Director's Statement
I love romantic comedies, but I’m more interested in romantic stories that are comically tragic. My first short film Wichita was about infidelity, and how absurdly far a woman goes to hide it. This one is about avoidance, and how much devastation it causes. It’s universal. We’ve all been heartbroken by somebody who didn’t have the courage to tell us the truth, or, worse, we’ve done the heartbreaking ourselves. The circus setting was a happy gift. Last year Kino Montreal offered filmmakers an opportunity to make a short in the circus universe at Tohu. I was beyond excited. I could return to my hometown, make a film in my native French, and explore a relationship through a comically absurd premise and a heartbreaking finale. As a fun bonus, I could use my music theater background to create a “show” — with dancers, fire, and magic.
Crew & Cast
Sergine Dumais (Director) is a French-Canadian/American, award-winning director and acting coach. She began as an actress before transitioning to directing, first in musical theater, and later in the world of voiceover. In 2020, Sergine directed her first short film, Wichita, written by Bo Price and starring Jeremy Sisto and Maxim Roy. Wichita was selected in more than 50 festivals, including Aspen Shortsfest and Austin Film Festival. Escape Artist, her second film and first in her native French, premiered at Dances With Films in June 2025 and has won several awards on the film festival circuit. Sergine has directed the French language dubs of over twenty feature films, such as New Line Cinema’s Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson. In addition, she has directed the English dub of over a hundred TV episodes, including the Netflix animated series Mini Wolf. A graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in NYC, she went full circle by joining the faculty at AMDA Los Angeles. Directing stage credits include Little Women, the musical, Jason RobertBrown’s “13”, and Slap Kiss Kill
Director's Statement
I love romantic comedies, but I’m more interested in romantic stories that are comically tragic. My first short film Wichita was about infidelity, and how absurdly far a woman goes to hide it. This one is about avoidance, and how much devastation it causes. It’s universal. We’ve all been heartbroken by somebody who didn’t have the courage to tell us the truth, or, worse, we’ve done the heartbreaking ourselves. The circus setting was a happy gift. Last year Kino Montreal offered filmmakers an opportunity to make a short in the circus universe at Tohu. I was beyond excited. I could return to my hometown, make a film in my native French, and explore a relationship through a comically absurd premise and a heartbreaking finale. As a fun bonus, I could use my music theater background to create a “show” — with dancers, fire, and magic.
Crew & Cast
Sergine Dumais (Director) is a French-Canadian/American, award-winning director and acting coach. She began as an actress before transitioning to directing, first in musical theater, and later in the world of voiceover. In 2020, Sergine directed her first short film, Wichita, written by Bo Price and starring Jeremy Sisto and Maxim Roy. Wichita was selected in more than 50 festivals, including Aspen Shortsfest and Austin Film Festival. Escape Artist, her second film and first in her native French, premiered at Dances With Films in June 2025 and has won several awards on the film festival circuit. Sergine has directed the French language dubs of over twenty feature films, such as New Line Cinema’s Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson. In addition, she has directed the English dub of over a hundred TV episodes, including the Netflix animated series Mini Wolf. A graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in NYC, she went full circle by joining the faculty at AMDA Los Angeles. Directing stage credits include Little Women, the musical, Jason RobertBrown’s “13”, and Slap Kiss Kill
