As all Canadian filmmakers are wont to do, I am currently applying for arts funding. And for the first time in my life, I’m actually filling in the 38+ page application for a Canada Council for the Arts grant. Unbeknownst to me, the last six years of abject poverty in transitioning from comfortably employed producer to writer-slash-director-cum-distributor have transformed me into a mid-career artist — at least, as defined by the guidelines. Not being gainfully employed on a television series or by producers who could dictate final cut has been good for my artistic standing, if not my bank account.
So now, the challenge is to re-categorize my chosen genre — horror — into something academic, artistic and worthy of arts consideration. Lest you think I’m pulling out the shovel, I honestly believe that horror *is* absolutely worthy of arts consideration. There’s no other type of film that lets me explore my worst fears, explore the ugliest bits of society, and rethink gender inequality in a way that could be deemed entertaining. Plus, I get to decapitate and disembowel a few people along the way.
Now, how to I phrase that exactly…?