The Summer Residency Film Showcase is an annual tradition that celebrates films written by UBC Creative Writing students across the BFA and MFA programs, and by recent alumni who are breaking into the industry.
Munna and Maanu
Documentary
Munna and Maanu is a short documentary that explores the close relationship between the filmmaker, Maanvi, and Munna, a domestic worker who has been working at her home for 25 years.
Maanvi Chowdary is a documentary filmmaker and storyteller whose passion for exploring the intricate relationships between individuals and their communities drives her creative endeavours. Graduating from the MFA Film Production and Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia, Maanvi emerged as a formidable talent, equipped with the skills and vision to explore the intricate relationships between individuals and their communities through the medium of documentary filmmaking. Her directorial debut, About Mumma, is a documentary portrait dealing with a mother, Shalini Chowdhary’s livelihood and occupation as a paraplegic. Explored through the mother-daughter relationship the film seeks to understand the complexities of imagining spaces as a paraplegic and an architect. Premiering at the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival, the documentary captivated audiences with its intimate portrayal of familial bonds and garnered widespread acclaim for its poignant exploration of the complexities of human relationships. This success propelled Maanvi into the spotlight, earning her a nomination for Best Documentary at the esteemed Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2021.
Her latest short documentary Munna and Maanu explores the close relationship between her and Munna, a domestic worker who has been employed at her family home for more than two decades.
Erase & Rewind
Film
After being assaulted, Louisa realizes she can rewind time. Has she done this before? She can’t remember. The chance of erasing the experience and memories pushes Louisa to rewind through her assault and relationship with Nick, forcing her to experience it for a second time with a new view of what happened.
Lauren Grant owns Clique Pictures, a film and television production company that focuses on working with female creative talent in front and behind the camera. Her debut short film as director Things We Feel but Do Not Say premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival and went on to screen at festivals in Canada, Australia, and the US before launching on CBC Gem. Erase & Rewind is her second short film and based on the short story by Meghan Bell. Her feature film Afterwards received development funding from the Harold Greenberg Fund, Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates. It was named a quarterfinalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay competition and the Vail Screenplay Competition. Known for her producing work, Lauren has produced the feature films Sugar Daddy, The Retreat, Riot Girls, Wet Bum and Picture Day as well as the documentaries On the Line, Metamorphosis, Traceable, Take a Walk on the Wildside, and One Leg In, One Leg Out. Her films have screened at TIFF, Berlinale, SXSW as well as festivals around the world. She won a Canadian Screen Award for the short documentary Take a Walk on the Wildside and a Genie award for the short film Savage. The Hollywood Reporter named Lauren one of 15 Talents to Watch. Lauren is an alumna of ACE Producers, Trans-Atlantic Partners, Rotterdam Lab, Berlinale Talent Campus, TIFF Studio and the CFC Producers Lab. She served as an Executive Producer on the Amazon series The Sticky.
Expiry Date
Music Video
A girl comes to terms with her relationship through expired food in the fridge.
Jaenna Cali is a Filipina-Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and captivating artist who weaves stories through her evocative songwriting, infectious melodies, and soul-stirring production. With a childhood spent across three different countries, Jaenna’s musical journey started in the intimacy of her childhood bedroom, where she poured her heart into songwriting. From humble beginnings creating GarageBand covers to gracing the stage at local open mics to bigger events, her passion for music only grew stronger. During her time at UBC’s Creative Writing Program, specializing in Songwriting and Screen, Jaenna’s creative talents shone brightly. Her involvement in award-winning film projects, including premieres at TIFF, and current contributions to Disney+ original films and TV shows, added depth and inspiration to her musical endeavors. Immersed in the demanding world of the film industry, Jaenna’s reflections on mental health, meaningful relationships, and the genuine significance of life began to take shape in her original compositions, marking the birth of a new sonic chapter.
Anishinaabemowin
Film
A young Ojibwe girl learns how to say goodbye in her traditional language when her grandmother falls ill.
Shaelyn Johnston is an award-winning Ojibwe and Irish-Canadian writer from Vancouver, BC. She is a recipient of the Governor General’s History Award and holds a BFA and MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Shaelyn was selected for both editions of Telus STORYHIVE’s Indigenous Storytellers Edition and was a participant in Whistler Film Festival’s Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship and Screenwriters Lab. Her first short film, The Healing Dance, screened at numerous festivals across Canada & the US and won Best Short Film at the 2021 Weengushk International Film Festival. Her second short, Anishinaabemowin, will hit the festival circuit in Fall 2024. She coordinates professional development programs for Indigenous filmmakers through Capilano University’s Indigenous Digital Accelerator, and she also sits on the board of the Gender Equity in Media Society (previously WIFT Vancouver), where she manages and co-facilitates the Tricksters & Writers Screenwriting Program.
Things I know to be True
Film
Three stories about people looking for truth, or at least, to touch the hem of its garment.
Vanessa Porteous is a director of theatre, opera, and film; a literary translator; a dramaturg, and an educator, with over twenty years experience in Canadian theatre. She’s an MFA student in Creative Writing at UBC. Her latest short film, My Witch, which was written as part of that program, was selected to be read at Vancouver’s The Cold Reading Series in July 2024. She’s working on her first full length feature, Lucy In Berlin, inspired by her mother’s experience as a UBC exchange student in Berlin in 1961, the summer The Wall went up.
A story of Snow
Film
A man and a woman are stranded in Vancouver after a snow storm.
Will and Liam Riley are graduating MA students in UBC’s Cinema and Media Studies Program. Will and Liam are incoming PhD students in Concordia University’s Moving Image and Film Studies program. As filmmakers, Will and Liam have written, directed, and produced 14 short films over the last five years.
The Tap Dancing Fish
Film
An absurdist dramedy about a jazzy anthropomorphic fish and its estranged Fisherman brother, as they seek to process their grief over their father’s passing, despite the vast and unresolved familial trauma between them.
Ethan White is a non-binary artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and who hails from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta–Treaty 6 Territory). Their work spans the mediums of film, photography, digital art, animation, drawing, and painting, and often tackles subjects of humanity’s relationship with technology, gender identity and their intersections with religion and spirituality. Ethan began their formal arts education at Victoria School of the Arts where they co-founded The Chocolate Milk Art Collective, a film production company dedicated to producing independent short films and hosting them on YouTube, among other platforms. Ethan believes strongly in the ability of art to affect social change and believes in responsible decision-making when engaging in cultural production. Ethan cherishes the community that art-making brings together, and aspires to be a helping hand for projects and people that they believe in.