Private Project

Womb Envy

This series is created with Integrated Described Video (IDV) making it equally accessible for a blind or partially-sighted audience through its scripting, production and sound design.

Mark is stuck in a rut. Nearly 30 years old, he is wanting more than the tired beat of the Toronto gay dance floors and is seeking purpose in life. His childhood friend Mary is pregnant and desperate to escape the clutches of her religious zealot mother, Dorothy, and the small town they grew up in. Showing up on Mark’s door one day after years of separation, Mary convinces him to pretend to be her baby daddy, since he was the only man her mother ever approved of, after reminding him of the years she spent being his “fake girlfriend” as a teen.

They create rules to ensure the success of their half-baked idea, which splinters Mark’s fragile queer ego to create a drag queen apparition - The Divine - who constantly fights against this new assimilation to heteronormativity. Confusing things even more, Mark soon falls head over heals in love with their lamaze instructor, Patrick, which throws a huge wrench in their charade for Dorothy.

Internalizing the chaos in his life, Mark develops a rare condition known as couvade syndrome, bizarrely displaying pregnancy symptoms which become increasingly more difficult to hide, even from his new crush Patrick, who is partially-sighted. Everything in their lives quickly unravels, leaving Mark and Mary to pick up the pieces in time to welcome their babies into the world and into a new nuclear family.

  • Jake Horowitz
    Director
    Cup of Cheer
  • Mark Keller
    Writer
  • Charlie David
    Producer
    Avocado Toast, Dating Unlocked, Drag Heals, Shadowlands
  • Champagna
    Producer
  • Storm Steenson
    Key Cast
    "Maggie"
    Sunshine City, Cup of Cheer
  • Daniel Fernandes
    Key Cast
    "Max"
    Drag Heals
  • Jeffrey Haase
    Key Cast
    "Patrick "
  • Champagna
    Key Cast
    "The Divine"
    Call Me Mother, Queens, Drag Heals
  • Luke Avoledo
    Key Cast
    "Kyle "
  • Project Type:
    Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 10, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Paris Play Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    February 23, 2023
    France
    Best LGBTQI+ Series
  • Paris Play Film Festival
    Paris
    France
    February 23, 2023
    France
    Best Production Design
  • Chile Digital Festival
    Santiago
    Chile
    May 19, 2023
    Chile
    Nomination - Best International Webseries
  • Telly Awards
    New York
    United States
    May 26, 2023
    Silver Telly Award - Comedy Series
  • Telly Awards
    New York
    United States
    May 26, 2023
    Bronze Telly Award - Scripted Series
  • TO Webfest
    Toronto
    Canada
    September 19, 2023
    Official Selection - Best Sound Design, Best Costume Design, Best Hair & Makeup, Best LGBTQ+ Webseries
  • Apulia Webfest
    Apulia
    Italy
    August 25, 2023
    Italy
    WINNER LGBTQ Rights Award
  • Minnesota Webfest

    United States
    October 4, 2023
    Minnesota
    Official Selection, Nomination - Best Dramedy
  • Berlin International TV SERIES FESTIVAL
    Berlin
    Germany
    July 14, 2023
    German
    Official Selection
  • Merced Queer Film Festival
    Merced, California
    United States
    July 8, 2023
    Official Finalist
  • World Webfest Mania Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    August 6, 2024
    Official Selection
  • The Atlanta Black Pride LGBTQ International Film Festival
    Atlanta, Georgia
    United States
    August 30, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Cinema Studio +
    Roldanillo
    Colombia
    September 22, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Baltimore Next Media Web Fest
    Baltimore, Maryland
    United States
    November 2, 2023
    Official Selection
  • Sydney Webfest
    Sydney, New South Whales
    Australia
    September 30, 2023
    Official Selection
  • New Jersey Webfest
    New Jersey,
    United States
    September 21, 2023
    Nominee: Best Writing/Script, Best Supporting Performance, Best Chemistry, Best Series Premise, Outstanding Comedy
  • Black Alphabet Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    September 29, 2023
    Chicago
    Official Selection
  • Tuscany Webfest
    Tuscany
    Italy
    November 5, 2023
    Italy
    Finalist Webseries Trailer, Narrative Webseries
  • Cannes
    France
    November 30, 2023
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Border2Border Entertainment
    Distributor
    Country: Canada
Director Biography - Jake Horowitz

Jake Horowitz is an award-winning Toronto-based writer, director, and producer. As the founder of Sideways Dog Productions, Jake has brought to screen numerous features, television series, and short films that have premiered theatrically and at film festivals across four continents. Jake's directorial debut, the meta-rom-com All About Who You Know, premiered in 2019 to critical and commercial acclaim. The film racked up awards and screenings at prestigious film festivals around the world, and can now be seen on Paramount Plus in the US. In 2020 Jake directed, produced, and co-wrote Sideways Dog Productions' second feature, Cup of Cheer. The movie was released theatrically to critical acclaim, with a four-star review in the National Post, a primetime review on CBC News hailing Cup of Cheer as "the spoof to end all spoofs," and CTV critic Richard Crouse calling it "a dizzying onslaught well delivered by a game cast." The film was met with praise internationally, and was the #1 film at the Canadian box office for the two weeks it was screened. In 2022, Jake's newest project, the first season of a comedy/mystery series entitled Sunshine City, debuted worldwide. As a producer Jake has participated in a number of high-profile industry business development programs including as a JETS Award Winner at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlin, 2018, 2020) and FIN Partners (Halifax, 2019, 2020, 2021). Jake got started in the industry as a recipient of the prestigious Writer's Apprentice Award at the Banff World Media Festival (2014, 2015), and then went on to write for Canada's top rated sitcom, CTV's Spun Out. In addition to Jake's work in film and television, Jake has won awards for stand-up comedy and is the published author of several short stories in various international anthologies, including the acclaimed collection The Unseen by Fincham Press. Jake holds a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from University of Roehampton in London, UK.

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