Horror just got a silver‑haired twist.
The Rug, a short horror film made with a talented crew of senior citizens, has been selected as one of nine shorts featured in CBC TV’s Face Off. Written, Directed and Mentored by multi‑award‑winning Canadian filmmaker Sean Cisterna.
Funded in part by the New Horizons for Seniors Program, The Rug centers on Edna, a senior-aged woman who discovers that a discarded throw rug she brings home will quite literally digest anything placed beneath it. With each devouring, the rug’s appetite grows. After it consumes her pesky landlord and a nosy cop, Edna becomes trapped in her own home, unable to escape its increasingly relentless hunger.
Based on the short story The Rug by Edo van Belkom, the film stars Jayne Eastwood as Edna, along with Tony Nardi, Zöe Belkin, Jonathan Kim.
Cisterna has built a reputation for heartfelt storytelling that often shines international spotlights on Canadian stories. His film From the Vine, starring Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano, toured the global festival circuit and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He has also directed Full Out, the true‑story teen gymnastics drama featuring Jennifer Beals, distributed on Netflix and Disney Europe, and Kiss and Cry, a moving cancer drama which topped the Canadian box office, and is currently streaming on Netflix worldwide. His last film, a documentary The Long Rider (2022), is the expansive and inspiring story of Filipe Masetti Leite’s journey from Canada to Brazil entirely on horseback, and filmed in 13 different countries.
With The Rug, Sean Cisterna brings his experience and sensitivity to a project that celebrates both horror and community. By putting senior creatives at the heart of production, the short showcases intergenerational collaboration and a fresh approach to genre storytelling.
And now to highlight the great senior crew behind The Rug:
First AD – Bari-Lynne Butters; Camera – Sonny Lauzon; Art Director – Lucia Paterra Catania; Props – Anthony Garramone; Wardrobe – Diane Buchanan; Makeup – Diane Ament; Special Effects – David Swift; Sound – Audrey Cameron; Additional Piano – Gwynneth Heaton; Additional Piano Composition – Emerson Thorne; Choir – Chorus York Seniors Choir.
This season of CBC TV’s Face Off, starts August 30, and you can watch on CBC TV and stream on CBC Gem.
The best part about Face Off, is the viewing public picks their fave by voting online at cbc.ca. The winning filmmaker receives a cash prize toward their next project.