Liesl Lafferty

It's today. The WORLD PREMIERE of the short film “Does Anybody Hear?” at the Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson! Featuring the incredible @olesia_shewchuk , who is also my co-producer. Thanks to the cast and crew. We had a wonderful time that day in the forest. Love those trees! ************* “DOES ANYBODY HEAR?” An uninspired logger attempts to cut down a large cedar tree in a forest, when she is interrupted by strange disturbances. FILM CREDITS: Written & Directed by Liesl Lafferty Produced by Liesl Lafferty & Olesia Shewchuk @olesia_shewchuk Cast - Olesia Shewchuk, Bill Courage, Liesl Lafferty @liesllafferty Cultural Consultant - Chief Calvin Craigan Story Editor - Olesia Shewchuk Assistant Director – Stacee Copeland Kerr @staceecopeland Director of Photography – Jason Benson jbensonpictures Assistant Camera – Darcy Millar @darcymillar1988 Drone Operator – Rob Zawistowski @rzcinema B-Roll Camera - Olesia Shewchuk Production Designer – Carlos Vela-Martinez @cvelamartinez Costumes - Liesl Lafferty Production Sound - Taoufik Mekraz @taoufik_mekraz Boom Operator – Lauren Roderick @laurenroderick Editor – Darian Lung @darianlung Dialogue Editor - Camila Espinosa de los Monteros @girasolpost Foley Editor - José Angel Piña Music - Bruce Cockburn Director's Statement - Liesl Lafferty As a Vancouverite, I live amongst the giant trees of the Coastal temporal rainforest, one of the most important sources of oxygen on our planet. I walk in the forest a lot. I talk to the trees. A few years ago, I caught wind of the work of Suzanne Simard. Through her research, she discovered “plant communication and intelligence”. A Mother Tree can identify her saplings and send them extra water or carbon through her roots to an underground mycorrhizal fungal network. Her conclusion is “Trees talk to one another.” Inspired by her findings, I created this short film.

Some beautiful faces and memories from our second annual Firecracker film fest this month in partnership with @gemsvancouver an generous support from @ubcp_actra Huge thanks to @jilian_tolzmann for capturing all these ignited and united firecrackers! Stay tuned for more information with some exciting additions about next year‘s festival!

3/4 women’s day Firecracker celebrations! Our second annual Firecracker film fest in partnership with @gemsvancouver 🧨🧨🧨❤️ Huge, thanks to the audience that packed the sold out cinema-your support and laughter are so appreciated. Congratulations to all the filmmakers for creating, collaborating and having your voice heard. We are thrilled to have you part of this Festival and the Firecracker Dept community – can’t wait to see what you do next! This festival wouldn’t be possible without the leadership, heart and direction of @liesllafferty @jodyquine @ellieharvie @staceecopeland and the support of @megansmakingit @jilian_tolzmann thank you for igniting Firecracker Dept in Vancouver! Big, thanks to our sponsor this year @ubcp_actra – as you all know the African proverb: “if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together”. Thanks everybody for coming together so we can go as far as we want! Stay tuned for information about how to submit for next year. It’s obvious we’re going to need a bigger cinema!

You know you’re still on your phones right? #lisacodrington @jillianlwelsh @snieckus in I’m Also Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️ shot in @arnpriorlife Written by @liesllafferty Directed by @sam_macadam_ Narrated by @kathryngreenwood_ DP @stina @emily.jzhang Mentee @karunavellino Edited @sam_macadam_ I’m Also Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️….in LINDSAY . See all 6 episodes of I’M ALSO HERE ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on Bell Fibe - Produced by @firecrackerdept and @cmonmort @ashleighrains and @naiyelliromero Created by @liesllafferty and @snieckus See all 6 eps here: https://tv1.bell.ca/fibetv1/shows/im-also-here 4 writers 6 directors 12 actors 6 towns 8 mentees Infinite laughs!….join us for the ride! These female & non-binary cast/crew are the avengers of the comedy community! @arnpriorlife #arnprior #imalsohere

Our @fibetv1 series @imalsoheretvseries launched at the @theelmocambo on Thursday. Check out these classic stairs. The Rolling Stones on the top step. Who is that eighth from the bottom? Is! @firecrackerdept @cmonmort @sam_macadam_ @naiyelliromero @snieckus @ashleighrains @wendy_litner @duke.robin

