2 shoot days + up to 4hrs of unpaid rehearsal time + up to 1 hour paid hair & make-up consult

STORY films are 10-15 minute shorts from directors, producers and editors in the Norman Jewison Film Program at the Canadian Film Centre. The films are professionally produced in the fall, edited before the New Year, and submitted to the international festival circuit. Recent STORY films have premiered at TIFF, VIFF, CIFF, Fantasia and many more! This is a chance for actors to connect with Canada’s most exciting emerging talent, both on and off screen, and to collaborate with writer/directors on a piece that supports a feature film in development.

Kalainithan Kalaichelvan (He/Him) is a Tamil-Canadian writer and director, whose films have screened at festivals such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, and Melbourne International Film Festival. His short film credits include Junglefowl (2023), A Feller and the Tree (2021) and Petit Four (2019). He is also known for directing music videos and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music Video of the Year in 2022. Kalaichelvan was a participant in the 2022 Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices and the Rogers-BSO Script Development Fund Program.

KARUPY tells the story of a bitter, regal 70-year-old Tamilian matriarch who, during her birthday celebration, shocks her family by announcing she will end her life at sundown. As she prepares for this final act, the film explores intergenerational complexities blending dark humor with family tension, unresolved grief, and supernatural elements.