Filmmakers

Adam Hill is a first-time Inuk director, writer and actor currently studying at the CNA’s Television & Film Technical Production Program in St. John’s, NL. The 18-year-old is deeply connected to his culture and home of Labrador, and passionate about telling stories inspired by his own life and passions of culture and the arts.

Stagefright (14:15)

After the cast list is posted, all hell breaks loose. This film will make you question the lengths people go to be in the spotlight.

César Espinosa, a recent graduate student at the College of the North Atlantic Digital Filmmaking program, loves editing, writing and producing films that feel fresh to the viewer, combining new styles of storytelling.

Thalasso (5:00)

When Jane finds a body washed up on shore, with a mysterious looking rock in their hand, she starts feeling mesmerized by the strange object and the rolling waves of the sea. Will the ocean claim its next victim?

Darren Bruce is an aspiring director based in Stephenville, Newfoundland, and is a graduate of the College of the North Atlantic. With roots from the Jamaican diaspora community, his focus sits at the intersection of film, television, and the Dancehall/Reggae music. He believes that Caribbean culture deserves the same cinematic intentionality as Hollywood movies

Pordosia

After discovering her partner’s infidelity, a deeply devoted young woman struggles to hold herself together until her confrontation with him spirals into something she can never take back.

Eric White is a Director, Writer, Actor, and Producer from St. George’s Newfoundland.

Directly after High School, he went to the College of the North Atlantic’s Digital Filmmaking Program where he helped produce multiple short films as a director, writer, actor, art director, sound designer, and lighting technician.

After graduating, he founded Dome Video productions, a film production company that won the Ulnooweg Youth Entrepreneur Award. At the same time, he also produced the Wicked Fright Horror Film Festival in Stephenville, Newfoundland, and would return to his old film school to direct their annual intersession project, Shanawdithit: A Beothuk Story.

Eric White now operates out of St. John’s, Newfoundland where he continues his pursuit and passion of filmmaking as a graduate of the College of the North Atlantic’s Television and Film Creation Program.

Brushstrokes and Bloodlines (5:00)

Film Director, Eric White, searches for inspiration in his family tree by interviewing his artist relative, Nelson White. The two discuss their passions of art, their identities as indigenous artists, and how family helped them evolve in their careers.

Halen Pittman is a budding filmmaker from the Bay St. George area. Though recently focusing on sound mixing and design, Halen is also a talented editor and is known for his vaulting ambition with his directorial projects. He has worked on a multitude of short films over the years.

Malevolence (10:23)

Police investigators study videotape footage from two would-be killers stalking their first victim.

Jacob Burden is a young filmmaker and CNA graduate from Port Hope Simpson. Ever since he was young, he wanted to make movies. His film, Hard Tickets, was considered to be one of the best films produced by the CNA Digital Filmmaking program.

Hard Tickets (11:00)

In 1930s Labrador, a war veteran lumberjack engages in an arm wrestle which lasts a ridiculously long amount of time.

Hi, I’m Miracle Princess Uchendu — but everybody calls me Mimi, because shouting “Miracle Princess” across a film set sounds like a royal announcement.

I moved from Nigeria to Newfoundland in 2021 to study digital filmmaking… and I tried to fall in love with the winter. Tried. I really did. But let’s be honest — winter and I are not friends. The cold is disrespectful, the wind is personal, and the snow? The snow is plotting something.

Back home in Nigeria, I studied TV production, and after arriving here for the digital filmmaking program, I’ve worked as a production coordinator with Abadak, edited for ICMI (Indigenous Culture and Media Innovations), and currently spend my 9–5 answering phone calls from people who are either upset, confused, or confusing — sometimes all three at once. Honestly? It’s character-building… and great material for comedy.

When I’m not glued to a desk, I’m out making comedy skits and promo videos for Corner Brook Nissan, because if life gives you lemons, you film it, add dramatic music, and hope it goes viral.

