21 December 2012

2012: Year in Review (part 3)



Ok, brace yourselves; this part is so awesome I considered breaking it down even more so that each month would have its own post. Are you ready? Here we go…

July:  Oh dear July, what would my year have been like without you?!  So many great things happened; I’ll try to only summarize the essential. At the beginning of the month, I flew to L.A. for the Viscera Film Festival/MOHA launch. I was finally reunited with Shannon Lark, Heidi Honeycutt and Lori Bowen in addition to meeting the rest of the fantabulous staff who has since become “my Viscera family”. Staying at Shannon’s place, I got a taste of the L.A. life: waking up, swimming, working, swimming again, working, hitting the town, etc. I also found a great friend in Jamie Jenkins with whom I immediately bonded (we were both staying at Shannon’s) and finally met some of the people I’d been communicating with for years, including fellow filmmaker Dave Reda. Of course, the Viscera Film Festival was nothing short of spectacular (YAY, red carpet!) and to say I had a blast is an understatement. Oh and I got to talk in front of 400 people at the legendary Egyptian theatre. Yes, I’m still pinching myself. During this event, I also (finally) met Theron Neel, a film writer I had been wanting to send Red to for review, but never got around to (I did send it when I got back home and he ended up writing an in-depth piece about all of my shorts!). We became fast friends and I found a kindred spirit in him.
 
And then, sadly I had to fly back home (I hate, hate, HATE leaving a place that feels more like home than home). Lucky for me, I got back to Montreal just in time for the Fantasia Film Festival where I met a slew of other amazing people (Derek from DedFest) and hung out with fellow film freaks (Matt Garrett, Heather Buckley I miss you both!), having philosophical discussions about horror on a bar terrace until the wee hours of the morning. Oh I also reviewed films for Planet Fury and was promoting my short T is for Toothpick which was playing as part of the fest. Then, Izzy who I had briefly met last year in Boston and during Fantasia, crashed at my place for a few days during the festival. Somehow, this magically led to a beautiful friendship that I cherish more than anything! She has since become my kickass partner in crime and it will take way more than the distance between Boston and Montreal to stop us! Looking back, July really was the magical month during which significant friendships formed and during which I got to spend most of my time with some of my favorite people in the world!  And then came August.


August: Overall it was a pretty quiet month, which is good as I really needed time to focus and recuperate after the OMGawesomeness that was July! This included: enjoying the end of the Fantasia film festival, wrapping up a few Fantasia reviews for Planet Fury, beginning pre-production on Dys-, and beginning my first ever writing collaboration! Remember Theron Neel whom I met in L.A.? Well, we kept in touch and started writing each other frequently, mostly because he was working on a piece about me and my films.
 
 Then, at some point during a phone conversation, I had a crazy idea: how about we try to write something together? I had never co-written something before, mostly because I never met anyone who was into the same kind of things I was into, but I figured why not give it a try. After all, it’s the first time I meet someone with whom I have so much in common! I pitched him a script idea I’ve wanted to develop for a while and he loved it! And so our collaboration began…  There are no words to express how mind-blowing it is to be working with someone who seems to be anticipating your every thought and who always finds a way to complement your ideas! When I read the first scene he wrote (you know, that crucial “this is when I’ll find out whether this will work or not” sample scene?) I literally cried tears of happiness. He understood exactly what I wanted and helped bring that little something that was missing to the story.  And really, I can’t begin to express how excited I am about the script we’re crafting together! This truly is a collaboration made in heaven! I won’t say anything more about the project except that this will be a dark comedy and this is one of my pet projects I’ve been wanting to write for a while, but for which I always felt there was a little something missing. It seems like I found it when I found the perfect writing partner!


