Wanda is passionate about telling stories that inspire interpersonal, mental and spiritual wellness. Her ability to listen and transform a story to film and stage is second-to-none, making her a highly sought-after director/writer/producer.
Wanda’s 2020 film Reflections received 22 awards in 2021-22 including Best Director for the Athens Festival and Best Canadian Female Director for Toronto International Women Film Festival. She was nominated for a Calgary 2018 Stinger Award for the TELUS-supported short film, Are you Listening? she wrote and directed (on ), and the Winner of Best Director at the Alberta One Act Festival (2009) for Graceland. She was Unit B Director for the feature The Great Fear and has directed short films including Belong…Create…Connect. Wanda’s directing with Barrett Hileman showcased her work around North America, and her time with Burnt Thicket Theatre exposed Wanda to authentic personal storytelling. Wanda served on the crew for the award-winning productions including Corporate Ladder, directed by Mike Peterson, and acted in web series including The Off Screen Series. In addition to her undergrad degrees in Theatre and Music, Wanda has completed film directing and acting apprenticeships with Neil Schell with whom she has an ongoing mentoring filmmaking relationship. She is the Artistic Director for Reinholdt Productions. Wanda is a member in good standing with the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) and the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF).
Unique traits: Worked in theatre and moved into film. Worked in and familiar with at least the basics of all the roles on a production team for both film and theatre. First love is directing. Writing is my second love. I love writing to create opportunities for others and myself. I've developed a couple of scripts over the course of years working with a writing team. I have won several awards on the festival circuit for my work.
DONNA Budget: $0 - $100K | Comedy Donna Short fulfills her new husband Joe’s restaurateur dreams with a beat-up Calgary food truck only to wind up creating more chaos than she’s used to.
Pilot - "No More" for the series C.S.O. (Calgary Special Ops) Budget: $100K - $1M | Mystery ⋄ Crime A psychologist turned Police Inspector and her Calgary Special Ops unit (C.S.0.) collaborate with the FBI, RCMP, Canadian intercity police partners, and social services to get justice for and stop the enslavement of the vulnerable.
Reflections: When It’s No Longer
(
Film (short)
by Reinholdt Productions
Director Producer
Are you listening? A pathway to empathy
(
Film (short)
by Cache Productions and Telus Storyhive
Writer Director
Best Female Canadian Director - Toronto Independent Film Festival
(2022)
Best Director - Athens Film Festival
(2022)
Marc Clebanoff Producing
(2021-2022)
Neil Schell Filmmaking Apprenticeship
(2014-2022)