B-Sides & Badlands – Review: November 14, 2025
We can always use callouts of campus rape culture. From M.F.A. to Black Christmas (2019), the horror subgenre viciously stabs the bloated monstrosity of entitled incels and leaves behind bleeding, lifeless carcasses. Writer/director Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt takes her sharp pen and castrates the genre in her own way with a new short called Brave Rebel Army. Currently making festival rounds, the film fits somewhere in the realm of the diabolical We Summon the Darkness, with a hearty dose of feminine rage for good measure.
Full Review – B-Sides & Badlands
Peliplat – Review: June 27, 2025
In this short film, with its Latin American premiere at the ETREUM Horror Film Fest, D’Alessandro Hatt once again uses a fantastical tone that intertwines with magical realism. As in any good fable, there are elements that overflow with realism: symbols, strange creatures. But everything is at the service of a visceral story, with empathy for its characters and a compassionate look at trauma and pain.
D’Alessandro Hatt directs with firmness and sensitivity, and it’s clear that there’s a powerful message behind the bright, bold aesthetic. With a mostly female crew, she embraces independent production and a desire to reveal the uncomfortable and often hidden aspects of a society that seems to have advanced but still has a long way to go.
Brave Rebel Army confirms that revenge can be political and that fantasy can be a vehicle for speaking urgent truths. And it does so without losing its tenderness, without letting go of the hands of these girls who, despite their fear, choose to remain silent no longer.
Full Review – Peliplat
Hollywood North Magazine – Mini Review: March 27, 2025
A short but worthwhile film that presents quite a message. Much like the first one, it’s got interesting visuals and vibrant colours, a mix of main characters with the same initiative of winning a battle, and adding some creeps who get what they deserve.
Full mini-review: Hollywood North Magazine
The New Indian Express – Indulge: Feb. 13, 2025
Filmmaker Sapna Bhavnani brings spine-chilling horror and sci-fi cinema for movie buffs in the City of Joy.
Full article: Indulge Express
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brave Rebel Army: World Premiere at Wench Film Festival
TORONTO, ON – Feb. 15, 2025 — Canadian filmmaker Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt’s latest short, Brave Rebel Army, will have its world premiere at the fifth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 27-Mar. 2). The film is part two of the writer/director’s female-driven fantasy trilogy. Part one, award-winning festival darling Brave Little Army, was a selection of over of 50 festivals, including Fantasia International Film Festival, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival and the Oscar-qualifying Bogotà Short Film Festival. Both films are distributed by Winnipeg Film Group.
Set in 1994, Brave Rebel Army is an allegorical dark fantasy thriller that explores the trauma of sexual violence through magical realism. Edited by Sydney Cowper (Endless Cookie), and starring Tamia Bailey (Plan B), Sunmin Oh, Emma Thomson and Sam McCall. Black Lab Film Company and Filmcoop Inc. executive produced, with support from Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council.
Brave Rebel Army’s festival premiere brings D’Alessandro Hatt one step closer to making her first feature, the third instalment of her trilogy, Brave Army Redux, developed through her recent participation in the Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC) Career Advancement Module.
Founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”), Wench Film Festival showcases horror, sci-fi and fantasy films directed by women, LGBTQIA+ and non-binary filmmakers. Brave Rebel Army will premiere March 1st at Veda Kunba Theatre in Mumbai.
Winnipeg Film Group – Featured News: July 25, 2024
After a terrifying incident on campus involving one of their own, four young women seek justice by taking matters into their own hands.
Link: WFG – Recent Acquisitions
Playback – Feature: Oct. 5, 2023
The fall edition of the Women In the Director’s Chair program will provide participants with a springboard to build and launch a strategic career plan.
Full Article: Playback
CQ Today – Feature: July 17, 2023
Full Article: CQ Today
ConCarolinas – Mini Review: May 23, 2022
Testkammer – Streaming Tip: Feb. 16, 2021
Streaming-Tipp: Den kanadischen Kurzfilm „Brave Little Army“ von Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt (damals gesehen auf dem 31. Filmfest Dresden) gibt es jetzt für schmales Geld online zu sehen. Über den Link könnt ihr die starke Coming-of-Age-Geschichte in Englisch für 1,96 € (3 Kanadische Dollar) sehen:
Brave Little Army (in englisch)
geschrieben von Doreen Matthei
Full Post: Testkammer
Go Into The Story – Interview: April 2021
In 2016, I had the pleasure of working with Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt on a story she was developing, then eventually would write as a full-length feature film screenplay. With a background in Canada as an actor and playwright, it was clear to me that Michelle had strong story instincts. She stayed in touch over the years and it’s been exciting to track her creative journey. I asked Michelle if she would write something about her experience. Here is her story.
