‘Mrs. Lahey’ to direct first feature after winning top prize
VANCOUVER — Shelley Thompson, known for playing Barbara Lahey in the Canadian comedy series Trailer Park Boys, plans to shoot her debut feature film after winning an award from Women In the Director’s Chair.
On Friday, the mentorship program announced the actor and short filmmaker has won its 2018 WIDC Feature Film Award, which is designed to encourage more feature films directed by women.
The prize, presented at the Whistler Film Festival, comes with support for the film’s production and post-production valued at up to $200,000.
WIDC says Thompson will use the award to make the drama Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor, about a young transgender woman who reconnects with her estranged father on the family farm after the mother’s death.
Terry Greenlaw of Picture Plant will produce the film, which will be set and shot in Nova Scotia.
Thompson, who is based in Dartmouth, N.S., says the story is “an extremely personal one” to her and her family. “As the parent of a young trans man, I’ve learned so much about the challenges trans people face as they struggle for acceptance and inclusion, especially in a political climate that can seek to devalue or erase them,” the Gemini Award winner said in a statement.
“With the incredible support of the WIDC and the award sponsors, my hope is that this story will encourage what I’ve been privy to in my family: the coming together of family and community to value, advocate for and celebrate trans individuals as they journey to their most authentic selves.”
Thompson has a slew of acting credits and has directed three shorts.