Bradley Stryker is an accomplished actor and filmmaker with an impressive, and growing, list of credits, including Devil in Ohio, Chesapeake Shores, and The O.C.. He wore both hats on Sheltering Season, his critically acclaimed alternate reality thriller that was not only inspired by the pandemic but was one of the first projects to go to camera after the industry re-opened in summer 2020. In the film, a woman (played with nuance and fire by Caitlyn Stryker) finds herself isolated in her remote home with her brother who is seeking forgiveness for the darkest moment in their family history. In this fascinating and at times emotional conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Bradley reflects on his adventures in pandemic filmmaking and storytelling, and dancing with grief. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA.

Garfield Wilson’s filmography is packed with some of our local industry’s best-loved and most critically acclaimed productions, including Continuum, Schmigadoon, The Man in the High Castle, Virgin River, Ivy and Bean, and Snowpiercer. His roles are often ones that require power, presence, poise, and physical acumen, and he’s using all of those qualities (and more!) as Balestro on Reginald the Vampire, which kicked off its second season on May 8. SyFy’s cult favourite dark comedy follows the adventures of a slushy store employee turned vampire and his human and formerly human friends. Reginald is portrayed by Jacob Batalon, who played Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in five MCU films and who is now leading one of the most diverse and wildly funny shows on TV. Garfield’s Balestro is the Big Bad of the new season. He’s a powerful and intimidating angel who descends from heaven to announce the eventual extinction of vampires – which, obviously, is not welcomed by Reginald the vampire, his vampire friends, and the humans who love them. In addition to his family and his work in the industry, Garfield is passionate about his activism on behalf of Trans kids. Garfield’s daughter Tru has been a Trans activist since the age of nine, giving TED Talks and advocating for the civil rights of Transgender and genderqueer people, and her proud dad has been by her side every step of the way. In this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, Garfield talks avenging angels, slushy-loving vampires, and raising Trans kids in intolerant times. Episode sponsor: UBCP / ACTRA

The murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk in 1997 sent shockwaves across Canada. Her murder thrust issues of bullying and teenage violence into the Canadian consciousness. 27 years later, Reena’s story is back in the public consciousness, on both sides of the border this time, thanks to Under the Bridge, a limited series produced by ABC Signature for Hulu and streaming on Disney Plus. Under the Bridge is based on acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey’s book about Reena’s case. Told through the eyes of Godfrey (portrayed by Riley Keough) and a local police officer played by Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), the series takes us into the hidden world of the young girls accused of the murder, revealing startling truths about bullying and teenagers, family relationships, and racism. Under the Bridge was filmed in British Columbia, which is fitting, because Reena’s is a British Columbia story. In this thoughtful and at times emotional episode, Sabrina speaks with two remarkable British Columbia-based artists involved in the production – acclaimed director Nimisha Mukerji, who directed the fourth episode of the series entitled “Beautiful British Columbia,” and actor Evan Rein, who portrays Officer Don Gardner, a rookie cop on the Saanich police force – about their experiences working on the series and why, nearly 30 years later, it’s important to bear witness to Reena’s story. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Award-winning actress Sara Canning (Remedy, The Vampire Diaries) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about Sweetland. Based on the book by Michael Crummey and adapted for the screen by Christian Sparkes, who also directed, Sweetland draws its inspiration from Newfoundland’s controversial resettlement program, which has removed hundreds of communities from the map. As the film opens, the government is ready to resettle the far-flung fishing community of Sweetland with a healthy pay-out, but only if the entire community signs up for the move. Retired fisherman Moses Sweetland is one of the last hold-outs, which doesn’t make him popular in town. Sara is Clara, the mother of a very special young boy who has a kinship with Moses but who would benefit from treatment and therapies that aren’t available in Sweetland but are available in St John’s. Sweetland is devastating, stirring, and haunting – and for Sara, a born Newfoundlander and long-time fan of the book, the film is something of a homecoming. On May 17, Sweetland will begin an extended at VIFF Centre in Vancouver. In this special episode featuring one of British Columbia’s – and Newfoundland’s – finest actresses, Sara talks about her journey to and with Sweetland, how place influences story, and the Newfoundland of it all. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Actress Loretta Walsh (When Calls The Heart) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss The Lifespan of a Fact, the based-on-real-life play that she’s producing and starring in this month at Studio 16 in Vancouver. The Lifespan of a Fact tells the story of a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine, a talented writer with a transcendent essay about a high stakes event concerning a teenage boy, and a magazine editor-in-chief who needs to balance truth and art with the unsentimental realities of the magazine business. The Lifespan of a Fact is funny but, given how it holds up a mirror to our culture’s current fascination with bending lies into “alternative facts,” it’s also terrifyingly timely. As Emily the editor-in-chief, our dear Loretta shares the stage with longtime collaborator Ben Immanuel and Tal Shulman from So Help Me Todd, under the direction of renowned theatre artist Jennifer Clement. The Lifespan of a Fact runs May 2nd to the 12th at Studio 16, and the May 8 performance will feature a post-show Q & A with the cast, director, and special guests. And that’s not all: Loretta can currently be seen in season 11 of Hallmark Channel’s wildly popular When Calls the Heart, which kicked off its latest season on April 7. In this compelling and at times emotional interview, Loretta talks about The Lifespan of a Fact, how When Calls The Heart’s Florence has changed since season one, acting opposite Hrothgar Mathews, and the ways that theatre can soothe a broken heart. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

