Le Magic Hat

Amélie, a playful 6 year-old who speaks only English must charm a stern principal to join a French school in Quebec and bloom simply by being herself.

  • Lisetty Sandoval
    Director
    Penelope's Story
  • Lisetty Sandoval
    Writer
  • Lisetty Sandoval
    Producer
  • Ryan Baily
    Producer
    Penelope's Story
  • Amelie Baily
    Key Cast
    "Amelie"
  • Nicole Gravalle
    Key Cast
    "Madame Bourgeois"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Family
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 10, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lisetty Sandoval

Ecuadorian-Canadian Award-winning filmmaker and Founder of iLumival Productions.

Her debut feature, Penelope’s Story, follows a resilient teenage girl overcoming the trauma of human trafficking through faith and determination. The film was an official selection at five Canadian and International film festivals, earning two nominations and one award.
It has secured global distribution through the TV App FAWSOME TV.

Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, she discovered her passion for filmmaking at age 15, creating stories inspired by songs and simple phrases. Determined to pursue her craft, she immigrated to Canada alone and studied Film and Television Production at Humber College and trained under industry veteran Thomas Dean Donnelly (Conan the Barbarian).

Lisetty has directed and produced both narrative and documentary films, including The Fallen and El Blanco, and contributed to the community talk show Horizons at Rogers TV in Toronto. She also holds a Business Management certification from the University of Toronto, which she uses to bridge her creative work with entrepreneurial strategy.

Lisetty’s work celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. She believes in using media to inspire transformation, motivate audiences, and help people become the best version of themselves.

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Director Statement

I'm on a mission to empower people around the world become the best version of themselves through my films.