If you live in Canada, you’re probably familiar with Heritage Minutes. Produced by Historica Canada, these sixty-second short films educate viewers on fascinating or little-known stories from Canada’s history. Dozens of Heritage Minutes have been released since 1991, and many of them are iconic, like “Doctor Penfield, I can smell burnt toast!” and “You never know, it might be worth something someday” and especially “Both of you know I canna read a word.” The latest short film to join the pantheon of iconic Heritage Minutes tells the story of Mary Riter Hamilton, a brave Canadian painter who ventured into No Man’s Land in the aftermath of World War One. She bore witness to the destruction and devastation, painted what she saw, and suffered mentally and physically as a result. The haunting Heritage Minute – which stars Megan Follows (AKA Anne Shirley) as Mary – was written and directed by a Vancouver-based dynamic duo, Hayley Gray and Elad Tzadok, whose previous Heritage Minute told the story of Paldi, one of the most successful multicultural communities in our history. In this fascinating episode, get to know this trailblazing but little-known artist from the first half of the 20th century, as well as the dynamic duo who stepped up to tell her story. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

“If the Ghostbusters and the Scooby-Doo gang got stoned together in Stanley Park and Frankensteined a high-larious single-camera sitcom, it would probably look something like Paranormal Solutions Inc.” That’s how our valiant host Sabrina Rani Furminger opened an article she wrote in 2016 for the Westender newspaper about the first season of Paranormal Solutions Inc., a fabulous series from the funniest people in Vancouver. Eight years later – and nearly 10 years after visiting their set in Gastown where they filmed much of season one – the Paranormal Solutions Inc. gang is back, with season two. This time around, the PSI gang is even funnier, more of a collective hot mess, and getting themselves into even zanier and grosser paranormal situations than in season one, even serving up a delightful smorgasbord of homages to some of our favourite horror properties, from The Blair Witch Project to Halloween to The Shining to Cujo – and, for some reason, there’s also a lot of kale. Paranormal Solutions Inc. stars David Milchard, Julia Benson, Nicholas Carella, Daniel Bacon, Diana Bang, Christina Sicoli, and Matt Clarke, with cameos from local favourites like Sara Canning and Jordan Connor. It’s produced by Tilt 9 Entertainment and executive produced by another long list of our favourites: Milchard, Carella, Clarke, Michelle Ouellet, and Dylan Collingwood. In this rambunctious episode, Sabrina is joined by Nicholas Carella and Matthew Clarke to talk about the how’s and why’s and WTF’s (including the joys and challenges of acting opposite a taxidermied rodent) of this side-splitting horror comedy series. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

One of the most deliciously terrifying shows on the planet recently returned for its third season. From – an MGM series that airs on Paramount Plus in Canada – takes place in a town in the middle of America that imprisons everyone who enters. As the residents struggle to maintain a sense of normality and seek a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest. There’s a lot to love about From: how it’s at once a scary show about monsters AND a show about how humans can thrive and crumble under extreme pressure; how it forces us to consider how we would fare in similar circumstances; how it features Vancouver actress Angela Moore in a critical role.

Angela is Bakta, a bus driver who arrives in the cursed town at the helm of a bus of passengers who have no idea the hell they’re about to encounter. Bakta is a wonderful character – a woman who was only working this job to pay off her student loans, and stuck around a bit longer for some extra money – but she’s got nothing on Angela, who is a phenomenal actress and remarkable activist who has worked on behalf of her community for many years. In this compelling interview (which begins with surprise cameo by a crow!), Angela discusses her experiences filming From, her “Actor Origin Story," her own relationship to spooky film and television, and how the industry has (and has not) changed since 2020. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

To say that actress Teagan Vincze’s filmography is varied is an understatement. Her lengthy list of credits includes critically acclaimed roles in indie hits – like when she played a compassionate sex worker in Daughter, Anthony Shim’s critically acclaimed first feature that screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival, or when she played a fiery adult film star in The Cannon, a nuanced role for which she was nominated for a Leo Award – as well as nuanced performances in an array of studio and network fare, including Dead Boy Detectives, The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story, and a long and growing list of Christmas movies, including A Cowboy Christmas, where we finally got to see her as the romantic lead . [NOTE: This episode was recorded before it was announced that A Cowboy Christmas will be available to view in Canada on Tubi; check our episode footnotes for more information] . No matter the role or genre, Teagan’s work is fearless, and lifts roles above any cliches. In this compelling and introspective conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Teagan talks about what she’s learned portraying “taboo” roles in multiple screen projects (including Daughter and The Cannon), the importance of intimacy coordinators, and the special magic of her first time as the lead in a holiday rom-com. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

