SEAHORSE is the Canadian feature film written by, directed, and starring Aisha Evelyna and Joseph Marcell (FRESH PRINCE OF BELAIR).

Upon Completion, SEAHORSE will be the first Canadian feature film written, directed by, and starring a Black woman.

The project is a recipient of Canada's Telefilm Talent to Watch Fund and was filmed in June/July 2024 in Toronto. The project is produced by Natalie Novak Remplakowski of Citrine Productions and executive produced by Daniel Bekerman, Jordan Hart and Karen Harnisch.

A Black woman desperate for stability following a mental health crisis, is forced to reconcile her family’s past when her estranged father, now an unhoused man on the street, reappears in her life. 

I wish that I could begin this statement with “I come from a long line of people who...” – but I can’t finish that sentence.

I don’t know who I came from. I can only guess how the traumas of generations past left cracks in the lives of my parents, and how they live on in me. What I do know is that I am made of sweat and the sea.

Though I was born in Canada, salt water still runs through my veins. And if I can mend these cracks, I can be a vessel for the dreams of my ancestors.

As an actor and filmmaker, it is stories like SEAHORSE that I am burning to tell—stories that ground lofty sociopolitical concepts in the beauty of the everyday. I believe in the transformative power of film, and I’ve made it my heart’s work to tell stories about the marginalized with dignity and grace.

I know first hand how bearing witness to the daring actions of others has opened the possibilities for the heights I can ascend to. And it is my deepest hope that in watching this film that others are inspired to live fearlessly, lead with empathy, and be bold enough to seek joy in their lives. 

SEAHORSE confronts timely issues that we face in Toronto. Housing unaffordability and food insecurity are problems that intensify with each passing season and the rise in unhoused people is increasing while limited resources are available to those struggling with mental illness.

In response to these issues, It’s very easy to choose nihilism, but occupying a space of ‘we are all doomed’ comes with inherent privilege. Those in precarity who are staring down the barrel of their demise act. They begrudgingly get a second job, they move out of a city to a cheaper suburb, they embark on a dangerous voyage to a new country where they don't speak the language.

We as filmmakers and citizens of the world are choosing to act. We want to champion authentic perspectives, bringing housing insecurity and mental health in the workplace to the forefront of our audience’s attention– using our specific connection to Toronto to dramatize what we know audiences globally are experiencing.

We don’t purport to know all the answers but understand that a cultural shift must be made. We are all hurting, but we have decided to try. Our film posits that without each other, we are lost, and so we take our cues from NOLA, who strives to rediscover life-in-community.

SEAHORSE is a labor of our film community’s commitment to the story and messaging behind the film.There is a lot of talent and excitement fuelling this production, but we also need your help to bring this film to completion!

Contributions will be helping to provide:

NOLA, the short film, serves as a precursor to SEAHORSE, with the titular character, Nola, being the protagonist of the feature film.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH 'NOLA' THE SHORT FILM 

password: seahorse

The short celebrated its World Premiere at the 2024 Aspen ShortsFest. The creative team, listed below, will carry forward to the feature project. 

NOLA was a participating project in the Caribbean Tales Black Incubator and Studio Access Project funded by CaribbeanTales Media Group.  It is produced by Aisha Evelyna of Rowboat Pictures and Natalie Novak Remplakowski of Citrine Productions. It is executive produced by Daniel Bekerman and Jordan Hart.

Aisha Evelyna | Writer, Director,  Lead Performer - Born to Canadian parents of Caribbean descent, Aisha Evelyna (She/Her) is a Toronto-based actor, writer, and director who is passionate about bringing underrepresented stories to the forefront of our social purview.

In 2024, Aisha won a Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Performance for her work on the comedy series THE DROP (which she also co-created, wrote and directed) and was nominated for Best Director. The Canadian Screen Awards mark the highest level of achievement in the Canadian Film & TV industry.

Aisha was recently named a MovieMaker Magazine X Austin Film Festival Screenwriter to Watch. Recent credits include the short film ALEX (2022), named a Vimeo Staff Pick after premiering at HollyShorts and screening at Austin Film Festival. Aisha wrote, directed, and starred in the film.

As an actor, recent film and TV appearances include RABBIT HOLE (Paramount+) and SLO PITCH (IFC/OutTV). When not dreaming about films or filmmaking, Aisha can be found eating donuts in Toronto.

Natalie Novak Remplakowski | Producer - is a Polish-Canadian filmmaker based between Toronto and NYC.

She is a current candidate of New York University’s TISCH Graduate Film Program, awarded the Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship and the WTC Johnson Scholarship to attend.  

Recent credits include the FREAK by Claire Barnett which received a ‘Special Mention’ at the 77th Locarno FF in the Pardi di Domani International Competition, THREE KEENINGS by Oliver McGoldrick in the Orizzonti Short Film International Competition at the 81st Venice FF and NOLA co-directed by Aisha Evelyna and Natalie Remplakowski (Aspen Shortsfest, AIFF, SJIWFF).

Natalie has been a producer on award-winning films and series that have been recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and festivals worldwide including Venice, TIFF, Sundance, Cannes, New York Film Festival, SXSW, Aspen Shortsfest, BlackStar, among others.

She is the founder and president of Toronto and NYC-based production company Citrine.