Synopsis
Mya is a talented and determined teen who’s got her future all mapped out, just not in the traditional sense. Mya has Aphantasia, a condition of the mind that means she isn’t able to visualize. Of course, that hasn’t stopped her from pursuing the visual arts, and her drawing skills have come in handy to document her memories. Her friend Vic finds a sketch Mya made of her holding hands with the cutest boy in the school, Cliff, and in a sweeping gesture of misplaced goodwill, puts it in his locker.
Cliff is a new student, and rumour has it he was a real jerk at his previous school. The last thing Mya wants is to be humiliated by someone for liking him when she doesn’t even! So Mya enlists her friends to help her break into and navigate the near-empty school after hours to retrieve the sketch from Cliff’s locker. Mya must avoid the mysterious after-hours shenanigans of Principal Hutchins, and the patrolling menace of school constable, Officer Todd.
Picture It is a fast paced and quirky tribute to the power of friendship and learning to see outside yourself to understand the big picture.
Cast
Fatsani Vi
as Mya
Mya is Fatsani’s first onscreen role! She has been singing and acting since she knew how to talk and it has become her biggest passion. She also plays soccer and cooks in her free time and is SO excited to see where her arts journey goes!
Anish Sweeney
as Gavin
Anish is no stranger to change. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he has found himself moving from town to town and across the Atlantic. His diverse background has given him a wide array of life experiences to draw on when needed on stage and screen.
Logan Smarch
as Cliff
A student of Victoria School of the Arts, Logan had acted mainly onstage. Always interested to learn more, Logan was excited to give this opportunity a shot, for better or for worse. He is excited to be making his feature film debut. When he graduates high school, Logan plans on pursuing the arts.
Kristi Hansen
as Principal Hutchins
Kristi is a disabled performing artist living and working in Amiskwaciwâskahikan / ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ. Selected credits include Candide (Edmonton Opera); Silver Arrow, Alice Through the Looking Glass (Citadel Theatre); The Invisible (Catalyst Theatre); The Bad Seed, The Jazz Mother, Pith (Teatro la Quindicina); The Hollow (Vertigo Theatre); Small Mouth Sounds, Passion Play (Wild Side Productions); Sound of Music (NAC); Comedy of Errors, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet (Freewill Players).
Athena Annika Reyes
as Jessa and Jasmine
Athena is a 14-year-old aspiring actress and overall performer. Her fascination with the arts began at the tender age of 2 and sparked her journey in the performing arts not too long after. She is a passionate dancer, actress and singer who strives hard to achieve her dreams.
Norma Lewis
as Mya's Mom
Norma’s passion is storytelling. She was recently nominated for Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role in Theater Calgary's production of Steel Magnolias. Norma is the co-founder of 8Rojo, a unique visual performance ensemble. She has also worked with Dandi Productions in The Twins and the Monster in affiliation with several philharmonic companies, in numerous cities across Canada and the United States for family audiences.
Sheldon Elter
as Officer Todd
Sheldon is a Métis performing artist. Theatre credits include Métis Mutt (One Little Indian), The Ministry of Grace (Belfry Theatre), Eday (Serial Collective), After The Fire, BEARS (Punctuate! Theatre), A Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice (Freewill Players). TV/Film: Hank Williams’ First Nation, CAUTION: May Contain Nuts (Gemini, and Canadian Comedy nominated writer) and Delmer and Marta (APTN). @thesheldonelter
Avery Barabash
as Vic
Avery, like their character in the film, Vic, is also non-binary and masc/androgynous presenting. They have a wonderful girlfriend and an amazing group of friends. When it comes to hobbies, they are more of a jack of all trades and a master of none. They plan on going to school for acting, art and design!
Blais
as Herself
Blais is a born worker, sports lover, and friend to all school children. Blais has been in numerous movies, TV and commercials, and she loves working on film for treats and frisbees. She is a Rough Collie from "Lest We Forget Kennels” with many relatives who are Service Dogs. Blais also works full time as a School Therapy Dog with teacher/owner Chris Aanderson.
Crew
Picture It was produced as part of GIFT’s Feature Film Program and the crew is a combination of industry professionals and GIFT students. The professionals are listed in white and the students are listed in pink.