In this DOXA Documentary Film Festival double-header, Sabrina Rani Furminger speaks with two filmmakers whose films are featured in the 2024 edition of the popular fest. Up first is Rachel Epstein, the filmmaker behind The Anarchist Lunch. The film is the story of a lunch – or rather, 35 years of lunches enjoyed each week by a group of ardent leftists who congregated in a Vancouver Chinese restaurant to discuss the important topics of the moment. Among them is Rachel’s father, Norman. The Anarchist Lunch follows these revolutionaries over a period of several years, through the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the unfolding of resonant global events. As some members struggle with personal health issues, Rachel’s film takes on new layers to explore the meanings of activism, camaraderie, and growing old. Next up (at timecode 26:13) is Cindy Mochizuki, whose film Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama re-introduces viewers to the famed Vancouver photographer and activist who passed away in 2018. Tamio spent several years of his childhood in an internment camp, after being held with thousands of other forcibly displaced Japanese Canadians in cruel and dehumanizing conditions at Hastings Park – and after the internment ended in 1946, Tamio and his family moved to Chatham, Ontario, once the terminus for the Underground Railroad. And that remarkable beginning is only just that: the beginning of Tamio’s remarkable life as a photographer and activist. In these two fascinating conversations, the documentarians discuss legacy, activism, and the joys and challenges of fact-based filmmaking. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Jennifer Spence (Travelers, Continuum) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about her leading role in The Trades, a new half-hour single-camera comedy series on Crave. Set in a blue-collar community where the high stress of working in a refinery are balanced by the comedic high-wire antics of its plant workers, The Trades centres around Todd (played by Robb Wells, AKA Ricky from The Trailer Park Boys), a pipefitter, and his sister and roommate, Audrey (Moonshine), who follows in her big brother’s footsteps pursuing a career in the trades as a carpenter. Jennifer plays (and shines as) Chelsea, an ambitious young executive from head office who arrives in town, announces she’s the new site manager, and immediately sets about making changes. At its heart, the eight-part comedy series – which is produced by Trailer Park Boys Inc and Kontent Use Productions for Crave – is a love letter to skilled trade workers, written with grit, humour, and heart. In this entertaining and fascinating episode, Jennifer talks The Trades, dick jokes, welding, East Coast vibes versus West Coast vibes, and naughty parade floats. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

When Natasha Burnett and Viv Leacock work together, something special happens. Natasha and Viv play Minnie and Joseph Canfield on When Calls the Heart. The first Black family to feature prominently on When Calls the Heart, the Canfields arrived in Hope Valley a few seasons back and quickly became touchstones for many of the town’s residents. Natasha and Viv are fun to watch, and they look like they’re having fun working together. This fun can be seen in Legend of the Lost Locket, a film that is at once a rom-com and a mystery that spans the centuries. Natasha is Amelia, an antiques dealer from England desperate to complete the quest her late mother started to reunite two halves of a legendary locket. Amelia’s quest takes her to America, to a sleepy town on the eve of its 200th anniversary, and straight into the path of the town’s Sheriff, Marcus, played by Viv. Legend of the Lost Locket is currently streaming on Hallmark Movies Now, and will have its Hallmark Channel premiere on Saturday, April 13. In this fascinating conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Natasha and Viv reflect on their journey to this moment, lost lockets, what to expect for Minnie and Joseph in season 11, what Peter DeLuise said that helped them make sense of the Canfields’ presence in Hope Valley, their shared love of Columbo, and what it is that makes their collaboration work. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

