In the rural western Canadian cowboy town of Red River, Mac Bagley (a recently widowed rancher in his sixties) opens his home to a fractured Syrian refugee family.
Withstanding some opposition in the conservative town, Layla (a journalist and booza-maker - Arabic ice cream - from Aleppo), her young magic-inspired daughter Heba and Salem (Layla's adult gay brother) struggle to gain new footing in this new land.
Mac finds himself in similar circumstances as he seeks for meaning and hope after the loss of his wife. While waiting for news of her missing husband, Layla introduces Mac to her Muslim culture. She proposes they partner in opening a booza ice cream shop to help them both move forward. The venture may just hold the promise for a new future.
About Warren Sulatycky - Producer/Director/Writter
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Warren Sulatycky is a Gemini-nominated (Canada’s Emmy) and Dora Award winning interdisciplinary artist and writer working in the visual arts, film/video/television, theatre, photography, and performance. Most recently, Warren wrote, directed, produced his second feature film “Jasmine Road" (currently in post-production), slated for a 2020 market release at Marche du Cannes. Previously, he wrote, produced, directed, edited and acted in his feature film debut, “April in Autumn”, an official selection in Telefilm Canada’s Perspective Canada showcase at the 2018 Cannes Marche. Other creative career highlights include on-going gallery exhibitions of his visual artwork; professionally directing, writing and producing theatre in Canada and internationally since 1985; writer-in-residence at the Factory Theatre and Blyth Theatre Festival; a company member of Robert Lepage’s Theatre Ex Machina for productions in Glasgow, Scotland and the National Theatre, London, England; starred and produced in the off-Broadway US premiere hit of Claudia Dey’s “Trout Stanley”; an alumni of the Directors Lab at Lincoln Centre, New York, and Directors Lab West at the Pasadena Playhouse, Calif. He was Artistic Associate and General Manager of the Theatre Centre in Toronto from 1990-93 and from 2004 to 2008 was Artistic Director of Renaissant Workshop, an interdisciplinary theatre and visual arts space in Soho, Manhattan. Warren has written, produced and directed over 250 hours of television programming for many major Canadian and US broadcasters. He has received many awards and grants for his writing and creative projects. Warren studied visual art and photography at The School for Visual Arts and the Arts Student League, both in New York and the Toronto School for Arts; theatre at the National Theatre School of Canada; filmmaking at SAIT in Calgary, Alberta; and English Literature (BA Honours) from University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary work can be seen at www.warrensulatycky.com
About Caitlyn Sponheimer – Co-Producer
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Canadian born filmmaker Caitlyn Sponheimer's directorial debut short, "Kitty's Naughty Knickers" (2019), was nominated by the Directors Guild of Canada for Best Short Film and opened the Women in Film section of HollyShorts. Caitlyn completed her second short, “I Want To Be Like You” (2020), executive produced by Evren Boisjoli (TIFF & Sundance alumnae). Her first co-written feature premiered at Cannes Marche with Telefilm’s Best of New Canadian Cinema (2018), titled “April in Autumn”, directed by Warren Sulatycky. Caitlyn starred as April and co-produced the film. Caitlyn reunited with Warren to collaborate on his second feature “Jasmine Road” (2020), a story exploring a refugee Syrian family facing adversity in rural town Alberta. Caitlyn produced and co-starred in the film, supported by Telefilm and Alberta Media Fund. Caitlyn’s short script “Monster in Our Heads” was a 2017 Screen Craft Semifinalist. Caitlyn was the lead writer and script editor of a largely popular YouTube Channel throughout 2018. Caitlyn studied in New York, was a voting member of the National Board of Review, and is in development on two features.
Raging River Films is a Canadian producer and distributor of international high-quality film and television with a focus on productions that tell stories of depth, humor and intelligence. Founded by Gemini-nominated (Canada’s Emmy) Warren Sulatycky, a producer/director/writer with over 30 years of industry experience, Raging River Films and Sulatycky have provided over 250 hours of prime-time programming for Canadian and international broadcasters/production partners. In 2016 Raging River Films expanded into feature films for festival and international commercial markets.
Recent feature film projects include the Telefilm Canada financed feature films: “Jasmine Road” (in post-production for 20/21 release), and "April in Autumn" (released commercially in 2019).
Jasmine Road Financial Partners
Jasmine Road Cultural Collaborators
