Our ‘Women Film-Makers’ segment wants to try to showcase the work of budding women directors. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be making films as a profession, or submitting them to festivals, you can submit something you made for a school project, or just lil experimental stuff you’ve shot by yourself or with friends. All we need is a bit of writing about yourself and the film, and a working YouTube/Vimeo link. Click here for more details on how to submit.

Jennifer Shadd’s short film Krypsóna is about a young woman’s decision to kidnap the boy she babysits for, living out her own escapist fantasy fuelled by her broken personal life. Her inspiration from the film came from her interest in the ways young people process trauma and dysfunction; how our surroundings as children can feel so much bigger, more dangerous, and more magical than experiences in adulthood. Jenn wanted to capture the contrast between the innocence of her character and the cold, relentless world they exist in, without presenting the dangers of their world with too heavy a hand. The backstories and ultimate fates of her characters are purposefully left ambiguous.

As a film-maker, she is interested in stories from a female perspective that explore tensions relating to identity, childhood, sex and relationships. A few of Jenn’s heroes in film are Maya Deren, Agnes Varda, Julia Ducournau, Reed Morano and Ava Duvernay. In addition to obsessively exploring her passion behind the camera, Jenn’s ultimate goal is to find creative ways to connect with women and girls through female-centered storytelling.