Women of the West
Love, death, and the wheel of fortune. Set at the turn of the century across Canada, the US and Mexico, this is the story of Sara. The Victorian romantic is thrust on an unexpected journey when she is suddenly widowed from the love of her life; in striving to provide for her family, she must carve an unconventional path for herself amidst the turbulent landscape of the expanding West. This is a story of resilience and defying destiny.
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Marie-Michele Jasmin-BelisleDirectorDesert Haiku, The Drum Will Never Stop, Grey Matter, Helix, Wonder Chamber no 1
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Marie-Michele Jasmin-BelisleWriterDesert Haiku, The Drum Will Never Stop, Grey Matter, Helix, Wonder Chamber no 1
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Marie-Michele Jasmin-BelisleProducerDesert Haiku, The Drum Will Never Stop, Grey Matter, Helix, Wonder Chamber no 1
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Eleanore JacksonKey Cast"Sara"
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Cory McFaddenKey Cast"Jack"
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Genevieve PaquetteKey Cast"The Fortune Teller"
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Naomi AldrichKey Cast"Grace"
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Mika Mentza SnowKey Cast"Tannys"
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Meghan Beth RileyKey Cast"The Opera Singer"
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Marie-Michele Jasmin-BelisleCinematographerDesert Haiku, The Drum Will Never Stop, Grey Matter, Helix, Wonder Chamber no 1
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Project Type:Short, Television
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Genres:drama, period, historical
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Runtime:24 minutes 21 seconds
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Completion Date:February 25, 2019
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Production Budget:9,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:Canada, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Reel East TexasKilgore, Texas
United States
November 16, 2019
Texas premiere
Winner of Best Actress and Best Cinematography -
Ocean Coast Film FestivalLavra
Portugal
October 20, 2019
European premiere -
American Indian Latino Film FestivalNew York
United States
May 19, 2019
East coast premiere
Award finalist -
Queen Palm International Film FestivalPalm Springs, CA
United States
April 10, 2019
Coronet laurels -
Rome Film AwardsRome
Italy
November 29, 2019
Italian premiere -
Mediterranean Film Festival CannesCannes
France
November 23, 2019
French premiere -
L'Age d'Or International Arthouse Film FestivalKolkata
India
South Asian premiere
Winner Best Women's film, Winner Best Score, Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography -
Las Vegas International Film CompetitionLas Vegas
United States
July 25, 2019 -
Northeast Mountain Film FestivalDillard
United States
June 14, 2019
Award finalist
Montreal film director and artist Marie-Michele can often be found in seascapes, deserts and urban jungles between the Maritimes, California, New Mexico and Japan.
She catches the light working across the cinematic platform using dance, surrealist narratives, film-poems, immersive dreamscapes and branded content, collaborating with indigenous hiphop artists, Japanese spiritual singers and other creatives around the world. Recent accomplishments include solo shows in Montreal and Tokyo, screenings at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and film festivals from Indonesia to Germany, Australia to Italy, Brazil, England and the US, as well as the prize for ‘Best Cinematography’ for her short ‘Helix’ in Buenos Aires.
Aiming to contribute meaning and beauty to our highly interconnected world, Marie-Michele's work deals with the ideas of magic, the sublime, light and morphic resonance. She currently has 4 short films in the festival circuit, and is currently in production with both a web series (a Canadian period western) and a feature-length fiction film.
What does it mean to be a Woman of the West ? Born at the crossroads of French, English and Native American cultures, I believe that the western world in which I was raised is not as much a place, as it is a state of mind. To be ‘of the West’ evokes an intrepid spirit; one that does not falter when challenges arise, rejoicing where others will retreat. It is a spirit born of necessity, bred by creativity, resilience, hope and unending faith. Faith in oneself, in community, in love, in family.
We are here to celebrate the lives of women whose paths will remind us of the incredible interconnectivity of all things.
In a land where the vastness of the deserts is only met in grandeur by the immensity of its oceans, where mountains marry forests and streams ow through the course of our four seasons,
we will follow the stories of botanists, opera singers, costumers, fortune tellers, wives and daughters, mothers and sisters, pioneers in the frontiers of their minds moreso than the land. is is not a western, this is a celebration of what it’s like to be a woman in a unique time and place, where space and privilege has afforded us the choice to be who we were born to be. Though tragedy misses no one, these will be tales of victory through our own darkness, tales of second chances, turning poison into medicine,
finding courage, strength, and above all love.