September: In September, I drove down to Boston to attend the first ever Etheria FilmFestival on Viscera duty and got to hang out with Izzy (yay!), Kayley and AndrĂ©, as well as with my good friend Chris and Mike from All Things Horror. I also met up with Theron again who flew in all the way from Texas for the fest and for what ended up being the most intense/productive writing weekend of my life! The progress we made on the script is simply mind-blowing (this script/film is gonna kick ass!) On my way back home, I stopped by Salem (one of my favorite cities) with the girls (Izzy and Kayley) for a day of trekking through cemeteries and visiting cheap tourist traps. Really, the best way to experience Salem is with two fellow horror freaks! Unfortunately, because all good things have an end, I had to come back home, but at least, I was rejuvenated and more motivated than ever! 
 

14 December 2012

2012: Year in Review (part 2)

...and heeeeeere we go for part 2! This one is shorter, but I guarantee you that part 3 will be EPIC!


April: During a snowed-in weekend in a cabin in the middle of the woods with my high school best friends, I came up with the idea of what became the DYS- promo teaser for the crowd funding campaign. I immediately wrote, shot, and edited the scene and officially launched/announced DYS-! The wheels were turning and there was no turning back at that point; I finally went from saying “I’ll be making my first feature film” to “I am making my first feature film”. Let me tell you boys and grrrls, it’s one of the best feelings in the world! 

  
May: I was reunited with my old lover, Academia, for a short but passionate weekend during which I drove to Niagara Falls (Ontario) to present an overview of my thesis project Horror Grrrls: Resistance and Agency Within the Interpretive Communities of Women Horror Filmmakers as part of the Popular Culture Association of Canada conference. Again, I was reminded how much of a nerd I proudly am and started shopping around for programs where I could do my PhD as well as pitching my thesis to various university presses for publication. Then, I launched the crowd funding campaign for DYS- and rushed back home for the local auditions! It took two weekends of auditions and the whole film was casted! I had taken one more step toward making the film happen and could barely contain my excitement!




June: After finishing the massive rewrite needed for DYS-, I shot a short gory segment (kinda like B-roll footage) that will be used in the film. I was starting to have serious withdrawal as the last time I had shot anything (beside the DYS- promo) was in October 2011 when I made T is for Toothpick. Thankfully this worked as a temporary fix that would tide me over until the beginning of DYS- for which pre-production also began in June. This is when the project started feeling like it was finally happening! I also had my convocation ceremony and received my diploma! YAY, I’m a Master now! ;) 


2012: Year in Review (part 1)



As I get ready to lock myself down for the production of my first feature film – oh my god, pinch me! I still can’t believe I’m making one of my biggest dreams come true! – I feel the need to take a moment to look back at the past twelve months. Sure, 2012 has been an intense roller-coaster ride (like most years are) and has had its share of bad stuff, but overall the positive outweighs the band and it’s been one of my most important, self-affirming year so far. I feel extremely lucky and thankful for the series of events that have brought me to the point where I am now and for the amazing people I can now call friends that I want to share everything with you. Are you ready? Here we go…  
  

 January: Fresh from having defended my master’s thesis, I was getting ready for my post-grad school life. It was a strange time as this was the first time in my life I did not have a definite plan nor knew where I was going or what I was going to do. All I knew with complete certainty was that 2012 would be the year I would be making my first feature. To do so, I would need money, so the search for a job began. January was quite beneficial as I finally got around doing a lot of things that had been lingering on my ‘to-do’ list for way too long, including FINALLY launching the Quirk Films website! I also started working for the Viscera Organization as the director of operations for the Mistresses of Horror Alliance (MOHA), its brand-new service!


February: I landed my first full-time day job at one of the places where I’d always dreamed of working. Needless to say, I was ecstatic, but oh boy that was quite a radical change of schedule! I ended up spending most of the month adapting to this new reality and trying to promote myself and my work, especially my shorts Red (which played twice in Europe) and T is for Toothpick which was being programmed as part of various Women in Horror Month events.
 