Full interview: Go Into the Story
Testkammer – Interview: Oct. 7, 2020
Was war der Ausgangspunkt deiner Geschichte von „Brave Little Army“?
Vor fünf Jahren wurde ich inspiriert, einen Film über vier lebenslange Freunde zu schreiben, die sich zu einem Wochenendausflug zusammenfinden, der zum perfekten Verbrechen wird. Als sich das Drehbuch entwickelte, wurde mir klar, dass es eine größere Geschichte war, als ich anfangs dachte. „Brave Little Army“ ist die Geschichte, wie sich diese vier Freunde im Alter von zwölf Jahren treffen und für immer miteinander verbunden sind. Es ist der erste Film in einer Trilogie.
Full interview: Testkammer
Testkammer – Review: Oct. 7, 2020
Filmkritik: Die kanadische Filmemacherin und Schauspielerin Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt schuf mit ihrem Kurzfilm „Brave Little Army“, zu sehen u.a. im ‚Jugend‘-Programm des 32. Filmfest Dresden, einen gelungenen Auftakt für eine geplante Trilogie und erzählt wie sich eine starke Mädchenclique fand.
Full review: „Brave Little Army“ (2018)
Toronto Film Files – Review: June 27, 2020
Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt’s BRAVE LITTLE ARMY is an enigmatic tale of a group of preteen girls who are brought together when a mysterious, new student joins their class.
Dee (Faith Vanderwerf), K (Rosali Annikie), and Lu (Amanda Cheung) are navigating middle school circa 1984. They are shaken out of their routine-laden school day when a bold, seemingly fearless, new student walks into the classroom and promptly puts a would-be bully in his place. Impressed and inspired by their new classmate, Em (Lyla Elliott), the girls join forces and form a fiercely close bond. Together, they develop their sense of self-worth and blossom into their authentic selves.
Full review: Toronto Film Files
We Are Moving Stories: Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt – Oct. 21, 2019
Congratulations! Why did you make your film? Thank you. I wanted to explore the power of female friendship. Set in 1984, Brave Little Army is the story of how four girls – Em, K, Lu and Dee – meet at age 12 and become friends forever. It’s the first film in a trilogy.
Read interview: We Are Moving Stories
Italian Cinema Today: A Conversation with Filmmaker Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt – Sept. 9, 2019
Toronto-based filmmaker Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt followed her heart when she was young and had dreams of working in theatre. She performed onstage as an actress and behind the scenes as a playwright. Before long, cinema came calling and she was cast in independent films like the 2015 award-winning comedy “Guess Who’s Not Coming to Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?,” the 2017 dramatic short “Friends on Facebook” and Justin McConnell’s 2018 “Lifechanger.” As a producer, she’s co-produced several theatre productions and over 50 video productions.
In 2018, she made her directorial debut with the short film “Brave Little Army.” The first of a trilogy, the film follows a group of girlfriends from grammar school through adulthood as they develop a bond and support each other in times of difficulty. The film has been shown at festivals all over the world, including Basilicata, Italy, the region of her family’s Italian origins.
Read full interview: Italian Cinema Today
Lucania Film Fest Interview: Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt – Aug. 7, 2019
La regista Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt ci parla del suo corto Brave Little Army.
Watch interview: Lucania Film Festival
LARS & RUBY – Interview: Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt – Apr. 3, 2019
Top départ de la quatrième édition du Festival Courts d’un Soir ! Pour mettre en avant la richesse de ce premier jour, nous sommes allés à la rencontre de la réalisatrice Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt, pour son court métrage Brave Little Army, en compétition dans la Sélection Très Courts!