Introducing co-creators @liesllafferty and @snieckus of ⭐️⭐️⭐️I’m Also Here (produced by @firecrackerdept and @cmonmort @ashleighrains @naiyelliromero for @fibetv1 ) Liesl is a Jessie award-winning director, and a nominated writer, producer and dramaturg. She facilitates Scriptwriting Workshops, provides Story Editing Services, and hosts a Writer’s Accountability Room. Recently, Liesl wrote, directed and co-produced her first short film DOES ANYBODY HEAR? - addressing issues of the climate crisis. Her career highlights include winning the Jessie Richardson – Larry Lillo Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play for HOUSE, by Daniel MacIvor, and directing A TOWN CALLED HOCKEY, by Gary Jones, Liesl Lafferty and Richard Side (Arts Club Theatre). For the Firecracker Department, she co-created the Comedy Film Igniter with Canadian Film Fest and The Writers Lab Canada Script Intensive with the NYC founders. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. For the series, Liesl wrote the “Arnprior” episode (directed by @sam_macadam_ , shot by @stina and @emily.jzhang , and starring @jillianlwelsh and Lisa Codrington). She is also one of the directors of the brand-new Firecracker Film Fest in Vancouver celebrating female and non-binary comedy filmmakers, coming March 7 in partnership with @gemsvancouver . ⭐️⭐️⭐️Huge congratulations to Liesl on becoming a Quarter Finalist in the GEMS Vancouver International Screenplay Competition. Liesl generously offers free script consulting to support fellow writers. @snieckus is a @thesecondcityto alum, an actor/comedian (Mr.D, Pretty Hard Cases, Handmaids Tale, Disney Zombies), writer, producer and the founder of @firecrackerdept . She is a two-time ACTRA award nominee, a four time Canadian Screen Award nominee , a 5 time Canadian Comedy Award winner and a two time Dora nominee- for her show Big Stuff @baramsnieckus she created with her husband, Matt Baram, which is now on tour in Canada/US/UK. 📦📦📦📦Snieckus stars in every episode of #ImAlsoHere as well as writing the Lindsay, Bobcaygeon and Cobourg episodes.

It’s a mini writers room where you get to work on your own script! Tuesdays – Jan 13 to Mar 31 (except Feb 17) Time – 10:00am to 1:05pm PT/ 1:00pm to 4:05pm ET. We pay attention to details… Listening to your pages read aloud allows you to hear whether or not your jokes are landing, your rhythms are building, or if you have too much exposition. With each week’s submission, your script is broken into sections allowing for a keen focus on the dramatic action of every beat. We look at the big picture, the little details and so much more! “Liesl has a remarkable way of fostering an environment where everyone feels supported and motivated to push their boundaries. If you’re looking for a workshop that will challenge, inspire, and elevate your writing, I couldn’t recommend this one more.“ @paulina.carranzar To apply, please check out my website.

🎬 Are you a Canadian female or non-binary filmmaker with a comedy short film? We want to see it! Firecracker Film Fest 2026 submissions are officially open, and we want to see what you’ve been creating. This isn’t just a screening, it’s a celebration of sharp, funny, hopeful storytelling from female and non-binary filmmakers across the west coast. We’re looking for short films that make us laugh, surprise us, or simply remind us why we love doing this. It’s only $12.50 to apply, and your film could shown during GEMFest Vancouver at the Firecracker Film Fest screening, March 7th, 2026. A chance to share your work, connect with other filmmakers, and be part of a community that genuinely cheers each other on. Find all the important info and submission details on our website. We can’t wait to watch what you’ve made! Link in bio 🔗 #FirecrackerFilmFest #VancouverFilm #ComedyShorts #WomenInFilm #femalefilmmakers #NonBinaryFilmmakers #GEMFest #CanadianFilm

🎬 Got a comedy short film? We want to see it! 🎬 Firecracker Film Fest 2026 is officially open for submissions! The Vancouver Chapter of Firecracker Department is back for round two at GEMFest Vancouver on March 7th 2026 and we’re shining a spotlight on the funniest, boldest, and most original short films from female and gender-diverse filmmakers in BC and across Canada. Submission Fee: $12.50 via firecrackerdepartment.com ✨ Key Dates Nov 8 – Submissions open Jan 17 – Submissions close Feb 7 – Notifications Mar 7 – Firecracker Film Fest at GEMFest 2026 Find all the important info and submission details on our website. Let’s make the crowd laugh till they cry (in a good way). Link in bio! #FirecrackerFilmFest #VancouverFilm #ComedyShorts #WomenInFilm #GenderDiverseCreators #GEMFest #CanadianFilm

We call this beauty Big Doug!

Thankful to this glorious cast and crew for making this day (short film Does Anybody Hear?) possible! Shout out to my #firecrackerdepartment pals for their moral support that helped to push me over the finish line! @jodyquine @ellieharvie @zepnep_guler_tuck

Coming this winter 2026 for Bell Fibe! Created by @snieckus @liesllafferty Produced by @firecrackerdept @cmonmort (with @ashleighrains @naiyelliromero ) A comedic journey in six parts! Six writers, six directors, six locations - endless laughs! Standby for the many people that put this show together!