March: I kicked in the month by teaching a class on William Castle (which I created from scratch after reading his biography and watching his horror filmography over the span of three weeks!) at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies; it confirmed that yes, teaching is something I really fucking love and want to do more of! Oh Academia, I already miss you! I also finished the first draft of DYS-, my upcoming feature film, and was featured as part of Dread Central’sIndie Horror Month. I also contributed to a cookbook featuring recipes by women horror filmmakers which came out around that time. Yes, it gave me the idea to make my own cookbook, which I’ll start working on… eventually.  
 

3 December 2012

New mini-review of RED

By Nick Watson from I Heart Movies TO.

Here it is!

Also, I'm happy to report that the BITS screening went really well and Toronto was lovely as usual.

And here's a pic for you!




22 November 2012

Watch out, Toronto, here I come!

Are you ready for me? Because I am ready for you!

I'll be visiting next weekend (Nov.30th - Dec.2nd) for the first ever Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival during which RED will be screened among other films by Ă¼ber talented friends and colleagues such as Jovanka Vuckovic and Karen Lam. What can I say except that I can't wait to see all the other incredible films and to give RED it's Ontario premiere!



The screening of RED will be on December 1st at 9PM at the Projection Booth (1035 Gerrard Street East). I will be there for a Q&A after the film and will be available for a little chat or a drink, so send me a message if you want to meet up!

Thank you to Kelly Michael Stewart for organizing the event and programming my short! Check out the AMAZING poster:

Doesn't it make you want to attend? Come on, you know you want to! See you there! ;)


RED - trailer from Maude Michaud on Vimeo.

9 November 2012

San Diego, be prepared for RED!

Hey people! Here's a reminder that RED will play tomorrow as part of a sold out screening of shorts at the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego! Did I say sold out?! How rad is that?!

Thank you Miguel Rodriguez! You ROCK!

29 October 2012

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

You all know how much I love Halloween, no? (Now you do)

Theron Neel knows it's my favorite time of the year and I was delighted when he asked me to answer a short interview for his annual Halloween Memories series over at Planet Fury!

Check it out HERE.

What are you waiting for? Unwrap a few candies and go read it! :)

16 October 2012

RED in San Diego!

I'm delighted to announce that RED is part of the official selection of the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival which will be taking place on November 10th & 11th in San Diego!

I'll keep you all posted as soon as I know when the film will be playing.

Check out the website for more details and for info on how to buy tickets!

Huge thanks to Miguel Rodriguez!

18 August 2012

Awesome writeup about ALL my shorts

Seriously? Theron Neel fucking ROCKS! He told me he was preparing an article about my shorts, but I never expected it to be that extensive, thoughtful and downright amazing!

Go check it out HERE!

(also reposted on Planet Fury)

This man made my day week!

15 August 2012

Interview with Theron Neel

Theron Neel is quite possibly my favorite person in the world right now. Not only is he a great writer, he recently took the time to check out my entire body of work in order to write a thorough article about my films (which will be posted shortly) and conducted what is perhaps my most in-dept interview so far.

I only have one thing to say: the man sure knows how to properly research someone and how to think outside the box! 

Oh yeah, you'll also get to learn everything about my special squirrel genes (which seems to be what most people remember from the interview), so what are you waiting for?

Go check out the full interview HERE (which is also reposted on Planet Fury HERE)

And make sure to give the man some love and check his other articles and reviews!

28 July 2012

From one redhead to another...

I am beyond flattered that the amazing Char Hardin chose to profile me and DYS- for her 'Buzz of the week'!

Check it out here! We're still raising funds for the project, so please keep spreading the word! :)

And THANK YOU Char for being a constant supporter of my work! <3

Awesome interview with Justin Hamelin

YAY! An interview! :)

A while back Justin Hamelin interviewed me for his Women in Horror blog and the interview is now up on the website! Of course, everything is perfectly timed as he just, just, just reviewed RED a few days ago.

Check out the interview here!  Oh and also make sure to take the time to check out all the other rad women he profiled. :)

Thank you Justin for your constant support! You ROCK! :)

24 July 2012

Another great review for RED!

