ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
KRISTA LOUGHTON - Producer, Co-Director, Co-Writer
Krista Loughton passionately worked on her first feature length documentary, US & THEM, for over a decade. Conception began in 2006 when Krista made OUR HERO, a short film about Reverend Al Tysick, a street minister who has dedicated his life to serving the poorest of the poor. She also made THE NEW OUR PLACE, a short film about the building of a new facility for the street spearheaded by Reverend Al. These films both won awards at My Victoria Film Competition, put on by the Victoria Film Festival.
Encouraged by this success, Loughton created the concept for US & THEM, a feature documentary that chronicles her experience befriending four chronically homeless people who ultimately change the course of her life. She participates on-screen in the film, while producing and being one of its writers and directors. US & THEM has gone on to create an impact by humanizing and giving voice to people who are living outside on our streets. The film has screened more than seventy times across Canada including an exclusive parliamentary showing arranged for Canada's MPs by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development. Loughton is self-distributing the film and there are further tour plans and screening opportunities for 2018.
Loughton was the programming and community liaison at CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers from 2008-2017, where she offered advice to countless filmmakers and developed curriculum for workshops. Loughton has also worked extensively as a producer, director, editor and videographer on many short independent narratives, documentaries and music videos. Currently she is working full-time promoting US & THEM and developing the concept for her next film. She owns and operates MindFuel Films Inc., in Victoria, British Columbia.
Krista Loughton passionately worked on her first feature length documentary, US & THEM, for over a decade. Conception began in 2006 when Krista made OUR HERO, a short film about Reverend Al Tysick, a street minister who has dedicated his life to serving the poorest of the poor. She also made THE NEW OUR PLACE, a short film about the building of a new facility for the street spearheaded by Reverend Al. These films both won awards at My Victoria Film Competition, put on by the Victoria Film Festival.
Encouraged by this success, Loughton created the concept for US & THEM, a feature documentary that chronicles her experience befriending four chronically homeless people who ultimately change the course of her life. She participates on-screen in the film, while producing and being one of its writers and directors. US & THEM has gone on to create an impact by humanizing and giving voice to people who are living outside on our streets. The film has screened more than seventy times across Canada including an exclusive parliamentary showing arranged for Canada's MPs by the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development. Loughton is self-distributing the film and there are further tour plans and screening opportunities for 2018.
Loughton was the programming and community liaison at CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers from 2008-2017, where she offered advice to countless filmmakers and developed curriculum for workshops. Loughton has also worked extensively as a producer, director, editor and videographer on many short independent narratives, documentaries and music videos. Currently she is working full-time promoting US & THEM and developing the concept for her next film. She owns and operates MindFuel Films Inc., in Victoria, British Columbia.
JENNIFER ABBOTT - Editor, Co-Director, Co-Writer
Jennifer Abbott is a Canadian director, documentary filmmaker and editor, best known as one of the Directors and Editor of the widely acclaimed film THE CORPORATION. Frequently billed as the most successful documentary in Canadian history, THE CORPORATION was held over in commercial theatres internationally, has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from both audiences and critics, won 26 awards including the Sundance Audience Choice Award, 8 other audience awards from international festivals, the Genie for Best Documentary, and was selected as one of the top ten films of the year by the Toronto International Film Festival (it was disqualified from the Oscars as an Ontario broadcast preceded the LA theatrical release).
In 2013, Abbott was commissioned by Amsterdam’s Submarine Channel as one of six international directors to create a short film based on the book UNSPEAK by David Poole, released as a 6 episode multimedia compilation, premiered at DOK Leipzig and nominated for the Prix Europa. In 2012 Abbott completed a feature screenplay with the National Film Board of Canada about one woman’s search for meaning in a peak-everything, neo-con world which she is currently refining. In 2009, Abbott undertook an unlikely collaboration with Comedy Director Tom Shadyac (Liar Liar, Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty), working as Executive Producer and Editor on his first documentary I AM, which played in over 60 US commercial theatres as well as many in Europe.
A COW AT MY TABLE, Abbott’s first feature documentary, screened internationally and is the recipient of 6 international awards. Her previous work includes the experimental short about interracial relationships, SKINNED, shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and editing the documentaries TWO BRIDES AND A SCALPEL: DIARY OF A LESBIAN MARRIAGE and LET IT RIDE: THE CRAIG KELLY STORY. She is the editor of the book MAKING VIDEO 'IN', has taught at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design and was the Programming Director of VIVO, Vancouver’s artist-run media centre. She is a graduate of McGill University in political philosophy and lives with her family on a permaculture farm on a small island in British Columbia, Canada.
Jennifer Abbott is a Canadian director, documentary filmmaker and editor, best known as one of the Directors and Editor of the widely acclaimed film THE CORPORATION. Frequently billed as the most successful documentary in Canadian history, THE CORPORATION was held over in commercial theatres internationally, has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from both audiences and critics, won 26 awards including the Sundance Audience Choice Award, 8 other audience awards from international festivals, the Genie for Best Documentary, and was selected as one of the top ten films of the year by the Toronto International Film Festival (it was disqualified from the Oscars as an Ontario broadcast preceded the LA theatrical release).
In 2013, Abbott was commissioned by Amsterdam’s Submarine Channel as one of six international directors to create a short film based on the book UNSPEAK by David Poole, released as a 6 episode multimedia compilation, premiered at DOK Leipzig and nominated for the Prix Europa. In 2012 Abbott completed a feature screenplay with the National Film Board of Canada about one woman’s search for meaning in a peak-everything, neo-con world which she is currently refining. In 2009, Abbott undertook an unlikely collaboration with Comedy Director Tom Shadyac (Liar Liar, Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty), working as Executive Producer and Editor on his first documentary I AM, which played in over 60 US commercial theatres as well as many in Europe.
A COW AT MY TABLE, Abbott’s first feature documentary, screened internationally and is the recipient of 6 international awards. Her previous work includes the experimental short about interracial relationships, SKINNED, shown at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and editing the documentaries TWO BRIDES AND A SCALPEL: DIARY OF A LESBIAN MARRIAGE and LET IT RIDE: THE CRAIG KELLY STORY. She is the editor of the book MAKING VIDEO 'IN', has taught at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design and was the Programming Director of VIVO, Vancouver’s artist-run media centre. She is a graduate of McGill University in political philosophy and lives with her family on a permaculture farm on a small island in British Columbia, Canada.