Full interview: LARS & RUBY
LARS & RUBY – Article: Festival Courts d’un soir: Zoom sur la Sélection Très Courts – Mar. 23, 2019
Le court métrage Brave Little Army fait partie d’une trilogie. Le film met en lumière la genèse de l’amitié soudée entre quatre jeunes filles âgées de douze ans : Em, K, Lu et Dee. Cette relation fusionnelle va naître après la découverte d’une sombre vérité… qui va les unir à jamais. Brave Little Army a été sélectionné dans plus de huit festivals de courts métrages internationaux et continue aujourd’hui son voyage vers le Québec, à Montréal…
Full article: LARS & RUBY
Femfilmfans – Review: Brave Little Army – Mar. 23, 2019
“The international premiere screening of Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt’s short film Brave Little Army couldn’t have come more timely. Shown at the Berlin Feminist Film Week (BFFW), the 6-minute short film complements the rise and necessity for feminism in young women. Having played just after International Women’s Day (a newly made public holiday in Berlin), Brave Little Army adds to the canon of films on female capabilities.”
Full review: Femfilmfans
Your Kingston – KCFF Interview: Amanda Cheung – Feb. 27, 2019
“The Kingston Canadian Film Festival starts TOMORROW! And we have a STAR in our midst! Kingstonian, Amanda Cheung plays Lu in the film Brave Little Army, a film by Black Lab Film Company. Created with an all-female crew, Brave Little Army is part one of a trilogy. Set in 1984, this short film is the genesis story of the fierce friendship of 12-year-old girls Em, K, Lu and Dee. Can’t wait to see it! It’s screening at the The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Saturday March 2! Check out the line up here! So many great films to see & events to attend! https://kingcanfilmfest.com/”
Watch interview: Your Kingston
Hollywood North Magazine – Review: Brave Little Army – Nov. 15, 2018
“The story itself is well written and it’s amazing how it goes so rapidly from radical to simplistic to whoa-whats-going-on-here. Gayle Ye’s fine cinematography shows bold colours and appropriate solid lighting to add to any scene. Combined with the seamless and professional editing done by Sydney Cowper teamed up with sound designer Bridget Tang, the film is a true cinematic masterpiece that will want you to see more plot, and let’s not forget that amazing music provided by Janal Bechthold along with Moscow Apartment (Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla).”
Full review: www.hnmag.ca
The Western Star – Review: Brave Little Army – Oct. 23, 2018
“The new kid in school, a punk-rocker in a leather jacket, is an inspiration to a group of schoolgirls, who quickly add this unique individual to their friend group, becoming a dynamic quartet of fearless badasses.”
Full review: www.thewesternstar.com
VOCM News – Interview: Brave Little Army – Oct. 22, 2018
“Toronto based filmmaker Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt wrote and directed the short film “Brave Little Army” which screened yesterday. She says the festival has inspired her. D’Alessandro Hatt attended the festival last year as an actress. She made lasting connections and felt empowered to take on her own project.”
Full article: www.vocm.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Future is Female – and Bright – for Brave Little Army
Toronto ON – Sept. 21, 2018 — Created with an all-female crew and production team, and featuring music by teen girl folk rock band, Moscow Apartment, Brave Little Army is anything but little. That’s why one of the longest-running women’s film festivals in the world – The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival – is the perfect venue for its world premiere this October.
The festival, which runs Oct. 17-21, is celebrating its 29th year, and announced their full lineup of films, all of which are written or directed by women, at their press conference on September 20th.
Set in 1984, Brave Little Army is a short film about the genesis of a fierce friendship between four 12-year-old girls, played by Rosali Annikie, Lyla Elliott, Amanda Cheung and Faith Vanderwerf.
A directorial debut for actor Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt, it is the story of how Em, the bold new girl at school, inspires her three classmates to be true to themselves. When the girls are confronted with a dark reality, their friendship is sealed.
Known for her work on the series Super Zee and Yoga 101, director of photography Gayle Ye’s masterful cinematography is the perfect lens through which to enjoy the collaborative production design in the talented hands of key makeup artist Karlee Morse, art director Alicia Hodgins and costume designers Deanna Sciortino and Debora Siegel.
Intuitive composer Janal Bechthold (Art of Obsession) scores the film, along with original music arranged and performed by Brighid Fry and Pascale Padilla of Moscow Apartment – an award-winning duo on the rise in the Toronto indie music scene.
Thanks to editor Sydney Cowper (Poor Agnes) and sound editor Bridget Tang (The Arabian Warrior), Brave Little Army is a skillfully crafted and mixed 5 minutes that packs a punch, resulting in what is sure to be a refreshing addition to the festival circuit this year.
BLACK LAB FILM CO. 