Thunder Bay International Virtual Film Festival

Female Director Program (7 films)

Expired February 7, 2022 4:45 AM
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7 films in package
Bluepoint
On Long Island’s east end, Bella (Courtney Stallings) and husband Noah (Jack Sachot) struggle to maintain their bluepoint oyster business against an onslaught of algal blooms, red tides and other threats from an ailing ocean. Bella is also struggling to resist a temptation embodied by Celeste, a friend who awakens her to the absence of sensuous warmth in her relationship to the taciturn Noah. Superbly acted, written, directed, shot and edited, with a spot-on soundtrack, this is an absolute gem of a film about a human relationship under stress. —SJPH
Finding Letter Six
Take a dive into the journey of the ornamental fish species, blue tang aka “Letter Six” or Pixar’s Dory from the coral reefs in Indonesia to a hobbyist’s aquarium in Colorado. This film ultimately reveals a bigger picture of the global ornamental fish trade and how it affects people's lives and their livelihoods. – YI
Lessons from Jeju
The Haenyao are women free divers from Jeju Island, South Korea, who make their living collecting shellfish and seaweed. These are South Korea’s first working moms. Most of them are the sole support of their families. This matrilineal activity is passed down from mother to daughter. The Haenyao go collecting their entire livings and it is not uncommon for three generations to be in the water at the same time. —IS
Water Baby
When a world champion freediver, William Trubridge, and his partner Sachiko Judy Fukumoto find out about the pregnancy of their daughter, their emotional and oceanic journey to find the best place to give a water birth begins. Their deep love and the care for the ocean intensify as the birth of their daughter approaches. —YI
Yáa at Wooné (Respect for All Things)
To the Indigenous Tlingit peoples of Southeast Alaska, herring are an important resource connecting communities and ocean ecosystems. With stunning images of Alaskan wildlife and open spaces, this film shows the importance of herring to seals, eagles, whales and people — and the risks they are facing from commercial harvesting. Together, the herring keepers are working to protect the herring of the Sitka sound, and with them sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge. —DM
Into the Deep Unknown
In the summer of 2017, a team of scientists led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ventured a thousand kilometers off the coast of Brazil to explore the seafloor around a little-known cluster of islets called St. Paul's Rocks. One of those scientists, Diva Amon, a deep-sea biologist from the Natural History Museum of London, describes what it's like to venture into a dark, unknown world 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) below the surface—and why this type of research is key to understanding and protecting our oceans.
The Ocean Calls
Going on a multi-year sailing adventure is what many people dream of doing: the Smith family of Australia did just that — they sold everything they owned to chase a dream; their home, business and everything associated with both. Inspired to give their autistic son Sam and his two siblings Lauren and Mackenzie an adventure of a lifetime. —AB

Female Director Program (TRT: 77 min)


  1. Bluepoint - Alexandra Leinweber, USA, 15 min
  2. Finding Letter Six - Andrea Reid, Shannon Switzer Swanson, Mikayla Wujec, USA, 9 min
  3. Lessons from Jeju - Nicole Gormley, USA, 13 min
  4. Water Baby - Katherine McRae, New Zealand, 9 min
  5. Yáa at Wooné (Respect for All Things), The Seals and the Sea Birds - Kh’asheechtlaa (Louise Brady) & Lee House, USA, 21 min
  6. Into the Deep Unknown - Lincoln Else & Bligh Gillies, USA, 3 min
  7. The Ocean Calls - Lauren-ann Smith, Australia, 7 min

Into the Deep Unknown, Lincoln Else, Bligh Gillies

In the summer of 2017, a team of scientists led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ventured a thousand kilometers off the coast of Brazil to explore the seafloor around a little-known cluster of islets called St. Paul's Rocks. One of those scientists, Diva Amon, a deep-sea biologist from the Natural History Museum of London, describes what it's like to venture into a dark, unknown world 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) below the surface—and why this type of research is key to understanding and protecting our oceans.

  • Year
    2017
  • Runtime
    3 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    West Coast
  • Director
    Lincoln Else, Bligh Gillies
  • Producer
    Novus Select, Steven Bedard, Stephanie Stone
  • Cinematographer
    Bligh Gillies, Bryan Liscinsky
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