English 
French As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Emily Schooley, an award-winning actor and filmmaker, the founder of Laughing Cat Productions, based in Toronto.
This post presents the resources that Emily Schooley mentioned during the conversation. The podcast episode will be published soon.
Emily Schooley
Emily Schooley is an award-winning multi-dimensional performer, filmmaker, and storyteller. She works primarily across theatre, film, and new media as an actor, voiceover artist, director, writer, and host. While Tkaronto is her current home base, she creates and tours work throughout North America and internationally. To date, Emily’s independent work has screened at festivals across North and South America, UK, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Her 26-minute sapphic short “Life and the Art of Lying” won multiple awards including Best LGBT Short (Toronto Short Film Festival 2018). The film also received recognition from the Swedish institute ValueCine for significantly surpassing gender norms on-screen: with over 90% of total screentime and dialogue going to women. Her most recent short “The Sweetest Goodbye” – which Emily wrote, produced, directed and stars in – has received a record seven awards and nominations thus far in its festival run; it was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, and generously supported by Panavision Toronto, William F. White, and Workman Arts.
Learn more about Emily Schooley on IMDb
Visit Emily Schooley’s Linktree
For updates on Emily Schooley’s activities, visit her Patreon page.
Laughing Cat Productions
Laughing Cat Productions is an emerging independent production company that creates bold, entertaining, and transformative original women-led media that reaches and inspires global audiences. Since incorporation, the company has incubated and received mentorship through organizations including Banff Spark, the Canadian Film Centre, the Disability Screen Office, and TMU’s Transmedia and Social Ventures zones. In 2024, the company was recognized as a finalist for the Meridian Small Business Big Impact grant, for their thought leadership in creating improved sustainability and intersectional inclusivity within the media industry. Laughing Cat Productions is currently developing a diverse slate of new projects across various genres and formats, including a shortform digital series supported by Ontario Creates.
Learn more about Laughing Cat Productions on their website
Sketch comedy Crip Metal Interview
One of the two videos opening the interview is an excerpt of Crip Metal Interview. Watch the full sketch comedy:
If the video does not play, watch in on YouTube.
Short film The Sweetest Goodbye
The other videos opening the interview is the trailer of The Sweetest Goodbye, with Emily Schooley and Salma Dharsee.
Watch the trailer and read the project updates on Laughing Cat Productions’ website
Upcoming screenings:
- Alliston Circle Theatre on May 15, 2025: Link to tickets and schedule
- Grand River Festival between May 22-26, 2025, in the Kitchener Waterloo Area: Check the Festival’s website for updates
Salma Dharsee
Salma Dharsee is a film, television and voice over actor who was born, raised and is still living in Toronto, Canada. She has been pursuing acting since realizing that filling her soul with joy makes the world an easier place to live in. An avid consumer of knowledge and growth, Salma has trained at various schools and with a variety of instructors filling her actor toolbox and honing her skills – from Improv at Second City to Linklater-based voice with David Smukler and scene study classes at Pro Actors Lab, LB Acting Studio and McGeachie Actors Practice (MAP). She has also learned an incredible amount being a professional working actor from Christine Horn (BMTV & HBA) and Jodie Bentley (Actor Insider). Salma performs in a variety of media with the goal to help people tell their stories with empathy and a sense of humour.
Learn more about Salma Dharsee on IMDb
Bill C-7 and MAID (medical assistance in dying) in Canada
Bill C-7 permits a doctor or nurse practitioner to lethally inject a person who cannot consent, if that person was previously approved for MAID. The previous law (Bill C-14) was amended in 2021, broadening eligibility for MAID by removing the “reasonable foreseeability of natural death” criterion, allowing more individuals access to the procedure. This contravenes the Supreme Court of Canada Carter decision which stated that only competent people could die by MAID.
Learn more about its controversy
The Squeaky Wheel: Canada
Based on Steven Verdile’s popular web publication The Squeaky Wheel and produced by Hitsby Entertainment in association with AMI TV, The Squeaky Wheel: Canada is a satirical, half-hour news format which pokes fun at the ableist society people with disabilities face every day. Directed by Lucy Belgum and Tobi Abdul, the series stars Graham Kent and Gaitrie Persaud as lead anchors Grant Gewürztraminer and Arianna Salara. The ensemble cast of Margaret Rose, Samantha Wyss, Sivert Das, Wesley Magee-Saxton and Yousef Kadoura are on the scene, ready to take on absurd situations and characters, including flipping the script and embodying obnoxious able-bodied/neurotypical personalities. It was just nominated for two Canadian screen awards.
The episode on which Emily Schooley worked is called “Are We Filming This?”
Watch all the episodes of The Squeaky Wheel: Canada
The Disability Screen Office (DSO)
The Disability Screen Office is a national, bilingual, disability-led not-for-profit organization whose mission is to develop opportunities for disabled creatives and advocate for a more accessible Canadian screen industry. Through our partnerships and programs, we are setting a new national standard for inclusive screen-based storytelling.
Learn more about the Disability Screen Office on their website
Sasha Boersma and Sticky Brain Studios
Sasha Boersma is the Co-Founder & Producer of Sticky Brain Studios, a team of curious, big-thinking, value-driven creators who can take our digital content anywhere we want it to go; they make immersive games and apps and all sorts of creative content that help their partners not just reach their audiences, but really connect with them. Sasha spends most of her day buried in numbers, contracts, and pondering business opportunities. Then she escapes to her dog Totoro, one of the fluffiest dogs you’ll ever see.
Learn more about Sasha Boersma and Sticky Brain Studios
Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Network
Founded in 1984, Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT+ Toronto) is a member-based, not-for-profit organization. They are passionate individuals who are dedicated to the education, engagement, and empowerment of their members at all stages of their careers within the screen-based media industry. WIFT+ Toronto is dedicated to creating a community that is equitable, inclusive, and accessible. Membership is available to everyone, regardless of gender expression.
Learn more about Women in Film and Television on their website
Short film made with a smartphone
In the interview Diane mentions a movie created with an Apple iPhone. It was actually made with a Google Pixel.
Watch Javier in Frame:
If the Javier in Frame video does not play, watch it on YouTube.
Watch the story behind the video:
If the story behind the video does not play, watch it on YouTube.