In this special episode, Sook-Yin Lee, the iconic radio and TV broadcaster, musician, film director, actress, and trailblazing MuchMusic veejay, and Chester Brown, the acclaimed alternative cartoonist, swing by the YVR Screen Scene Podcast studio to talk about Paying For It. The feature film – which had its premiere in Toronto and screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival – is a live-action adaptation of Chester’s best-selling graphic novel that was inspired by the end of his relationship with Sook-Yin (who, in the film, is represented by a character named Sonny who works as a veejay at MaxMusic). Here's the premise for both the book and the film: In the late 90s, Chester and Sonny are a long-term, committed, romantic couple. When Sonny wants to redefine their relationship, Chester, an introverted cartoonist, starts sleeping with sex workers and, in the process, discovers a new kind of intimacy. “Paying For It: a comic strip memoir about being a john” was adapted for the screen by Sook-Yin and Joanne Sarazen; the film was directed by Sook-Yin and stars Dan Beirne as Chester and Emily Le as Sonny. In this riveting interview, Sook-Yin and Chester speak candidly about their journey to bring this story to the screen, art as activism, and if Canadians are ready to talk about sex work as work.

Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Content warning: This episode contains frank and graphic talk about mental health, mental illness, and suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or a loved one, the Suicide Crisis Helpline is available 24/7/365 at 9-8-8. You can also find links to international suicide prevention and mental health support services in the footnotes for this episode at YVRScreenScene.com. You matter. You’re not alone.

In honour of World Mental Health Day on October 10, Sabrina Rani Furminger is joined by Alice Ride from Set Protect, a company with a mission to help the entertainment industry better handle issues of mental health and wellness. Their conversation covers the challenges faced by film workers navigating mental illness in the film and television industry, the importance of authentic on-screen representation of mental health issues, and how to be a good ally to people experiencing poor mental health. Says Sabrina: “We need to do everything we can to ensure we don’t lose anyone else.”

Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Actress Nathalie Boltt and Riverdale’s Penelope Blossom don’t have all that much in common, despite the fact that the former portrayed the latter for all seven seasons of the wildly popular teen drama, but one thing they DO have in common is that both make a habit of defying expectations. This is particularly evident in Nathalie’s lengthy filmography, which includes memorable roles in an array of seemingly disparate genres and projects, including District 9, the BBC’s Inspector George Gently, The Astronauts, and 24 Hours to Live. Nathalie is also an experienced screenwriter, producer, and director who received a Leo nomination in 2022 for screenwriting in a short drama for A.T.A.C.K., a comedy about Actors Typecast As Crooks and Killers (hence A.T.A.C.K.), and she recently received funding from Telefilm for Holy Days, her feature film (a New Zealand - Canada co-pro) that will go to camera later this year.

Besides being a phenomenal actress and storyteller, Nathalie is also an activist who cares very deeply about numerous issues related to the health of our planet, whether she’s speaking out on the devastating impacts of palm oil farming and harvesting, bringing attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women, or advocating for Wetsuweten land defenders. On October 8, Nathalie will host the 9th Annual Sustainable Production Forum, a conference for change-makers in the film and television industry who want to ensure that the entertainment industry does no harm to our planet. In this fascinating interview with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Nathalie talks about growing up under apartheid in South Africa, her reaction to Riverdale’s many transformations, the benefits of sitting in discomfort, what matters to her as a filmmaker, and combatting waste in the film industry. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Lynda Boyd first appeared on the YVR Screen Scene Podcast in 2020 to discuss her incredible acting journey (which includes an exceptional six-season run on Republic of Doyle), and in the years since, she’s been busy. She had a wonderful run on Virgin River that ended with a river of tears when her character Lilly passed away. She reunited with Victor Garber on Family Law, where she played a divisive, cunning, and kinda really awful talk show host named Crystal Steele. She’s a mainstay of Hallmark holiday rom-coms. And she currently has a fantastic role on Sullivan’s Crossing, which follows young neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan as she flees the challenges of her life in the big city and returns to the idyllic Nova Scotia campground owned and operated by her estranged father. Lynda Boyd shines as Maggie’s mum, Phoebe Lancaster, who seemingly turned her back on turbulent love in Sullivan’s Crossing for something a little less turbulent (but, ultimately, not actually) in the big city. In this fascinating and funny conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Lynda Boyd reflects on her reaction to Lilly’s death on Virgin River, reuniting with Allan Hawco on Sullivan’s Crossing, her turn as an Ann Coulter-type talk show host on Family Law, and where she’d like to take audiences next.

Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA