Lee makes feature debut with The Art of Woo

(Originally published in Playback Magazine, December 18, 2000)

The Feature Film Project, a training initiative of the Canadian Film Centre, has selected for development The Art of Woo by cfc graduate and prolific short filmmaker Helen Lee.

A romantic comedy about an ambitious art dealer who meets her match in a gifted painter, the film will be refined under the creative mentorship of ffp executive producer Peter O'Brian.

Writer and director Helen Lee and producer Anita Lee also worked together on Helen's cfc short Prey, which premiered at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival.

Helen has written and directed a handful of other short films including her latest, Subrosa, which premiered at this year's tiff, aired on cbc's Canadian Reflections on Dec. 3 and will be broadcast on Showcase in the new year.

The Art of Woo is budgeted at roughly $450,000.

Since its inception in 1992, the ffp has produced eight features, including Cube, Rude and Blood & Donuts. The most recent film produced by the program, The Uncles, written and directed by Jim Allodi, with Nick de Pencier producing, made its world premier to critical acclaim at this year's tiff.

The ffp is open to all first-time Canadian feature film writers, directors and producers.