'Set me up for success': Skills gained at UTM help alumna explore filmmaking

Sarah Hime would regularly take on multiple roles during her time as a theatre and drama studies student at the University of Toronto Mississauga – she acted, tried her hand at stage management and worked with costumes and props. 

That ability to wear many hats came to serve her well as she embarked on her first project as a filmmaker with Alice is Fine, a film premiering this month that Hime wrote, produced and stars in. 

“I’m a person who learns by doing, and there were so many opportunities (at UTM) to get very solid acting training while also practising  ... all the foundational skills in this field,” said Hime, a 2017 graduate of the specialist program in the department of English and drama at UTM. 

“It really set me up for success in my career.” 

Until recently, that career focused on acting in theatre, film and TV roles, most notably as Kitty Kat in all three seasons of the award-winning comedy series Pink is In. But a couple of years ago, Hime started thinking about branching out. 

“I felt this itch to have more in my career than acting,” she said. “I saw a bunch of films at (the Toronto International Film Festival) where the lead actor was involved in some part of the film’s creation from the get-go. That really motivated me.”

When it came to deciding what her film would be about, the events of Hime’s own life shaped her decision. She’d had chronic pelvic pain for years and was struggling through a health-care system where she said she often wasn’t taken seriously or, if she was, she was confronted with a lack of research and knowledge on conditions that affect female bodies. 

“At a certain point, I realized how many people had this same experience, and that made me so angry,” said Hime. “But it gave me this spark of inspiration, and I knew that this was the story I wanted to tell in a short film.”

Recognizing that she’d need talented, reliable collaborators, Hime enlisted one of her fellow UTM alumni, Bryn Kennedy, as the film’s co-producer. Kennedy is a director, producer and performer in theatre and film, and she had worked with Hime on several projects since they graduated. 

Ben Steele Caldwell, a 2020 graduate of the program who has starred in the series Ginny & Georgia, plays a medical student in the film.

“I made so many connections at UTM,” said Hime. “Having Bryn and Ben on the film, people that I knew I could trust, was important to me. I wanted the set to be a safe and fun space because the subject matter was sensitive and personal.” 

The film is about Alice, a young woman with debilitating pain trying to navigate a similar medical journey as Hime and confronting gender bias in healthcare. 

“My goal from the beginning for this film has been to make people who’ve had this deeply frustrating experience feel seen, know they’re not alone and be encouraged that they deserve to be heard,” said Hime.

She’d also like health-care professionals to see the film. “I think it could help them see how much their words and actions have an impact on patients,” Hime said. 

Despite the film’s serious topic, Hime decided to inject moments of humour into the plot. “I highlighted the absurdity of some of the situations Alice finds herself in while she’s seeking help,” she said. “I hope this makes it relatable to a wider audience.” 

Working with former classmates on her first project as a filmmaker was wonderful, said Hime, and she hopes to do it again. 

“I’ve loved bringing a story that I feel passionate about to life with an amazing creative team,” she said.

Alice is Fine premieres on Nov. 21 as part of the Breakthroughs Film Festival in Toronto.