Private Project

For the Best

A young woman holds on to a painful secret. Shamed by society into silence and secrecy, she is denied autonomy. But the winds of the women's liberation movement are gathering and she finds herself swept into a new world of female empowerment where she can let go of her shame, reclaim her past, and find her voice.

  • Madeline Wahl
    Director
  • Madeline Wahl
    Writer
  • Madeline Wahl
    Key Cast
    "Paula"
  • Marnie Mahannah
    Key Cast
    "Marguerite"
  • Anna Terebka
    Key Cast
    "Liz Bailey"
  • Madeline Wahl
    Producer
  • Robert Wahl
    Producer
  • Jordan Griffith
    Director of Photography
  • Victoria Pearson
    Production Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 18, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Canada Shorts-Canadian and International Short Film Fest
    Saint John
    Canada
    Official Selection/Award of Distinction
  • ScreenCraft Film Fund

    Semi-Finalist
  • Canadian Film Fest
    Toronto
    Canada
    World Premiere (festival postponed due to COVID-19)
    Official Selection
  • Oregon Short Film Festival
    Portland/The Dalles
    United States
    August 18, 2020
    United States Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Oregon Short Film Festival
    Portland/The Dalles
    United States
    Finalist-Best International Short Film Award
Director Biography - Madeline Wahl

Madeline is a Vancouver-based actor and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. ‘For the Best’ is her directorial debut. As an actor Madeline struggled to find good scripts with complex and dynamic female characters. Instead of sitting around waiting for someone else to write her these roles, she resolutely decide to take matters in to her own hands, and along with her script, took on the key creative and production roles to bring this personal story to the screen. The script was a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 Screencraft Fall Film Fund. Madeline continues to act but has found a new calling in directing and writing and will continue to create projects with a female gaze.

Madeline graduated from McGill University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I was interested in telling a female-driven narrative inspired by my mother’s real life experience as a pregnant, unwed young woman in small town Western Canada in the late 1960s. I wanted to celebrate how far women have come in the struggle for equality, especially with regards to our own bodies. Sadly, in 2020 it seems a woman’s right to decide what to do with her body is still up for debate, thus our narrative is not as era-specific as we would like to think. The audience is allowed a glimpse of our heroine being escorted through the motions of hiding her shameful situation, keeping reputations intact and leaving questions unanswered. As she ultimately forges her own path to self-acceptance, I hope that the film inspires you to think about the women in your life and the formidable reserves of strength, courage and compassion that define them.