The National Directors Division (NDD) of the Directors Guild of Canada is proud to announce selections for the NDD Market Accelerator Delegation at Access Canada Summit 2025 during the Toronto International Film Festival, running from September 8th - 10th.
Selected Directors:
Lowell Dean (SK): MOOSE JAW (Crime Comedy, Television) SEEKING FINANCING, PARTNERSHIP WITH A NETWORK / STREAMER - In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, a motley crew of locals becomes an unlikely family of small-town sleuths when they join 24-year-old Piper Isaac in investigating the mysterious—and highly bizarre—disappearance of her grandmother.
Alyson Richards (ON): MOMBIES (Zombie, Feature) SEEKING FINANCING - When a miracle anti-aging cream kills—and then reanimates—guests at a remote luxury wellness retreat, a soccer mom must team up with an aging Riot Grrrl and a washed-up actress–turned–wellness guru to expose a pharma conspiracy, confront their midlife crises, and try to survive a weekend from hell.
Daniel Roby (QC): THUNDER (Biopic, Feature) SEEKING: INTERNATIONAL SALES AGENT, US DISTRIBUTION & POTENTIAL CO-PRODUCER - Official Biopic Movie based on the life of legendary boxer Arturo "Thunder" Gatti
Wendy Hill-Tout (AB): Bloodthirsty 2 (Horror, Film sequel + Television) SEEKING FINANCING - Moral dilemma to kill or not to kill the hunted
Elza Kephart (QC): NIGHT OF THE PENDULUM (Supernatural, Television) SEEKING INDEPENDENT PRODUCER - Set in a small mining town in Northern Canada, NIGHT OF THE PENDULUM follows Thomas, a skilled claims investigator, and Marianne, the exiled daughter of a wealthy mining family, as they become entangled in solving unexplained deaths and disappearances that have plagued the community for decades.
Mark Ratzlaff (BC): MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (Drama, Feature) SEEKING INDEPENDENT PRODUCER - When their mother disappears, a defiant 12-year-old and his 5-year-old brother escape into the BC wilderness with their reclusive neighbor, beginning a perilous journey of survival, trust, and self-discovery.
Pat Mills (ON): STUPID HEART (Comedy, Feature) SEEKING FINANCING - A friendship comedy, disguised as a sex comedy, disguised as a disaster: The night before life-or-death heart surgery, awkward virgin Luke ropes his freshly dumped, chaotic lesbian bestie into helping him lose his virginity - but what begins as a sex quest devolves into a deranged, unexpectedly tender reminder that sometimes your soulmate is your most codependent mess of a best friend.
Lonzo Nzekwe (ON): OFFSPRING (Thriller, Feature) SEEKING FINANCING - In the wake of her father’s tragic drug overdose, a 12-year-old girl is thrust into the care of an exconvict, who must confront his own demons to protect her from a manipulative and dangerous family member, leading them on a perilous journey across continents that tests the limits of redemption and family bonds.
Renée Blanchar (NB): THE FOLEYS (Mystery, Mini-Series) SEEKING PARTNERSHIP WITH NETWORK/STREAMER, INTERNATIONAL SALES AGENT, PRODUCTION PARTNERS - A biologist in her forties travels to Miscou, a small island in Eastern Canada, from which her recently deceased mother hails. Once arrived, she discovers one family secret after another, kept hidden by generations of her female ancestors. Shaken by her investigation, she seeks to make amends with Emma, her 22-year-old daughter.
Lisa Rose Snow (ON): PSYCHIC SPIES (Supernatural/Comedy, 1HR Television) SEEKING PARTNERSHIP WITH NETWORK/STREAMER - A determined psychic leads her ragtag team of paranormal investigators as they solve mysteries while never giving up on the search for her lost mother, despite the determination of her skeptic cop brother to stop them at every turn.
Sepideh Yadegar (BC): NOTES OF AN EXILE (Documentary, Feature) SEEKING FINANCING - In a regime that bans women from singing, an artist escapes persecution only to discover that exile is just the beginning of her fight for freedom through music.
Alison Reid (ON): THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES (Historical, Limited Series Television) SEEKING PARTNERSHIP WITH NETWORK/STREAMER, INTERNATIONAL SALES AGENT, PRODUCTION PARTNERS - A young zoologist pursues her passion to study giraffes in the wilds of South Africa but finds herself entangled in the lives of women whose courage and resilience shine through the shadows of apartheid. (Based on the true story of Anne Dagg, ‘the Jane Goodall of giraffes.')
Mostafa Keshvari (BC): BLIND OWL (Thriller, Feature) SEEKING INDEPENDENT PRODUCER - In this modern psychological thriller adaptation of the classic novel "The Blind Owl", a reclusive artist spirals into madness while battling isolation, creative decay, and the haunting grip of social media—desperately trying to keep his art alive.
Alison Duke (ON): FEMINIST CITY (Documentary, Mini-Series) SEEKING FINANCING - FEMINIST CITY is a ground-breaking docu-series that asks, what would happen if women were in charge of designing and transforming cities?
Trish Neufeld (BC): A LAWYER ON TRIAL (True Crime, Television/Feature) SEEKING DISTRIBUTION, FINANCING & BROADCASTER - When a beloved university professor vanishes, the trail leads to the one person he trusted most — his lawyer. Now, with the victim’s body found in a plastic bin and nearly $800,000 missing, that lawyer stands trial for first-degree murder. Based on a real case unfolding in real time, this series exposes a shocking betrayal, a twisted cover-up, and the first time in Canadian history a lawyer is accused of killing their own client. The justice system is on trial.
Nikki Cole (ON): SOVEREIGN CHILD (Historical, Feature/Limited Series) SEEKING FINANCING, PRODUCTION PARTNERS, DISTRIBUTION - In 1527 Italy, a young girl loses everything when she is kidnapped and taken hostage for four years. Living in brutal convent prisons, surrounded by enemies, she battles to survive assassins, betrayers, the Plague and a cursed prediction. She finally escapes captivity only to find herself still a pawn in the political intrigue of the world stage. She has to use her ingenuity and talent to finally step into a surprising destiny, becoming the first and only Italian, non-royal Queen Catherine de Medici of France.
V.T Nayani (nine-knee) (ON): SHAME (Dramedy, Half-hour Television, Co-created with Paige Wood) SEEKING FINANCING, PRODUCTION PARTNERS, DISTRIBUTION - A 30-something hopeless romantic, is ready to get back into the dating game after leaving a loveless long-term situationship. However, a pap test gone wrong forces her to redefine her relationship to love, life, and her body, after she’s suddenly diagnosed with a medically-confirmed broken coochie.
Aeyliya Husain (ON): Hip Hop *UNTITLED* (Documentary, Feature) SEEKING FINANCING- In the male dominated music industry, Muslim, female hip hop artists, Meryem Saci and Nadine El Roubi, are breaking down stereotypes with beats and rhyme. To make it in the music industry these women are forging new paths, not only for themselves but for the thousands of fans who want their voices heard. We follow Nadine and Meryem as they overcome all the hurdles to pursue their dreams in what has been mostly an exclusive men’s club.
