Michaelin McDermott's short, violent thriller 'rePlay' at La Femme Film Festival 2009

rePLAY, a tense short film thriller produced, written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Michaelin McDermott, will screen in Los Angeles as part of the 5th Annual LA Femme Film Festival, on October 15 at 12 pm. Most recently, it was awarded an Award of Merit for short film from the Accolade Competition.

The film chillingly portrays a terrifying encounter between a young woman, Kate Stewart, and two knife-wielding carjackers who want her vintage vehicle and maybe more. Kate has to rely on her own inborn strength to survive and escape her attackers. The story was based on a real life incident in McDermott's past...

“As a young woman, two young men kidnapped me at knifepoint from a department store parking garage,” she recalls. “I’ve never forgotten the texture and tension of that experience. In an odd way, it was like being a character in a scary movie and not knowing how it was going to end. Our day together was intense but I survived the trauma and thought I was safe. Only later when the police didn’t believe I was telling the truth did I questioned both my sanity and beliefs.”

Michaelin McDermott has enjoyed an eclectic career that encompasses photography to directing to writing. She has more than a decade’s experience as a film and TV unit photographer and four years as a producer at The Discovery Channel.

“I’ve tried to cinematically tell the story in a suspenseful, compelling manner,” she says. “But when the audience leaves the theatre, I’m hoping that the rawness of rePLAY and the emotional truth of its characters will provoke discussion about the nature, dynamics and definition of sexual assault.”

The LA Femme Film Festival, now in its fifth year, runs October 15-18, 2009. “rePLAY” will screen at the Renberg Theater, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood on October 15 at 2 pm. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online at www.LAFemme.org or at the box office.