ABOUT

MACKENZIE LEIGH

Recipient of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s U.S. INPUT Producer Fellowship Award, Mackenzie Leigh is a fellow of the JETS Initiative at the Berlinale, Hot Docs Accelerator Program, Telefilm’s Producers Without Borders at the European Film Market (EFM), and Frontières International Co-Production Market (Marché du Film). Mackenzie produced the recent hit feature film, DAUGHTER OF THE SUN (Fantasia Audience Award; Berlinale Perspective Canada; Apple TV+) that screened at over 35 festivals, with 30 awards and nominations, followed by a successful limited theatrical run, which was a follow up film to SON OF THE SUNSHINE (Slamdance) that was released on Netflix, Amazon, HULU, HBO, MUBI, Super Channel, TMN, and Movie Central. Mackenzie also produced six short films, including IN THE BEGINNING WAS WATER AND SKY (PBS), AMERIKA (Best Film INPUT TV), MEMORIES OF YOUTH (CBC), TO ALL THAT WE ARE (Inside Out TIFF Lightbox), OUR SECRET, and TIME TRAVELING THROUGH TIME (PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights, Seattle International Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Award Winner, Omeleto). Her directorial debut, HEALER, screened at Oscar® and BAFTA qualifying festivals, winning the Youth Award for Best Short Film (Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival) and the EDA Award for Best Female Directed Short (Whistler Film Festival, presented by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists). A Women in Film Los Angeles’ Creative Producing alum, Mackenzie was mentored by Michelle Raimo Kouyate (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) and Laura Caulfield (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET). She is currently developing her directorial debut feature, NORTHERN LIGHTS, and producing the limited series, THE AQUANAUT & THE SHIPWRECK.

RYAN WARD

Ryan’s debut feature SON OF THE SUNSHINE (Slamdance)—praised as “a gem of filmmaking genius” (National Post) and a “mature, immediately involving story” (Indiewire)—was nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Screenplay. His newest feature, DAUGHTER OF THE SUN, screened in the Berlinale’s Perspective Canada program and won an Audience Award (Fantasia), Best Actor Award (Fantaspoa), and Best Actress Award (Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre). Ryan wrote and directed AMERIKA that won INPUT Television Conference’s Best Film and went on to screen at PSBT open frame India, as well as sold out screenings at INPUT Taiwan. Ryan’s limited series version of AMERIKA was supported by Telefilm’s International Marketing Program to present at the JETS Initiative at the Berlinale. Ryan also wrote and directed the PBS film IN THE BEGINNING WAS WATER AND SKY that is used as a teaching tool in classrooms across North America. As an actor, Ryan originated the lead role of Ash in the Broadway cult sensation EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL that MTV called “the greatest musical phenomenon on the planet.” Ryan’s performance garnered him a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination (Canadian Tony), as well as an appearance on The View. Ryan also starred in WE ATE THE CHILDREN LAST (TIFF) and ABOUT FACE (Tribeca). Ryan recently completed the short films, OUR SECRET and TIME TRAVELING THROUGH TIME (Tallinn Black Nights; SIFF, Omeleto), starring Julian Richings (THE WITCH, BEAU IS AFRAID) that won Best Experimental Short at the Oscar® qualifying Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival. His credits as producer include HEALER (deadCenter, EDA Award from the Alliance of Female Journalists - Whistler Film Festival), MEMORIES OF YOUTH (CBC), TO ALL THAT WE ARE (Inside Out TIFF Lightbox), and NORTHERN LIGHTS (in development). Ryan teaches screenwriting at UCLA.