 from writer and director Danishka Esterhazy is a sci-fi exposé of the beauty business following two girls imprisoned in a repressive boarding school

RED SNOW from Metis-Cree filmmaker Marie Clements is an epic, international love story focused on a Gwich’in soldier in Afghanistan

CBC BREAKING BARRIERS FILM FUND in support of underrepresented, experienced filmmakers today announced the next three feature films selected for funding: AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS from Deanne Foley and Rosemary House, an unflinching look at a woman’s struggle with mental illness; LEVEL 16 by Danishka Esterhazy, a sci-fi thriller that uncovers the dark side of the beauty business; and RED SNOW by Marie Clements, an epic international love story following a Gwich’in soldier in Afghanistan. These films join the first three projects announced by the Fund in February 2017: ANGELIQUE'S ISLE by Michelle Derosier, OCTAVIO IS DEAD! by Sook-Yin Lee and TIFF and VIFF 2017 selection MEDITATION PARK by Mina Shum. All three films are also financially supported by Telefilm Canada.

“Response to the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund from Canadian filmmakers has been overwhelming, underscoring the vital need for this fund,” said Helen du Toit, interim senior director, CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund. “Exploring a wide range of stories and travelling from eastern and central Canada to the north and across the ocean, these three new films showcase the exciting creators our country has to offer and fully represent the kind of diverse storytelling we want to bring to audiences at home and around the world with this fund.”

Directed by Newfoundlander Deanne Foley (Relative Happiness) and written by Rosemary House (Hold Fast), AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS stars Carolina Bartczak ( X-Men: Apocalypse) as an extraordinary woman who risks everything for a second chance to be a mother again to the daughters she thought she’d lost forever. Based on the 2005 award-winning novel of the same name by Newfoundland & Labrador author Joan Clark, the film is produced by Wreckhouse Productions and The Film Works and recently completed production in Newfoundland and Sudbury with James Klopko serving as director of photography. Producers on the project are Jill Knox-Gosse (Atlantic, Grown Up Movie Star) and Lynne Wilson ( The BBQ, Love and Savagery) of Wreckhouse Productions and Eric Jordan and Paul Stephens of The Film Works (In Darkness). Additional cast include Peter MacNeill (A History of Violence), Edie Inksetter (The Handmaid’s Tale), Gord Rand (Orphan Black) and Christopher Jacot (Slasher).

In addition to CBC and Telefilm, other funding for AN AUDIENCE OF CHAIRS includes the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, and Rogers Telefund. Written and directed by Danishka Esterhazy (Shadowy Lines, The Singing Bones, Black Field), LEVEL 16 is a thrilling sci-fi exposé of the beauty business, focusing on two 16-year-old girls who struggle to uncover the horrifying truth behind their imprisonment in a repressive and prison-like boarding school. Soon running for their lives, the girls must save themselves or die trying. Produced by Markham Street Films and set to start production in Toronto in early fall, the film is produced by Judy Holm, Michael McNamara and Sarah Jackson. Samy Inayeh is director of photography and Diana Magnus is production designer. LEVEL 16 was developed with the participation of The National Screen Institute - Canada NSI Features First program in association with Telefilm Canada and the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation. In addition to CBC and Telefilm, other funding includes The Shaw Rocket Fund and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Written, directed and produced by Metis-Cree filmmaker Marie Clements (MC Media Inc., The Road Forward), RED SNOW is an epic, heartbreaking international love story following a Gwich’in soldier caught in a Taliban ambush in Kandahar. His capture and torture by a Taliban commander releases a cache of memories connected to the love and death of his Inuit cousin, and binds him closer to a Pashtun family as they escape through the mountains of Afghanistan. Produced by Zhoh Daatsik (“Red Snow” in Gwich’in), RED SNOW will start production this winter. Producing partners are Lael McCall (Principia Productions Ltd.) and Michelle Morris (Lily Pictures Inc.); co-producer is Jonathan Tammuz (Stephen-Tammuz Productions); and Northern co-producers are Pablo Saravanja and Jay Bulckaert (Artless Collective) with Carol Whiteman (WIDC) serving as executive producer. In addition to CBC and Telefilm, other funding includes the Canada Media Fund’s Aboriginal Program, Creative BC, the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Northwest Territories Film Rebate Program. The project is also the recipient of the prestigious Women in The Director’s Chair Feature Film Award.

Launched in November 2016 to offer new opportunities for filmmakers who have historically been at a disadvantage in accessing financing, the CBC BREAKING BARRIERS FILM FUND helps finance English-language feature film projects that are written or directed by Canadian women, Indigenous persons, visible minorities and persons with a disability who have had at least one feature-length film showcased at a recognized film festival. Unlike other funds targeted towards emerging talent, CBC’s fund is geared towards underrepresented Canadian creators with some experience and industry recognition, offering them support to continue to make their unique voices heard. Submissions are now being accepted with no formal deadlines. Further information and application guidelines are available at http://www.cbc.ca/breakingbarriers/ .

CBC will make an initial investment of at least $7.5 million in the CBC BREAKING BARRIERS FILM FUND over the next three years. The Fund will complement CBC’s existing and continued commitment to Canadian film, including licensing more than 50 Canadian feature films since 2014.

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For further information, please contact:
Teaghan Hawke, publicist, CBC
teaghan.hawke@cbc.ca
416-205-6863