SIGIL FILMS
MELISSA JAMES • PRODUCER • DIRECTOR • ARCHIVAL
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Official selection:
Guelph Film Festival
CUFF.Docs
SYNOPSIS
Singer-songwriter Cassidy Waring returns to Calgary to confront the family tragedy that shaped her. When Cassidy was a teenager, her world was shattered by addiction, abuse, and the sudden death of her mother. Years later, a diagnosis of Complex PTSD gave her language for the pain she carried. Joined by her younger brother, she searches for answers from those who knew their family. Hearse Chasing weaves music, memory, and raw conversation into a portrait of grief, survival, and healing.
ABOUT CASSIDY
Cassidy Waring is a queer Vancouver-based artist who transforms her struggles into raw, indie folk songs that resonate with uncompromising honesty, sharp wit, and vivid storytelling. Her new album, If I Had Only Been Better, delves deeper into her experience with complex trauma.
A TRAGEDY
When Cassidy was just 12, her world changed in an instant. The warmth of childhood gave way to shadows of addiction, silence, and loss, culminating in the sudden passing of her mother. The details remain painful and complex, but the memory of that moment continues to echo through her life and her art, shaping the songs she writes and the story she is still uncovering.
C-PTSD JOURNEY
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) arises from prolonged trauma, often in childhood. For Cassidy, the diagnosis gave clarity to years of panic, grief, and emotional struggles, helping her understand the lasting impact of her mother’s death and family’s collapse. In the film, she has frank discussions with a therapist, opening space for honesty, healing, and reflection.
DIRECTOR BIO
Teresa Alfeld (she/her) is an award-winning writer/director from Vancouver, BC, with over ten years’ experience writing and directing both documentary and scripted films. Feature directing credits include the documentaries DOUG AND THE SLUGS AND ME (CBC 2022), and THE RANKIN FILE: LEGACY OF A RADICAL (Knowledge Network 2019). Recent short film directing credits include the Crazy 8s dramedy TOE PICK (Whistler Film Fest. 2024), the dramedy BOSSBABE (Cinema Spectacular 2023), the comedy DAVID FOSTER’S EGGGPAA starring David Foster and Katharine McPhee (NFB 2022), and the documentary JEAN SWANSON: WE NEED A NEW MAP (Hot Docs 2021, VIFF 2021).
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CAST
CASSIDY WARING
COOPER ANDERSON
CHRIS ANDERSON
SHELAINE THOMPSON
ROMA PALMER
LYNN AND BRAD
RICHARD RODRIGUEZ
AJA LAMB-HARTLEY
BRITTANY AYTON
MARK FALK
ADAM KLASSEN
ALIE SLABENKO
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CREW
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: TERESA ALFELD
PRODUCED BY: MELISSA JAMES
PRODUCER: TAYLOR JOHANSSON
co-PRODUCER TERESA ALFELD & CASSIDY WARING
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: CLAIRE SANFORD
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY: LAUREL BROWN
EDITOR: TONY MASSIL
COMPOSER: ADRIAN UNDERHILL
EXECUTIVE FOR TELUS ORIGINALS: SELINA CRAMMOND
CAMERA OPERATORS: CLAIRE SANFORD, LAUREL BROWN, BEN COX
GAFFER: ALYSSA HOWLAND
SOUND RECORDISTS: DAVID ELIAS DAOUD EVIA, BRENDA SEVILLA
LIVE PERFORMANCE SOUND TECHNICIAN: JONATHON BIERMAN
HAIR & MAKEUP ARTIST: ALIE SLABENKO
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY: WYATT SAWYER, AMY RAJALA
MENTAL HEALTH COORDINATOR: TOLMIE GREAVES
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: WYATT SAWYER, NINA WEISS
COLOURIST: DAVID TOMIAK
SUPERVISING SOUND DESIGNER: MATT DRAKE
ADDITIONAL MIXING ENGINEER: SAM LYNCH
FINISHING SUPERVISOR: MATT DRAKE
POST PRODUCTION FINISHING SERVICES PROVIDED BY ELEMENTAL POST
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS
