September Spotlight | Amazing TFS Alumni, Student & Faculty Accomplishments
In This Article
- Film Production Grads Wilson Barbosa & James Monsalvi Premiere the ‘Too Far Show’
- Acting Instructor Catherine McNally’s Latest Film ‘The Apprentice’ Premieres at Cannes
- Graphic Design Student Abigail Strate Sails to Three World Cup Ski Jump Podium Finishes
- Steven Hoffner’s ‘NHL Trophy Case’ Docuseries Premieres on ESPN+
- Screenwriting Grad Olivia-Autumn Rennie Wraps Short Doc ‘Lights, Camera, and a Call to Action’
- TFS’s Leslie Cserepy Wins Outstanding New Work at Ottawa Fringe for 1ForUOne4Me
- TFS Alumni & Faculty with Projects to be Featured at TIFF 2024
At Toronto Film School, we never cease to be amazed by the accomplishments of our awesome alumni, students and faculty, who are out pursuing their dreams in the creative industries – be it premiering their latest projects at prestigious festivals like TIFF and Cannes, launching new docu-series, or winning awards.
Here are some of the recent standout highlights from Toronto Film School’s talented community of creatives:
Film Production Grads Wilson Barbosa & James Monsalvi Premiere the ‘Too Far Show’
Class of 2023 Film Production grads Wilson Barbosa and James Monsalvi recently celebrated the launch of the new sketch comedy series they co-created and produced alongside online comedian Tommy Schoenith.
The Too Far Show marked its world premiere in July during a private screening of its first episode at the TIFF Lightbox.
Read all about the show, the other TFS alumni working on it both behind and in front of the camera, and its big premiere HERE!
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Acting Instructor Catherine McNally’s Latest Film ‘The Apprentice’ Premieres at Cannes
Acting for Film, TV & the Theatre professor Catherine McNally recently had one of her latest projects, a Donald Trump biopic, premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Apprentice, which tells the story of how a young Trump started his New York real estate business in the ’70s and ’80s with the helping hand of infamous lawyer Roy Cohn, screened at the prestigious French festival on May 20.
Learn more about McNally’s role as Trump’s mother, Mary Anne Trump, her on-set experience acting opposite Sebastian Stan and Martin Donovan in the Ali Abbasi directed film, and all the other recent projects she’s been working on – including Orphan Black: Echoes – HERE!
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Graphic Design Student Abigail Strate Sails to Three World Cup Ski Jump Podium Finishes
Online Graphic Design & Interactive Media student and Olympic medallist Abigail Strate claimed a career-high three World Cup ski jumping medals this past winter.
The 23-year-old Calgary native celebrated the first of her three consecutive FIS Ski Jumping World Cup podium finishes with a bronze medal in the large jump event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on December 30, 2023. She followed that up on January 1, 2024 with a silver medal in the women’s big jump event in Oberstdorf, Germany, and again the next day with a bronze medal in the women’s normal hill event in Villach, Austria.
Discover how Strate overcame adversity to excel in ski jumping while balancing her studies in graphic design at Toronto Film School HERE!
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Steven Hoffner’s ‘NHL Trophy Case’ Docuseries Premieres on ESPN+
Steven Hoffner’s latest hockey-themed project premiered on ESPN+ and Sportsnet over the summer.
NHL Trophy Case – which was aired by the U.S. broadcaster on June 16, and here in Canada the following day – is a documentary series chronicling the origin stories, histories and intricate designs of the greatest trophies in the sport of hockey.
Learn about Hoffner’s journey from NHL producer to director of TFS’s Film Production program, and discover more insights from his engaging documentary series HERE!
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Screenwriting Grad Olivia-Autumn Rennie Wraps Short Doc ‘Lights, Camera, and a Call to Action’
Class of 2024 Writing for Film & Television graduate Olivia-Autumn Rennie recently wrapped shooting on a documentary project that fuses her twin passions for filmmaking and disability advocacy.
Lights, Camera, and a Call to Action is a documentary short that the 3rd year MD-PhD student made in hopes of challenging stereotypes surrounding disability by exploring the work of three artists – a theatre artist, a painter and a musician – who are using their work for disability advocacy.
Read more about Rennie’s collaborative filmmaking approach, and how the Video Production and Bachelor of Creative Arts student aims to inspire a new perspective on disability and call for increased accessibility and inclusivity through the film HERE!
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TFS’s Leslie Cserepy Wins Outstanding New Work at Ottawa Fringe for 1ForUOne4Me
Leslie Cserepy, a TFS Campus Administrative Assistant, recently won the award for Outstanding New Work at Ottawa Fringe for his first solo show, 1ForUOne4Me.
The show, Cserepy said, is heavily inspired by the world of Bouffon-style clowning – a kind of anti-clown based on mockery and satire that he learned during three weeklong intensives hosted by the Sweet Action Theatre last year that combines audience interaction with satirical humour to explore themes of anger and distraction.
Discover Cserepy’s journey from intense workshops to winning accolades and his plans to bring the show to Toronto in 2025 HERE!
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TFS Alumni & Faculty with Projects to be Featured at TIFF 2024
Toronto Film School will be well represented at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) next month, with at least seven alumni and an instructor involved in projects screening at the prestigious festival.
Discover producer Chris Hatcher‘s Sweet Angel Baby, Akhil Khithani and Mark Andrew’s Shook, Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, Juan Carlos Huguenin in Angelina Jolie’s Without Blood, Ahmed Mokdad‘s The Best, and Christopher Kezar and John Tench’s 40 Acres.
Click HERE for a look at each of the films, the alumni and faculty who worked on them, and how you can check them out!
