BITE AND SMILE

A satirical look into society's expectations of women, set against the gloriously comedic backdrop of a 'Bite and Smile' commercial audition.

  • ELISE BAUMAN
    Director
    Mary Kills People, Carmilla, Frankie Drake, Murdoch Mysteries, Almost Adults
  • ELISE BAUMAN
    Writer
    Mary Kills People, Carmilla, Frankie Drake, Murdoch Mysteries, Almost Adults
  • LEAH DOZ
    Writer
    Ransom, Mary Kills People, Murdoch Mysteries, Kim's Convenience
  • ELISE BAUMAN
    Producer
    Mary Kills People, Carmilla, Frankie Drake, Murdoch Mysteries, Almost Adults
  • LEAH DOZ
    Producer
    Ransom, Mary Kills People, Murdoch Mysteries, Kim's Convenience
  • LEAH DOZ
    Key Cast
    "Jane"
    Ransom, Mary Kills People, Murdoch Mysteries, Kim's Convenience
  • SHAUN BENSON
    Key Cast
    "Niles"
    Channel Zero, Saving Hope, The Girlfriend Experience
  • LOU JURGENS
    Key Cast
    "Casting Director"
    iZombie, Covert Affairs, Beauty and the Beast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    60 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Toronto Independent Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 13, 2019
    Canadian Premiere
    Best Short Short
  • Breakthroughs Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    June 25, 2020
  • St. John's International Women's Festival
    St. John's
    Canada
    October 18, 2019
  • Moinho Film Festival

    Portugal
    May 30, 2019
    Best Actress
Director Biography - ELISE BAUMAN

Upon graduating from New York City’s Circle in the Square Theatre School, Elise moved to Toronto and was shortly cast as the lead in Shaftesbury Film’s web series Carmilla, (over 35 million fans worldwide, and winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Digital Series 2016). Her first feature film, Almost Adults, in which she starred, was named Indiewire’s 2015 Project of the Year. Last winter, Elise took home the Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Screen Awards. Other credits include a cameo in Chiller TV’s Slasher, Serendipity Point Film’s Below Her Mouth (TIFF 2016), The Inherent Traits of Connor James (Inside Out 2017), Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury Films, CBC), Frankie Drake (Shaftesbury Films, CBC) and The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), as well as the upcoming seasons of How to Buy a Baby (CBC Comedy), and Mary Kills People (Global). Elise has recently begun directing and producing, with three music videos and a short film under her belt.

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Director Statement

Originally inspired by co-writer Leah Doz’s personal experience at a fast food commercial audition where she was told not to move her jaw while she chewed because it was “unflattering” on camera, my aim was to create a film that explores the impossible standards for women within society and how they are still being propagated within the entertainment industry. Virginal yet sexual, maternal yet submissive, ambitious yet never intimidating, these polarizing expectations can feel maddening to the point of rebellion. Told through a comedic lens, I felt the metaphor of the “bite and smile” audition would be easily accessible and palatable, which is, after all, what a woman *should* be, right?