I also recently started a TikTok page called The Nigerian Newf, where I learn Newfoundland culture out loud, battle with the local slang (I’m trying, b’ys), and share bits of my Nigerian culture along the way. I’m building the brand with hopes of turning it into something big — or at least something funny.

My goal? Keep learning, keep creating, and explore this beautiful island while documenting the journey. And when I’m not doing any of that, you’ll find me in my natural habitat: on the couch, wrapped in blankets, watching movies and enjoying the high-level skill of doing absolutely nothing.

The Nigerian Newf (running time)

A sharp, funny parody news style about Newfoundland life, wild weather, and culture shock — told through the eyes of The Nigerian Newf.

Reighlyn Penashue is from a small community called Sheshatshiu, Labrador. Reighlyn is very passionate about snapping memorable moments of the innu people, the land, the stories that come with it, and just the presence of being around the whole community. She has had an interest in photography, film making for the past 2 years with the teachings and skills from Heidi Atter. Reighlyn is a quick learner, and she really takes time to listen to people and understand what is it that’s needed from her. She’s very kind, and really challenges herself to try new things. She always gives her 110% in whatever project she is working on. I hope one day young kids look up to this very talented Innu girl from Sheshatshiu.

Preparing Innineu: Partridge Cleaning in Sheshatshiu (5:00)

Partridges are a common food source for Innu First Nation People in Labrador, especially in Sheshatshiu. Partridge is Innineu in Innu-aimun. This film captures a cultural workshop at the Manishan Nui Gull Island Gathering, filmed by Innu youth Reighlyn Penashue and Karlianna Pokue, with help from emerging filmmakers Heidi Atter and Charlie Pye-Strowbridge.

Roger Gallant is an independent filmmaker and musician who creates experimental, non-narrative short films. He is located in Kippens, NL and takes inspiration from the unique natural beauty and culture in the region. Since 2005, he has been working in the environment management field focusing on endangered species conservation. In 2020, he began Projectaroid Multimedia and has developed several award-winning short films. His work reflects a sombre and tranquil tone, with some of it being influenced by his 20+ years of working in environmental management and species conservation.

MOVEMENTS (5:00)

Movements is a 5-minute experimental, non‐narrative short film showcasing the passage of time across western Newfoundland’s unique landscapes. The film uses time‐lapse and slow‐motion videography to explore the relationship between humans, nature, and time.

Theo Newbury (he/him) is a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker from NL, Canada. His primary genres are horror and drama, with a strong focus on storytelling through shot composition and framing. Though he has been involved at some point or another with all aspects of the filmmaking process, Theo has found his place behind the camera on both independent and collaborative projects, and thoroughly enjoys adding a gritty, eerie flair to each one.

Dehumanized (11:00)

Evelyn is an active teenage girl who enjoys walking down local trails. To keep sane, she often has to bury her face in her phone on her walks, as catcalling has become an all-too-common experience for her. One day, this distraction leads to her bumping into a boy about her age, who watches her as she walks away.

Through the lens of a police report, snippets of Evelyn’s life over the course of a few weeks are revealed, as well as the nature of the boy she encountered — being that he is obsessed with online snuff films. Evelyn realizes that she is being stalked, receiving creepy notes at her door as well as experiencing an aggressive run-in with the boy. One day, he follows her home. He tortures and kills her, then posts the evidence on his favourite gore site, much to the delight of the other users.

Travis Lucas is a filmmaker from Stephenville Crossing with a passion for art & design and a graduate of both CNA’s Digital Animation & Digital Filmmaking programmes. He’s trying to grow interest in film on Newfoundland’s west coast through the creation of the Sandy Point Independent Film Festival as well as his own films through Wicked West Coast.

Evan is a multidisciplinary artist whose work over the last decade has focused on documenting local and regional cultural activities in video and photography. For five years, Evan taught in the Digital Animation & Digital Filmmaking programs at CNA, where he met many of the artists featured in SPIFF 2026. One of Evan’s many goals is to develop the arts sector in his home region of Bay St. George, in part by fostering the next generation of artists. In 2025, he launched SOONL Media, which produces a mix of documentary, archival and original fiction films.