Producers

Sarah Spring

 

Sarah Spring is the founder and president of Parabola Films and serves on the Executive of the Documentary Organization of Quebec. Sarah produces theatrical documentaries from filmmakers with fresh creative approaches to documentary storytelling. Her credits include Ariel (2013) shot in Mendoza, Argentina about a man’s poetic journey to rebuild his mind and body after a terrible accident; Jeppe on a Friday (2012) in Johannesburg, South Africa and À St-Henri, le 26 août in Montreal, Quebec (2011), in which local filmmakers simultaneously document stories in one neighbourhood over the course of a single day; H2Oil (2009) about the battle over Alberta’s tar sands, and Roadsworth: Crossing the Line (2008) about a notorious Montreal street artist. Parabola Films is committed to supporting artists with a unique vision for discussing social change and cinema, and looks for collaborators who are passionate about storytelling.

Selin Murat

Producer Selin Murat has worked extensively in both Turkey and Canada, producing author-driven documentaries that have shown internationally on television and at festivals the world over. With Parabola Films, Selin has produced St-Henri, the 26th of August and The Lamb, as well as managing the slate of films in development and searching for emerging filmmakers with a unique voice. Current projects include award-winning Argentinean-Canadian filmmaker Laura Bari’s feature documentary about her brother, Ariel, who is rebuilding his mind and body after losing his legs in a terrible accident. Selin’s last Directed project, Ginseng Empire, premiered at Big Sky Documentary Festival.

Directors

Shannon Walsh

Shannon Walsh is a filmmaker, educator and writer. Her first feature documentary, H2Oil, was recognized by the Montreal Mirror as one of the top ten independent documentaries of 2009 for its urgent and poignant telling of the human and environmental devastation caused by Canada’s tar sands. Her second feature documentary, St-Henri, the 26th of August, brought sixteen filmmakers to uncover the complexity and contradictions of everyday life in a Montreal neighbourhood. Underlying all of her work is a focus on social justice and collaboration.  She completed a post-doctoral fellowship as part of the South African Research Chair in Social Change at the University of Johannesburg in 2013.

Laura Bari

Originally from Argentina and fascinated by the intersection between the arts and expression, self-taught filmmaker Laura Bari currently resides in Montreal. She chose film as a way to merge the themes of art, education and mental health. Antoine, her first full-length documentary, was shown at some thirty festivals around the world, winning the DocTape Award (RIDM), the Lindalee Tracey Award, First special jury prize in Athens, Honorific Prize for Best Experimental Documentary at Docupolis, Special Jury Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the Talent Dove of the Medie Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig at DOK Leipzig.

Pablo Alvarez-Mesa

Born in Medellin, Colombia, Pablo Alvarez-Mesa studied Design Engineering and Photography before moving to Canada to pursue his post secondary education in Film Production at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. Since finishing his BFA, he has produced and directed various short films that have played at international film festivals throughout the world.  His most recent documentary, Jelena’s Song, produced by the National Film Board was awarded with the Pierre and Yolanda Perrault award at the RVCQ in Montreal. His interest in documentary lies in the relationship between fact and fiction; between what is recalled and what is inevitably constructed. His short films all touch in one way or another issues of displacement, history and collective memory. Pablo now resides in Montreal, Quebec where he is currently a Film Production MFA candidate at Concordia University.