Janelle Niles is a Black, Mi’kmaw, two-spirited woman from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia and a stand-up comedian. Despite a tumultuous upbringing, Janelle embraces her biracial experience and queer identity, using stand-up to usher in a new era of inclusive, Canadian comedy.
Janelle Niles: Inconvenient
- Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner
- Canada
- 2023
- 9 mins
- Fri Jan 26
- 12:30 PM
- Showplace
- English
- Captioned in English
- Uplifting
About the Filmmaker
- Filmmaker: Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner
- Writer: Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner
- Producer: John Choi, Lisa Rideout
Cass Gardiner is an Anishinaabe Algonquin filmmaker, curator, and writer from Kebaowek First Nation. She produced the short documentary JEWELS HUNT, which was supported by ITVS and TFI, and broadcast on PBS Independent Lens. Her documentary film THE EDIBLE INDIAN has met critical acclaim in classrooms and theaters internationally and was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the American Indian Film Festival. She is also a passionate arts activist within Indigenous communities and has worked as a film mentor across Canada.
Kelly Zemnickis is a filmmaker, stand-up comedian, playwright and podcaster. She co-produced the award-winning feature documentary No Responders Left Behind (Paradox Pictures/Blue Ant Media/Discovery+), which received a Canadian Screen Award Nomination for the Donald Brittain Award: Best Social/Political Documentary Program in 2022. As a comedian, Kelly has shared the stage with such comedy greats as Kevin Farley and Gary Gulman and been featured at festivals such as the Burbank Comedy Festival (Best of the Fest selection – 2020). Kelly’s theatrical debut How Does a Drug Deal Become a Decent 3rd Date? toured all over North America and even made it to Off-Off Broadway in 2009 with the Frigid NY Festival.
Her food-themed podcast Order Up! is now available on all streaming services and her comedy album debut Sugar n’ Spice & Smirnoff Ice will be released in 2023 on Howl & Roar Records. Kelly is overjoyed to make her directorial debut with Janelle Niles: Inconvenient, which she co-directed with Cass Gardiner.