...and the love keeps on coming! (Thanks guys, RED really needed it.)

This time, it's coming from Craig McGee, awesome film reviewer and long-time supporter of my work.

Check it out HERE! :)

Thanks Craig and Horror News.net, you ROCK!

20 July 2012

A new, quickass review of RED!

This one is coming from Justin Hamelin who has kindly reviewed my short for his Women in Horror blog! (Members of the cast and crew: check it out for special kudos on your work!)

Honestly, I can't think of a better way to start the weekend.

My favorite part? "RED is a wonderful blue print for any independent film to use when trying to figure out what their film should look like." 


Check out the full review and stay tuned for an upcoming interview! ;-)

12 July 2012

Toothpicks at Fantasia!

Yup, yup, yup! T is for Toothpick (a.k.a. Toothpicks, a.k.a. Cure-dents) will be playing at the Fantasia Film Festival here in Montreal. Judging from the screening time, it seems like I made it once again into the midnight selection. You all know how happy that makes me! ;)

So, if you want to see the gorgeous Lady Josephine shove toothpicks in Martin Plouffe's face over a groovy soundtrack by the multi-talented Shayne Gryn, all of this ON THE BIG SCREEN!, get your ass to the De Sève Theatre on August 3rd at 11:55PM.

I'll be there, will you?

And if you need any more convincing:


(click the image for the film's festival page)

Back from L.A.

Yup, yup, I'm now back from beautiful sunny L.A. after what was a rejuvenating week. Seriously, being surrounded by all the wonderful positive and creative people I met and worked with, plus the success of the fest and all its surrounding events, had such an amazing impact on me, it's hard to describe! Let's just say that my batteries are now fully recharged and that I'm jumping head first into pre-production for DYS-! Weeee! 

Pictures to come soon, but in the meantime, I want to take a moment to thank the latest batch of generous supporters of my first feature: Trong Nguyen, Marianne Phenix, Farshid Etemad and Theron Neel. You guys ROCK beyond words!

Keep the love coming and please, keep on sharing the link! :)

22 June 2012

Pre-production has now officially begun!

I'm happy to report that pre-production on DYS- has now begun!

Casting is 80% complete and the first scene (which is really more of a b-unit type sequence) has been shot. This summer will be quite busy as I will shoot more b-footage and I'll spend quite a bit of time in the studio recording the voice-only characters. Then, we'll move on to principal photography at the end of November. To say I'm excited is an understatement!

My team of collaborators is nicely shaping up; I can't wait to give you more updates and reports as they become available. In the meantime, please make sure you 'like' the Facebook page as I'll start posting exclusive content and, if you're a supporter, keep your eyes on the VIP section of the website for more regular blogging about the project.

Also, thank you to the latest batch of (very) generous supporters: SĂ©bastien Babeux, Martin Leblanc, Maxime Boileau, Matthew Levin and Lori Bowen. You guys ROCK!

7 June 2012

A new review for RED!

Here's a new (stellar) review of RED courtesy of Brian Morton over at Rogue Cinema who rates the film 4 out of 4! Check it out HERE!

Thank you Brian, you made my day! :)


1 June 2012

RED at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Market!

I just got word that RED is included in the short film market/marketplace catalogue (accessible to buyers/distributors of shorts).

Those with an industry pass can watch it on site in the Video Library. If you're on site, check it out and give it some love! :)

For more info click HERE.

28 May 2012

And the love/support continues!

I'm taking the time to write a quick thank you note to all the new supporters of my first feature film DYS-:

A HUGE thank you to Olga Ganova, Chris Hallock, Simon Nisbet and Marie-Pierre Poulin!

I'm sending you all the good karma I can possibly send your way!

For those who want to contribute, check out the list of stuff you can buy/claim on the film's website: http://www.homeiswherethehurtis.com

And don't forget to link the FB page to get all the updates!

24 May 2012

Awesome Fest is awesome!

