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In Gillian McKercher‘s first feature, “Lucky Star”, there is no escapist fantasy or whiff of bicoastal elitism. Instead, there are only temptations: Lucky (Terry Chen), an ex-gambler, starts to reach for the cards after he falls for a tax scam; his wife Noel (Olivia Cheng) wrestles with returning a lost watch amounting to the tens of thousands; their eldest, Grace (Conni Miu), wonders if she should confess her academic dishonesty. All the while, their youngest, Jenny (Summer Ly) presides over the family discord. As the characters’ internal struggles spill into their interpersonal relationships, “Lucky Star” captures an entangled mess of love and lies amid the bone-chilling cold of Alberta winter.

We brought together Gillian McKercher and three of her cast on the occasion of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Sbiff) over Zoom. Together, we talked about moving beyond stereotypes, the infamous Canadian cold, and Alberta Asians.

This interview...

Not feeling quite festive this holiday season? Could you use a few more scares on a cold winter night? If you have even just a few minutes to spare, we’ve got you covered!

Writer/director Adam Davis recently released his award-winning Christmas short film Orum via CryptTV‘s official YouTube page. With genre staple Kristina Klebe taking the lead, Orum finds a grieving daughter attempting to bring her mother back from beyond the grave–with horrifying consequences. Always game for a memorable genre role, horror icons Barbara Crampton and Bill Moseley are caught up in the holiday horror here as Klebe’s parents, a welcome addition to this brief but satisfying slice of short-form terror. Former WWE wrestler Paul London rounds out the cast.

Following its festival run, Orum was ultimately nominated for Best Horror Short and Best Supporting Performance (Barbara Crampton) at the 2024 Nightmares Film Festival. Sitting at a brief,...