Reelworld would love to send a big shout out to one of our very own alumni, the award winning director Cazhhmere Downey. Having recently accomplished participation in the WBD Access x Canadian Academy Directors Program, Cazhhmere continues to depict excellence when it comes to dedication to their craft. With over a 20 year commitment as a director, their portfolio includes productions with artists as diverse as Kardinal Offishall, Snoop Dogg and the Backstreet Boys.
Aside from the 100s of music videos under her belt, Cazhhmere is no stranger to other areas of filmmaking with powerfully moving projects such as the documentary Deeply Rooted (2017) and I Remember the Footprints in the Snow (2021), a short drama. I Remember Footprints in the Snow in particular explores multi-generational trauma between a Mother and Daughter in a unique and vulnerable portrayal. Congratulations Cazhhmere with the continued success!
We did have a chance to touch base with Cazhhmere this April and she left us with some very kind words of encouragement when it came to her time as a E20 participant and its positive contribution to her professional journey.
“That was great access, for me personally, it's what's started (the opportunity). Like I said I'm about to finally go to picture on the film that I developed through the E20 program, and it all started because of that. Two of my pitches are with people from Telefilm and people at Bell Media. Like, the Hill Greenberg Fund, which doesn't exist anymore. But through that, you know, through Telefilm, I found one of my executive producers, and through the representative from Greenberg that I pitched, I got all my development funding. Greenberg gave me two rounds of funding to develop the script, you know what I mean? And I don't know how I would have been able to get access to that so easily had it not been for Reelworld, you know what I'm saying? Because we just don't have that easy access to those types of industry professionals.”