Why?!

Because filmmaker-extraordinaire Matt Garrett has programmed my short T is for Toothpick as part of the NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF TERROR LINEUP which he is curating! 


The screening is on June 15th in Philadelphia (Woohoo! A new city conquered!) in what is quite possibly one of the most exciting line-up EVER! Check it out HERE


If you're in the area, make sure to stop by to check out the rad shorts and make sure to cheer extra hard for me! ;)


Oh and check out Awesome Fest! And again, a MEGA HUGE thank you to Matt! You seriously rock!

7 May 2012

Hollywood Skin in Dublin!

Thanks to the amazing ladies behind the Viscera Tour, Hollywood Skin will be playing in Dublin on May 17th!

Here's the Facebook for the event.

I'm so excited! :D

6 May 2012

Thank you for the love wave!

It has now been a week since I launched the teaser for my upcoming feature film Dys- and, what can I say except: wow you guys really made this week memorable! Not only is the Facebook page steadily growing, I've already managed to raise close to $300! A lot of pimping/thank yous are in order! 

First, a MASSIVE thank you to all those who wrote/posted about it. I created a page on the website to keep track of blog posts and articles written about the film. Also thank you to all those who reposted links to these articles and helped spread the word. I want to hug all of you! <3

Second, THANK YOU to the first batch of supporters: Therese Godfree, Syl Disjonk, Yael Perez, Andrea Butler and Annie Boivin. You guys seriously ROCK!

As you can probably guess, I'm in a celebratory mood, so I am delighted to share with you the identity of the actress who will be playing the lead role of Eva, go check out the FB page to know who it will be! :)

And don't forget that you can still donate to the project by pre-ordering DVDs, posters, t-shirts and a bunch of other cool perks right here!

Again, thanks! I love you guys! :)

Upcoming conference

It is with great pleasure that I will be at the Popular Culture Association of Canada conference next weekend in Niagara Falls for a 20 minutes talk.

The presentation, titled Horror Grrrls: Resistance and Agency Within the Interpretive Community of Women Horror Filmmakers, will be a condensed version of my thesis and will help contextualize and analyze my webseries Bloody Breasts.

You can check out the conference program here. I'm presenting on Saturday at 3:00PM. :D

28 April 2012

The teasing for the teaser ends tomorrow!

Yes people! In less than 24 hours, the teaser and website for DYS- will be online!

Needless to say, I've been working (still am!) like a madwoman to have it ready on time and make it the very best it can be. I don't think I can express how excited I am right now!

Please make sure you 'like' us to be one of the first to see it!

Now back to work...

25 April 2012

Mark your calendars!


Ok, so I’ve been not-so-subtely hinting at it and vaguely mentioning it… I can now ‘officially’ give you a decent update on my big upcoming project, i.e. my first feature film.    

* The working title of the project is Dys-; so from now on, if you heard me talk about Dys-, you’ll know what that is!  

* The teaser is almost ready and will be released this Sunday (April 29th) at the same time as the official website will be launched. So keep your eyes on this blog!  

* The film now has a Facebook page where production updates will be posted and where most of the news about the project will be gathered. So, if you’re on FB, please give the page a ‘like’ and help share the word!  HERE is it.     

* There will be a crowdfunding campaign on the official website which will go live at the same time as the trailer.
Those who’ve known me for a while know that this project is something I’ve been looking forward to since, well forever! As you can probably guess, I’ll need all the help I can to spread the word about the project, help get more people to ‘like’ the page and check out the funding campaign.
Are you ready? Because I am and I cannot wait to share this beautiful adventure with you!

13 April 2012

Are you ready to be teased?

Because I'm more than ready to tease you! ;)

Tomorrow I'll be shooting the teaser for my first feature film that I'll be shooting later this year. The goal? Well, to get you excited for the project of course, but also to help get a crowdfunding campaign going.

All I can say for now is please, stay tuned, more info will be coming your way very, very soon!