From a media release:
When a gay party boy’s estranged small-town best friend shows up expecting him to play baby daddy, even a lover who is partially sighted and an imaginary drag queen can’t stop his womb envy.
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), in partnership with Border2Border Entertainment and OUTtv, is thrilled to reveal the debut date of the web series Womb Envy on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com.
The first two episodes of Womb Envy debut Wednesday, May 10, on AMI.ca, the AMI-tv App and OUTtv.com; two episodes will debut online on subsequent Wednesdays. Additionally, the first episode will be available on AMI’s, OUTtv’s and Border2Border Entertainment’s YouTube channels in a special sneak peek prior to May 10.
Created by Toronto drag artist Champagna, Womb Envy (12 x 15 minutes) is written by Mark Keller, directed by Jake Horowitz and produced by Charlie David of Border2Border Entertainment for AMI-tv and OUTtv.
“We’re making queer content, we’re making accessible content and with shows like Womb Envy, we’re creating challenging conversations on
cisgendered, non-binary, trans, disabled and queer bodies,” said Charlie David, President and Producer, Border2Border Entertainment. ”Most importantly, we’re providing a BIG sand box in which to play and inviting more people to join us. We’re working hard to ensure that at each stage of a production we’re inclusive. We don’t make the kind of shows that most companies make and I’m proud of that—it sets us apart.”
“Womb Envy is a fantastic project,” said Philip Webb, COO OUTtv Network. “OUTtv is proud to be supporting creators like Champagna, Mark and Jake to make accessible, life affirming and beautiful shows which celebrate our community.”
“We are proud and excited to bring Womb Envy to our audience,” says John Melville, Vice President of Content Development and Operations, AMI. “Truly inclusive storytelling is at the heart of what AMI does, and Womb Envy is proof of that.”
Max (Daniel Fernandes, The Space) is stuck in a rut. Nearly 30 years old, he is wanting more than the tired beat of the Toronto gay dance floor and needs a purpose in his life other than vodka and a deteriorating septum. Meanwhile, Maggie (Storm Steenson, Sunshine City) is pregnant and desperate to escape the clutches of her religious zealot mother, Dorothy (Helen Holtham), and the small town that her and Max grew up in.
Showing up on Max’s door one day after years of separation, Maggie convinces Max to pretend to be her baby daddy, since he was the only man her mother ever approved of. They create rules to ensure the success of their half-baked idea, which causes Max’s fragile queer ego to create a drag queen apparition—The Divine (Champagna, Drag Heals, Call Me Mother)—who constantly fights against this new assimilation to heteronormativity. Confusing things even more, Max soon falls head over heels in love with their Lamaze instructor, Patrick (Jeffrey Haase, Haunted Hospitals). Patrick, who is partially sighted, soon becomes an important part of Max’s life, throwing a huge wrench in their charade.
Internalizing the chaos in his life, Max develops a rare condition known as couvade syndrome, bizarrely displaying pregnancy symptoms which become increasingly more difficult to hide. Everything in their lives quickly unravels, and soon Max and Mary are forced to see what’s important in life, even if that’s the hardest thing for them to do.
Womb Envy is the first scripted project developed with Integrated Described Video (IDV) by Border2Border Entertainment for AMI, and the first collaboration between AMI and OUTtv, which was sparked at the Primetime conference in Ottawa in January 2020, where a conversation was started between the two Canadian networks about their similarities in serving marginalized audiences.
Womb Envy is created by Champagna, written by Mark Keller and directed by Jake Horowitz. The producer is Charlie David, Champagna is associate producer.
Womb Envy was developed with the Ontario Creates IDM Development Fund and produced with the participation of the Ontario Creates IDM Production Fund, Bell Fund, Border2Border Entertainment, AMI and OUTtv.
