News

Lisa is in development on a feature doc about a mysterious manuscript, with co-director Bob Aschmann. It's been on the back-burner for a while, but is getting rekindled. Might shoot in Italy in May 2012.

Lisa's in production on HOW A PEOPLE LIVE, a mid-length documentary on the history of the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw First Nation. There's great archival to work with, amazing interviews with elders and others, and an important story that needs to be told about their 1964 forced relocation by the government.

SAVAGE won a 2011 Genie award for Best Live Action Short Drama, Best Canadian Short Film at Reelworld, and Best Short Film at the Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival! Many thanks to the wonderful cast and crew.

SAVAGE, Lisa's short residential school musical, will screen at the 2011 NY Int'l Children's Film Festival (jurors include Gus Van Sant, Christine Vachon, John Turturro, Uma Thurman, & Frances McDormand!), the Birds Eye Film Festival in London, and the Native American film and Video Festival in NYC (who will also screen Lisa's animation THE VISIT, and her short doc EARL SMITH). SAVAGE has already screened at 20+ festivals including: Berlin, SXSW, London BFI, Vancouver, CFC Worldwide Shorts, Edmonton, and Atlantic Film Festivals, as well as the Nat. Geo. All Roads, Local Sightings, and Uppsala Film Festivals.

Ouat Media is distributing SAVAGE, and Moving Images Distribution has acquired the educational rights.

Lisa received Telefilm and NSI support through the "Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program" to take her feature treatment to first draft.

Lisa was one of three recipients of the 2010 Daryl Duke & William Vince Scholarships, administered by BC Film. She received $10,000 to support her residency at the CFC Directors' Lab.

OUR FIRST VOICES premiered on Knowledge Network June 21 at 7:30pm. Lisa made 4 of the 13 short films on BC aboriginal languages, along with Zoe Hopkins, Helen Haig-Brown and Kelvin Redvers.

Lisa completed the 4-minute NFB/APTN documentary animation THE VISIT, with animator Jody Kramer. You can watch it on the NFB's site. It screened at the Montreal First Peoples Festival and at the Winnipeg Cinematheque.

Lisa was one of five applicants accepted to the Canadian Film Centre's prestigious Directors' Lab for 2010. She spent July to December 2010 in Toronto honing her fiction directing chops and developing her feature script.

SAVAGE screened at the first residential schools Truth and Reconciliation event in Winnipeg on June 18, 2010.

SAVAGE won a Golden Sheaf Award at Yorkton for Best Multicultural Film, and Lisa was nominated for Best Director. SAVAGE won two Leos (BC's film awards) for Best Actress and Best Editing in a short, and received eight nominations: Program, Direction, Best Actress (2), Cinematography, Editing, Score, Overall Sound Design.

Three of Lisa's films screened at the 2009 ImagineNATIVE festival in Toronto! PUSHING THE LINE: ART WITHOUT RESERVATIONS - a one-hour documentary on the evolution of NW Coast art for Bravo!, SAVAGE - her short film contribution to The Embargo Collective, and THE VISIT - a short animation based on a true story.

Lisa received a Bravo!FACT grant for the short film she's making as part of the ImagineNATIVE Film Fest's "Embargo Collective." Seven international indigenous filmmakers each make a film to premiere at the 2009 fest, abiding by individual "obstructions" set by the group. I have to make a musical with heavy metal, and lots of set dec. Oh, and no English. Easy peasy.

Lisa was selected to develop her feature film treatment through the 2008/09 NSI-Telefilm "Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program."

RESERVATION SOLDIERS was awarded Best Aboriginal Production at the 2008 Yorkton Film Festival, Best International Documentary at the 2008 Talking Stick Film Festival in New Mexico, and a Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest Houston for Best TV Special-Documentary.

MANUSCRIPT 408 was one of 15 documentary projects selected to attend the prestigious IDFA summer workshop in 2008, and the only North American selection. She spent six days in Amsterdam working on the script for this feature doc.

RESERVATION SOLDIERS was nominated for screenwriting and sound editing at the 2008 Leo Awards (BC's film and television awards).

Lisa was profiled in Season II of the APTN series "Storytellers in Motion."

RESERVATION SOLDIERS, a one-hour CTV documentary on aboriginal youth considering a career in the military, aired on W5 Presents on Dec.1 and had its festival premiere at the Whistler Film Festival on Nov.30. Watch for broadcasts on CTV, APTN, Knowledge Network, and SCN.

Check out the promotional video Lisa directed for BC's Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association.

Suckerfish is part of the curriculum for BC's Thompson Rivers University course SSWP 200: Introduction to Social Work Practice.

Suckerfish aired June 13, 2007 on APTN SHORT CUTS SEASON II.

Lisa's first short film NAKED RUSTY is now on YouTube courtesy of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School, where she and Steve Daniels made it in 2000. Shot on Lisa's trusty Super8, it was hand-developed, and the soundtrack is the work of the talented Scott Hastings, aka Scott E. Moil, who also composed for Suckerfish.

Suckerfish aired on CBC Newsworld July 7, 2006 as part of a special feature "First Stories." It also aired on CBC's Canadian Reflections May 14, on APTN Friday March 17, and on CBC's ZeD Real on January 10.

Lisa was chosen by Ann Marie Fleming to receive a $5000 prize at the 2005 Vancouver Arts Awards. Seven people were honoured for their distinguished service to the city in seven categories: media and recording arts, writing and publishing, design arts, culinary arts, visual arts, performing arts and philanthropy. Each recipient receives a $5000 cheque, which is promptly handed on to the winner's designated choice, an emerging artist in each discipline.

Lisa received a Canada Council grant to write the script for a short comedy about a boy whose answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has everybody a little confused.

The National Film Board has acquired Suckerfish for distribution in Canada. Documentary Educational Resources has acquired the distribution rights for outside Canada.

Lisa was one of 500 filmmakers from around the world selected to attend the six-day 2005 Berlin Talent Campus taking place during the Berlin Film Festival in February.

Lisa was the winner of the Alliance Atlantis Mentorship award at the 2004 ImagineNATIVE festival in Toronto.

Lisa was one of 21 filmmakers selected to attend the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival’s inaugural Talent Lab, a three-day intensive filmmaking workshop with such creative talents as Gus Van Sant, Michael Ondaatje, Guy Maddin, and Kevin Spacey.

Suckerfish aired on Air Canada flights in November and December 2004.