The award-winning documentary feature Union Street chronicles the ongoing effects of racism, displacement, and the cultural erasure of African-Canadians in Vancouver. Before systemic and political mechanisms destroyed Hogan’s Alley – the historic Black neighbourhood located on Union Street – in the 1970s, the area was the home of train porters, speakeasies, juke joints, and a thriving community, and a regular touring stop for iconic musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. The reverberations of this thriving community and its intentional and egregious erasure are still felt – and in the face of adversity, a new generation of Black Vancouverites is working tirelessly to rebuild community and facilitate Black joy.Union Street elevates and amplifies the voices of Black Vancouverites who have decided to create their own spaces. It examines how community spaces can help people heal from racism-related trauma, which is especially important in a city where the powers-that-be actively worked to erase you. Union Street was an official selection of the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival and the 2023 Reelworld Film Festival, where Jamila Pomeroy, the film’s director, won the award for Outstanding Director for a Feature Film. The film is now available on Telus Optik TV Channel 8 and the Telus Originals website. Jamila joins Sabrina Rani Furminger to talk about the past, present, and future of Vancouver’s Black community, and how what happened when she tried to organize a party on Union Street speaks volumes about the barriers that exist today. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Meredith Hama-Brown is the force behind Seagrass, one of the most talked-about feature film directorial debuts to come out of Western Canada in recent memory. Seagrass is the story of a family falling apart. Ally Maki stars as Judith, a Japanese Canadian woman who brings her family to a self-development retreat after the recent death of her mother. When Judith and her husband befriend another interracial couple (one who seems to have the perfect marriage), Judith begins to recognize how irreparably fractured her relationship actually is. Seagrass is devastating, engrossing, and somehow at once a family drama and a ghost story and a 1990s period piece, all set against a startling Pacific North West backdrop and lovingly shot by exceptionally talented cinematographer Norm Li. Seagrass played to sold out crowds at TIFF, won the coveted International Film Critics Awards Fipresci Prize, and was selected for Canada's TIFF Top Ten showcase screening. The film had its highly anticipated North American theatrical release in February, and will be available on VOD on April 2. In this fascinating and thoughtful conversation, Meredith discusses her journey to and with Seagrass, casual racism, where Seagrass should be placed in a video store, and what comes next. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Re:Uniting is the story of a group of college friends who graduated from university together in the late 1990s and reunite for the first time in nearly a decade on Bowen Island. They arrive on the island bearing scars from the traumas of the intervening years, as well as many secrets. Re:Uniting is Drama with a capital D – but is also rich with moments of humour, catharsis, and so much love. Re:Uniting is the feature film directorial debut from actress-filmmaker Laura Adkin and is populated by an ensemble of powerhouses: old friends of the podcast Roger Cross, Michelle Harrison, David Lewis, and Carmen Moore, and new friends Jesse L. Martin and Bronwen Smith.Re:Uniting will screen in theatres across Canada beginning on March 15, including a special screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in Vancouver on March 16 featuring a Q&A with Laura and select cast that will be hosted by YVR Screen Scene’s Sabrina Rani Furminger. In Episode 305, Laura Adkin, Carmen Moore, and Bronwen Smith join Sabrina to talk about their adventures in island filmmaking, building chemistry in the ensemble, self-care for actors, why our 20s are hard, and what happens when you’re trying to film something with Bronwen and she suddenly sees a seal. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Filmmaker Kevin Eastwood returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss his latest documentary. The Society Page – which premieres on Knowledge Network on March 17 – is an in-depth look at the life, craft, and impact of Malcolm Parry, Vancouver’s iconic society columnist. For 40 years, Malcolm was a stealthy presence at events, photographing arguably more Vancouverites and VIPs during that time period than anyone else for his influential society column in the Vancouver Sun. The Society Page delves into Malcolm’s role in cataloguing and shaping the city’s cultural landscape, as well as his work as a journalist and editor who launched the career of numerous other icons, including Douglas Coupland (without whom this film wouldn’t have been made). In this fascinating episode, Kevin discusses Malcolm Parry, the role of a society columnist in any given city, and what we can learn about that city through their lens. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Zarqa Nawaz is a writer, film and television producer, published author, public speaker, journalist, creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, former broadcaster, and star of Zarqa, the CBC Gem comedy series in which she plays a woman named Zarqa, who sells gullible white people brown people things. In season one, a recently divorced Zarqa worked on her business while being pursued by a gaggle of men, ending in a fantastic brawl in the mosque between her ex, her imam, and her white brain surgeon boyfriend. Season two – which hit CBC Gem last fall – began with Zarqa choosing to focus on herself and her business instead of any of the men. Zarqa’s pinning all of her hopes on her new product, Love Masala, an intoxicating new scent and love potion from her company, Zarqish Delights. And what better way to reach the masses than with an endorsement from global brand ambassador Pious Pinky Pervez, a Muslim social media influencer with millions of followers played with pious pink perfection by friend of the podcast Aliza Vellani? Aliza portrayed Layla on Little Mosque on the Prairie, and so Zarqa is something of a reunion between Zarqa and Aliza, except this time, they’re on the same side of the camera. In this compelling conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Zarqa and Aliza reflect on Little Mosque on the Prairie, their experience shooting Zarqa more than a decade later, what diversity and representation looks like in the comedy sphere, and Zarqa’s adventures in stand-up comedy. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Canadian improv comedy icon Colin Mochrie has spent a heckuva lot of time in Vancouver, where he's a beloved alumnus of Vancouver TheatreSports and The Improv Centre. From March 6-8, Colin will return to The Improv Centre for five sold-out performances of An Evening with Colin Mochrie (which are evenings of improv comedy and not anything else; get your minds out of the gutter). Colin’s extensive career includes Whose Line is it Anyway? on both sides of the Atlantic, two years in This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and improv tours criss-crossing the continent. In addition, Colin has used his place as a Canadian improv comedy icon to advocate for his daughter Kinley (who is Transgender) and for all Trans people. In this thoughtful – and, yes, occasionally funny – episode, Colin lays out his origin story and discusses the addictive nature of improv, Vancouver humour, comedy in our woke age, and how to be an effective ally to Trans people. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Andrea Menard is one of the stars of Sullivan’s Crossing, the hit CTV show based on the bestselling books by Robyn Carr. The dramatic series 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 Sully. In October 2023, when Sullivan’s Crossing was about to hit The CW after making waves north of the border, Cosmopolitan Magazine described Sullivan’s Crossing as the “ultimate fall comfort watch.” If Sullivan’s Crossing is the ultimate comfort watch, then Edna Cranebear, as played by Andrea Menard, is the show’s ultimate source of comfort. Edna and her husband Frank – played by the legendary Tom Jackson (North of 60) –  are Sully’s oldest friends and the best example of a loving, honest, and mutually supportive relationship in Sullivan’s Crossing. Andrea’s filmography includes numerous fan favourite roles, like that of the fierce and feisty Debbie Fraser on Blackstone. Andrea is also a 15-time music award winner for her five albums, and she’s toured her Metis cabaret, Rubaboo, across this land. She’s a TEDx speaker, wellness trainer, founder of the Sacred Feminine Learning Lodge, has used her voice to encourage others to end violence against Indigenous women and girls, and, in 2021, was named ACTRA National’s Woman of the Year. In short, Andrea contains multitudes. In this fascinating conversation, Andrea delves into these multitudes, and discusses how Sullivan’s Crossing producers ensured they got Indigenous representation right, acting opposite Tom Jackson, how APTN changed the game for Indigenous artists, and the inherent joy in playing bad “B” Debbie Fraser on Blackstone. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Actress Crystal Balint (Midnight Mass) returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to talk about her work in The Fall of the House of Usher, how the actors, crew, and TPTB dealt with the highly publicized cast upheaval, what it means to her to be part of Mike Flanagan’s “Flanaverse,” and her delicious role on CBC’s new crime procedural Allegiance. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Earlier this month, four of the stars of Allegiance – Supinder Wraich, David Cubitt, Stephen Lobo, and Brian Markinson – joined Sabrina in the YVR Screen Scene studio to discuss the new character-driven crime procedural, which premiered on CBC and CBC Gem on February 7. Supinder stars as Sabrina Sohal (Sort Of), a star rookie police officer who must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father Ajeet Sohal, played by Stephen. Sabrina serves her diverse hometown of Surrey alongside veteran training officer Vince Brambilla (Enrico Colantoni). Brian appears as Ajeet’s exasperated lawyer Max Portman, and David is Superintendent Bolton, Sabrina’s commanding officer. Allegiance (a CBC Original Drama from Lark Productions) is the story of a young woman caught between her allegiance to her flag, to her badge, and to her family. In this fascinating and at times boisterous conversation, the actors talk Surrey, Sabrina (the character, not the host), inclusion, and the singular joy of exquisite writing. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA

