TORONTO and HAMILTON – Boss & Co, Portfolio Entertainment and CBC today announced production on Homeschooled, a new CBC Gem original YA dramedy series, has begun in Toronto and Hamilton.
“Created, directed, and executive produced by Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn (Slo Pitch, Barbelle), Homeschooled explores the niche world of home education as mainstream and fringe teen experiences collide in a unique coming-of-age tale,” a press release says.
“Freaks are underrated and “trads” (a student attending a “traditional” education facility) rarely make history – or at least that’s what 16-year-old intellectuals Farzanah (Eman Ayaz, Ghostwriter) and Greta (Veronika Slowikowska, What We Do in the Shadows) set out to prove in their documentary “Homeschooled”, showcasing what home education is really like. That is, until the film – and their friendship – takes an unexpected turn when Farzanah enrolls in a “real” high school for the first time,” a series description in the press release reads.
Homeschooled features an all-Canadian cast, including Ayaz (above, right) and Slowikowska (left), as well as Precious Chong (Falling Water), Logan Aultman (Odd Squad), Kevin Healy and Siddarth Sharma (The Expanse).
The digital series, which features 10 episodes (15 minutes each), was inspired by Cumyn’s experience with home education and “Knox’s passion for smart, weird comedy,” the press release says.
It uses a combination of documentary-style filmmaking and “traditional narrative in an art-nouveau aesthetic.”
The series is co-produced by Boss & Co and Portfolio Entertainment. Michael Schram is producing for Boss & Co and Lauren Evans is producing for Portfolio. Lisa Olfman and Joy Rosen are executive producers and Marushka Almeida (Get Up, Aisha) is a writer on the series along with Knox and Cumyn.
Production will continue until early November and Homeschooled will begin streaming on CBC Gem in 2022. The series is supported by Ontario Creates, The Bell Fund, and The Shaw Rocket Fund.
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Image provided courtesy of CBC.
