IMA Film grads’ thesis project featured on CBC Short Film Face Off

Film graduates continue to make Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) proud: Julia Lalonde and Sydney Beaton’s 2024 thesis project, a short film titled Wet Noodle, was recently featured on CBC’s Short Film Face Off — and was one of the runner-ups for this year’s competition!

The CBC program showcases the “best in Canadian short films from across the country” and puts nine filmmakers head-to-head for a chance to win cash to fund their upcoming project.

Lalonde remembers hearing about the program when a student two years ahead of her in TMU’s film program won the face off. Since then, she’d kept an eye out for the application — and when the film Wet Noodle came together, she jumped at the chance to apply. It wasn’t long before she heard back.

“We got an email from [CBC] that they wanted Wet Noodle,” Lalonde said. “It felt really, really special to capture one of the places [on the show].”

The short film Wet Noodle follows 13-year-old Evelyn, a girl who is in love with people but unconfident in herself, and thinks the way to her crush’s heart is through changing her body.

Lalonde, the film’s writer and director, said the idea came, in part, from her old diary entries.

Beaton, the short film’s producer, came on board with the project in mid-October of their final year of the Film program, as they prepared a pitch to be greenlit by Faculty Over the course of several months, with a cast and crew of nearly 50 people, the short film came to life.

“It was definitely the longest project I’ve undertaken,” Beaton said.

The hard work paid off in the reactions that Lalonde and Beaton received from audiences at screenings — young girls, boys and even mothers — who appreciated the comedic flair that their heart-touching message was delivered with. Getting featured on CBC added another layer to their success.

“We've been lucky enough to get into a couple festivals, but that one, my parents were like, ‘you’re on CBC, you’ve made it,” Lalonde said.

“I had high school teachers who I hadn’t talked to in some time reach out and say, ‘oh my gosh, I saw your Instagram, can I actually watch your film on TV?’” Beaton said.

On top of being featured on the show, Lalonde said it was even more meaningful that audiences voted for their short film, leading it to ultimately be one of the finalists in the competition.

“It was a big deal to me,” Lalonde said. “People put in the w-w-w-dot and they took a second to [vote]. People supported our film in that way.”

Throughout their time in the Film program, both Lalonde and Beaton said they’ve learned to trust their judgement more, a skill they hope to continue developing wherever their filmmaking and producing careers take them.

But perhaps most valuable is the connection that TMU’s Film program provided students and alumni alike.

“We as a group really stick together when there is work to be done,” Beaton said. “When someone has an opportunity, they’re very quick to share that opportunity with other people.”

Lalonde is looking forward to more opportunities in writing and directing, while Beaton said she developed an interest in production over the course of working on Wet Noodle, which she hopes she’ll be able to step back into.