CBC's Short Film Face Off returns for its 15th season on Aug. 13 | RiseNB

CBC’s Short Film Face Off returns for its 15th season on Aug. 13

Press Room
Posted by Press Room August 5, 2022

Amanda Parris, nationally acclaimed writer and broadcaster, returns as host of season 15 of Short Film Face Off. (Robert Short / CBC)

CBC’s and CBC Gem‘s long-running series, Short Film Face Off, is back for its 15th season showcasing the best of short films and emerging filmmakers from across the country. 

This year, home viewers will get to vote on all nine films airing on Saturdays, Aug. 13, 20, 27 and Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. AT and 9:30 p.m. NT).

Amanda Parris, nationally acclaimed writer and broadcaster, returns as host of the Halifax-produced show. Cultural commentator Eli Glasner, content curator Mohit Rajhans and Cinespace Studios’ Magali Simard are back as panelists.

Watch this year’s competing films:

Aug. 13 – Episode 1

Woman black hair in one frame; second frame a woman and child sitting at a table

BADUK – Directed by Induk Lee (Halifax, NS)
Haejijn rediscovers the game ‘baduk’ that she played with her mother in her youth and revisits the moments that shaped their relationship.

 

Man with brown beard in one frame; Black man smiling and a couple sitting at a table in the second frame

DIVERSITY HIRE – Directed by Chris Harris (Toronto, ON)
After realizing Breeze Marketing is a company that is predominantly white, two potential hires use their minority statuses to battle their way to becoming the new office token.

 

Woman with long red hair resting on her hand in first frame; women looking out to a forest fire in the second frame

SEND THE RAIN – Directed by Hayley Gray (Vancouver, BC)
A land based drama following Alice, an artist and homesteader who refuses to leave her home in the interior during the British Columbian wildfires.

Aug. 20 – Episode 2

Man with beard and smiling in first frame; young boy in second frame

BABA – Directed by Jay Kamal (Vancouver, BC)
Twelve-year old Samir must come to terms with the tragedy of his father’s death while fulfilling his responsibilities at the complex funeral held in both Muslim and Christian traditions.

 

Woman with long brown hair smiling in first frame and second frame

MAYBE YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL – Directed by Megan Robinson (Toronto, ON)
Meet June & Alistair, a long-term couple whose spark is starting to dim. Determined to heat things up, June has planned the perfect at-home date night. The only problem? Alistair’s preoccupied with the sudden news of a neighborhood attacker who just so happens to have an eerie similarity to June. Paranoia and tension ensue as they both try to figure out what game the other is playing. Is this the key to spicing up their sex life or is Alistair in real danger?

 

Man with black hair are black-rimmed glasses in first frame; two women holding a phone in second frame

LANDLINE – Directed by Matt Prazak (Calgary, AB)
A mother and daughter embark on a road trip to locate a prized family possession with sentimental value.

Aug. 27 – Episode 3

Woman with hair tied back in first frame; a double image of a woman in the second frame

MEG WRITES A REFERENCE LETTER – Directed by Katelyn McCulloch (Toronto, ON)
Meg is tasked with writing her own reference letter and naming all of her best qualities which ultimately brings out the worst in her.

Man with ginger hair and beard smiling in first frame; woman with funky glasses and man with moustache in second frame

MODEL CITIZENS – Directed by Taylor Brown (Winnipeg, MB)
An eccentric miniature artist disagrees with her brother’s approach to dinnertime. The harmony of their household depends entirely on the intervention of their friendly neighborhood pizza delivery man.

Man with ginger hair and beard in first frame; a man and a woman (bride and groom) at a wedding in second frame

SECOND WEDDING – Directed by Taylor Olson (Halifax, NS)
Two single-parent divorcees try their hand at getting married – again. They have no idea how wrong they’re doing it.

Sept. 3 – The Finale – find out the winner of Season 15

With the mission to increase audience awareness of young filmmakers across Canada, Short Film Face Off  is one of the highest profile showcases of short films in the country.

“Our alumni group now includes over 125 filmmakers,” notes the show’s independent producer, Bill Niven, Short Stop Pictures XV. “Canadian audiences have responded to their unique stories and films. This highlights the potential of short films as an incubator of the next generation of Canadian film and television directors.”

In addition to the national broadcast opportunity on CBC, Telefilm Canada provides an award of $30,000 to the top filmmaker.

“Short Film Face Off has shown us year after year that Canadian talent is overflowing with creativity that audiences love to see,” says Christa Dickenson, Executive Director & CEO, Telefilm Canada. “We at Telefilm are proud to be able to discover, develop and promote these artists as we watch the next generation of Canadian talent flourish.”

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