The Filmmakers

Caroline Coutts was born in Wick, Scotland and moved to Canada with her family when she was three years old. She is a graduate of the Directors' Lab at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto and has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

Caroline's work as a filmmaker references fables, fairy tales and myths. Her films take place long ago, or in fantasy worlds, and evidence a distinct visual style. In storytelling, Caroline strives for a subversive (sometimes comic) approach that combines with a female sensibility to give a new spin to age-old tales.

Her previous short films as a writer/director include "DogBoy," a b&w lyrical fable about a little boy abandoned by his parents and adopted and raised by a pack of feral dogs. Co-produced by Diana Wilson, the film screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Worldfest-Houston, the Atlantic Film Festival and the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth in Vancouver, among many others.

"DogBoy" won the Special Jury Remi Award for Best Original Narrative Short at Worldfest-Houston (making it eligible for the Genie Awards), the Deborah Gabler Legacy Award at the WIFTV Women in Film Festival in Vancouver, as well as eight Leo Award nominations (and two wins) for Excellence in British Columbia Filmmaking. It has since aired on the Knowledge Network, British Columbia's public television network.

"The Beast of Dulle Griet" is a fantastical fairy tale set in the 16th century, in a village built entirely underground, where all the townsfolk live in mortal dread of a terrible monster. Produced by Karen Lam, the film screened at the Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver, the Rogers Online Short Film Showcase, the Satellite Short Film Festival and others, and was nominated for four Leo Awards (and won two).

"The Lonely Passion of Petar the Pig Farmer" is a surreal comic fantasy about a lonely pig farmer who wishes, above all else, for a beautiful wife to take care of him. A partial list of festivals includes the Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Worldfest-Houston and the Raindance Festival of Independent Film in London, England. The film won a Bronze Remi Award for Best Original Comedy Short at Worldfest-Houston.

Caroline's films have been awarded grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the National Film Board of Canada Filmmakers Assistance Program and Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society's Production Fund. She has sat on juries for the DOXA Documentary Film Festival and Yorkton Film Festivals, and works as a film curator and programmer when not making films.

Diana Wilson is an award-winning independent filmmaker, producer, communications specialist and event organizer based in Vancouver. Diana's credits include co-writing and co-directing the feature documentary "Being Caribou" (with Leanne Allison), which won over 20 international awards including Gemini and Leo Awards for Best Documentary and the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Most Popular Canadian Film Award. The film became a top seller for the NFB and was broadcast on CBC's "The Nature of Things" and across the U.S. on the Documentary Channel.

Diana co-wrote and produced the award-winning hour-long documentary "100% Woman" (directed by Karen Duthie) for the Doc Channel and Life Network, and produced the dramatic shorts "Instant" (VIFF 2009, with director Mark Schroeder), "DogBoy" (VIFF 2007, with director Caroline Coutts) and "Kathleen’s Closet" (NSI Drama Prize 2005, with director Sheila Jordan.)

As a communications specialist and event organizer, Diana has worked for numerous non-profit organizations including the Crazy8s Film Society, The Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, Greenpeace and the Canadian Rainforest Network. She is also a former chair of the BC Chapter of the Documentary Organization of Canada, former board member of Women in Film and Video Vancouver, and former board member and guest programmer for the DOXA Documentary Film Festival.