Photo credit: Andrew Haye
Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Co-Founder of 2Skins Entertainment, Carly MacIsaac, and Chala Hunter are thrilled to announce that P!GS, a dark comedic short film following one woman’s fantasy during a catering shift from hell, will have its broadcast premiere on CBC GEM on October 28, 2021.
P!GS, which had its festival premiere at the 15th Annual Caribbean Tales Film Festival, is directed by Chala Hunter (Moon Dog, Nurses, Burden of Truth, Pony) from a screenplay written by Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah (Henry G20, DEFUND, The Last of Us, Slo Pitch, Y The Last Man) and Carly MacIsaac (Alex, Easy V), starring a truly robust cast for a short film, including Roberts-Abdullah, Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek, Titans, Pretty Hard Cases), Andrew Moodie (Avocado Toast: The Series, Race), Araya Mengesha (DEFUND, Nobody, Tiny Pretty Things, Anne with an E), Tony Nappo (Pretty Hard Cases, Bad Blood), Amy Keating (Ginny & Georgia, Killjoys) and Christine Horne (Riviera, Malory Towers, Hey Lady!).
P!GS is an absurdist take on server Ruth’s fantasy during a catering shift from hell, shining a light on the ways women have learned to expertly normalize the various ways in which their boundaries are crossed.
“When I first read P!GS, I felt the thrilling sensation of being allowed into someone’s innermost, secret desires and thoughts. I also thought, wow-I know this feeling. How many times have I, as a woman, held my tongue, swallowed my feelings, put up with being talked down to, felt up, belittled and discarded. P!GS digs into the experience of being gendered female in this moment in history, and focuses on that experience within the service industry, in the form of one hellish catering shift. I say hellish, but the truth is that what Ruth (our heroine) is forced to contend with in her workplace, as a woman of colour, is not that unusual. That she experiences various forms of micro violence over the course of her shift: pretty normal. So normal in fact, that most women have learned to expertly normalize the various ways in which their boundaries are crossed on a regular basis. A touch here, a catcall there, a condescending remark, a silencing. All pretty common, unfortunately. P!GS, for me, asks the question: what might happen if women expressed themselves when they felt disrespected, what if they felt empowered to articulate their boundaries without fear of reprisal, or worse, violence. What if they felt comfortable within the codes and paradigms of society to actually, consistently require the respect they deserve as human beings: physically, emotionally, intellectually. For me, this film begs these questions, with humour, sharpness, and intelligence. I hope that in witnessing this film, the audience will receive the unreasonable expectations that we as a society place on women, and other marginalized humans, to be unreactive when they are mistreated. That they will receive this in a way that highlights the absurdity and danger of these expectations, alongside, and actually INSIDE of Ruth’s experience,” said Director Chala Hunter.
When it came to funding P!GS, the filmmakers said, “We thought we’d have to beg, borrow, and steal to make this film, but all we had to do was ask. Our community, which is made up of some of Canada’s most talented individuals, was ready to support us- not just as female filmmakers, but as the voices they want to see leading the industry next. Most of the cast and crew in some way or another have been our friends, teachers, and mentors going years back into our development as young artists. We called upon them and they generously donated their time and talent to help us fulfill our vision for this story.”
