Karen Lam鈥檚 monsters manifest themselves internally before getting released on a TV or film screen.听
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Elle-M谩ij谩 Tailfeathers, on the other hand, speaks to resilience in the face of a monster etched into Canadian history as the worst serial killer the nation has seen.听
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Both women will relay their own versions of horror this week as part of the 12th annual 麻豆传媒映画International Women in Film Festival, which runs March 8 to 12.听
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Tailfeathers stars in the film On the Farm, which serves as a dramatization of journalist Stevie Cameron鈥檚 book of the same name delving into the Robert Pickton murder case.听
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The Vancouverite plays the role of Nikki Taylor, a fictionalized character who perseveres through forced sex work and addiction in the Downtown Eastside. Her story highlights both redemption and indictment. 听
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鈥淪he鈥檚 a truly resourceful, and incredible survivor and a resilient young woman,鈥� Tailfeathers said. 鈥淏ut the film is essentially a huge indictment on the 麻豆传媒映画Police Department, the RCMP and the justice system as a whole.鈥澨�
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The film was released last year, garnering Tailfeathers a Leo nomination. This year鈥檚 awards cycle sees On the Farm up for three Canadian Screen Awards: Best TV Movie, Best Director for a Dramatic Program/Limited Series and Best Lead Actress.听
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The winners will be announced March 12, but Tailfeathers will have already returned home to the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta to kick off her next project 鈥� a film about the deadly synthetic narcotic fentanyl and its impact on her people.听
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鈥淥ur community was essentially ground zero for the fentanyl crisis,鈥� she said, adding the film will be released next year. 鈥淚t impacted us nearly three years ago and we鈥檝e lost quite a few people to fentanyl-related overdoses. The film is meant to share the ongoing work of our community and how you deal with a crisis like this.鈥澨�
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On the Farm will be screened at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 9 at Vancity Theatre.听
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While Karen Lam鈥檚 role in the festival also centres around horror, hers is of the fictional variety. 听
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A writer, producer and director, Lam will lead a pair of workshops on March 9 that delve into the creative process and the optimum elements required to tackle the horror movie genre.听
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鈥淭he stories that I鈥檓 drawn to are worlds that are fully realized,鈥� Lam said. 鈥淲hen you watch something like Game of Thrones or you immerse yourself in a really good book, you have all the details really thought out. It鈥檚 a cohesive, real place.鈥澨�
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Lam entered the TV world in the early 2000s after a career in law. She鈥檚 produced four feature films, eight short films and three television series, including horror titles Evangeline, Chiral and The Meeting.听
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For Lam, horror is a safe place to examine real world issues.听
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鈥淚t鈥檚 a way for me to discuss really hard issues and ideas, but in a more of a surrealist or symbolic ways. A lot of the anxieties, danger and fear that we have of the world around us, I can personify through the horror.鈥澨�
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Lam鈥檚 first panel discussion, Creating the Universe, runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m., while Shooting the Horror Film is slated from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Both events take place at Vancity Theatre.听
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For info, see womeninfilm.ca.听