Ukrainian filmmaker Khrystyna Syvolap returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to discuss her journey to find work in the Vancouver film and television industry after arriving in Canada with her young daughter in spring 2022, her February 10 screening of Viddana at North Vancouver’s Centennial Theatre (a fundraiser for the Adam Tactical Group), and why people outside of Ukraine should care about the war. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment

Actress Jennifer Robertson is beloved ’round the world for her astounding work as Jocelyn Schitt for all six seasons of CBC’s iconic comedy series Schitt’s Creek, and, more recently, for playing Ellen Baker, Georgia’s regularly frazzled neighbour, on Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia. Canadians will soon see the Vancouver actress in a new role: as host of The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down. The eight-episode competition series – which premieres on CBC Television on February 8 – follows the trials and tribulations of 10 passionate potters, drawn from every background and every corner of the country. The series was filmed last summer on Granville Island in the space formerly occupied by Emily Carr School of Art and Design. Besides Jennifer, viewers will also get to see Seth Rogen, who is both the executive producer of The Great Canadian Pottery Thrown Down and as passionate about pottery as he is about pot. In our season opener, Jennifer discusses Schitt’s Creek’s Jocelyn and Ginny and Georgia’s Ellen, her misadventures doing stand-up and also trying to decipher her pre-teen’s texts, what she learned hosting The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, and Seth Rogen’s commitment to living that #potterylife. Episode sponsor: UBCP / ACTRA