Friday, February 27
The Screening Room
9:30 pm
For the woman at the centre of Chell Stephen’s darkly comedic debut feature, online shaming may be the worst of all possible fates. Played by Romina D’Ugo (I LIKE MOVIES, KCFF23), Andy is a floundering, fraudulent entrepreneur who responds to the controversy swirling around her by retreating to her family’s remote cottage. But her plans to bring a definitive end to her problems go off the tracks when she meets Ryland (Augustus Oicle), a local with a troubled history of his own. Shot in Lyndhurst with many Queen’s film students among the crew, Stephen’s first feature uses a spiky sense of humour as a means of tackling tough subject matter. The rapport between D’Ugo and Oicle becomes another vital source of energy and – as the connection between their characters deepens – a surprising wealth of emotion, too.
This film is making its Canadian premiere!
Director: Chell Stephen
Cast: Romina D’Ugo, Augustus Rivers
Language: English
Runtime: 87 minutes
Content warning: mental health issues, self-harm, discussion/depiction of suicide, mature themes
Chell Stephen, Director
Writer/director Chell Stephen was raised in Toronto on healthy doses of music videos, The X-Files and teen dance movies — influences which shaped her debut short film Crystal (SXSW, 2014) a dark comedy about a be-spandexed 17-year-old jerk. Its follow up, Shauna is a Liar, is based on a true story from Chell’s youth and features poppy camp visuals, a dash of the surreal, plus an earnest beating heart at the center- aka Chell’s wheelhouse.
With a B.A in Media Studies from the U of Southern Maine, and an MA in Television-Radio-Film from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, Chell (with a hard CH) moved to NYC at 22 to start a three year stint as a producer/writer/director/editor at VOD network Music Choice. Brooklyn weekends were spent directing music videos for stand out indie bands BLK JKS, The Gay Blades and Earl Greyhound with production company family Think/Feel.
Obsessed with storytelling from a young age, Chell believes all good art should make you feel less alone. She’s drawn to exploring the darker themes of humanity — bad attitudes, bad habits, bad gals — but doing it all through the brightest possible lens, with out-of-this-world colors and as many foggers as we can rent. Chell has also worked professionally as an editor for commercials and music videos which helped hone her sharp eye for rhythm and pace. Her filmmaking style has been called sophisticated, confident and raucous; she loves to execute big daring visuals but not at the expense of working with actors intimately. Chell believes vulnerability is a super power and has historically never shied away from sharing way too much with everybody — inviting her collaborators into the murky soup of human emotion with her. You know… for fun!
Chell is a Sundance Fellow, selected to participate in the 2017 New Voices Episodic Lab with her series, Kidnapping Brihanna and after completing the 2019 WB Directors’ Workshop she directed an episode of The CW’s Riverdale in the fall of 2019. Her second TV directing gig (shot Covid-style) was on Global TV’s Nurses in September 2020. She also directs fashion/ music content for brands including L’Oreal, JanSport, Fendi and Givenchy while repping the motherland in full Blue Jays regalia, from “fourth largest Canadian city,” Los Angeles.
Romina D’Ugo, Actor
Romina D’Ugo is a Canadian-American multi-disciplinary artist celebrated for her work as an actor, dancer, choreographer, and jewelry designer. She is best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Alana in the feature film I Like Movies (KCFF23). A competitive and professional dancer since the age of 10, Romina has demonstrated remarkable versatility and longevity, having been selected as one of the Top 20 performers on So You Think You Can Dance, and subsequently choreographing for stars Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne in the DC Comics blockbuster Suicide Squad.
Beyond her work in dance, film, and television, Romina is the founder and designer of WILYMI Jewelry Co., a brand dedicated to intentional design and luxury aesthetics. A portion of all proceeds from WILYMI Jewelry Co. is donated to Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization that focuses on the education, mentorship, and empowerment of young girls-an initiative that is deeply personal to Romina and aligns with her commitment to uplifting and supporting the next generation of women.
Augustus Rivers, Actor
Augustus Rivers is a screenwriter, award-nominated actor, award-winning producer and upcoming director based in Brooklyn/Toronto.
He has performed on international stages, in acclaimed feature films, and major network television. Recent credits include Mark Weeden’s The Fortunate Ones, Hell Motel (Shudder), Law and Order: Toronto (NBC), Near or Far (CBC Gem), Umbrella Academy Season 3 (Netflix), Fellow Travelers (Showtime), Something You Said Last Night (winner of the Changemaker Award at TIFF 2022), and Chell Stephen’s feature film Byeee.
As a writer and producer, Augustus has developed the short films In My Bones, A Night In, and Strangers (winner of the Special Jury Prize at Nitehawk Film Festival). In 2023, he self-produced his writing debut, the short film Ember Part 2, which premiered at Bushwick Film Festival. He is currently developing multiple limited series and feature film projects, and is in preproduction for his directorial debut.
Sarah D’Ambrosio, producer
Sarah D’Ambrosio is a producer and writer with a background in entertainment law. Her recent producing credits span independent features and shorts that are set to be released in 2026, including Scythia Film’s The Eden Express, The Intimacy Coordinator and Full Fat by Oscar long-listed filmmaker Louisa Connolly-Burnham, and Byeeee by Sundance Fellow Chell Stephen. As a lawyer, her work spans development, production, distribution and financing on premium productions.
PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM
PART OF THE SHOZERTV COMEDY SHOWCASE
