Directors, cast and crew in attendance - Q&A will follow the screening

PG - Crude Content.

Showbiz is a harsh mistress. That was the lesson for the improvisors in Sketch, a sketch-comedy group whose jokes were about as inspired as its name. Except, that is, for Andrew Phung, who switched from bad puns to racial catchphrases and rode the rice-rocket to success.

Two years after the group’s acrimonious split, Phung is living in Los Angeles while the rest of Sketch has put its dreams of fame and fortune squarely in the past. But when the group’s punster-in-chief, Jeffrey Patrick, has a mysterious encounter with what may or may not be a wise mystic, he’s inspired to get the group back together. The question is, will he stay true to his dream of a world where wholesome wordplay reins supreme, or will he succumb to the dark side of easy, race-based laughs?

For its feature debut, Calgary-based comedy troupe Sciencebear has thrown away the safety net, shooting on a budget of less than $1,000 and using an entirely improvised script. Heavy on Calgary scenery, absurdism and atrocious puns, SKETCH is a testament to the DIY potential in indie filmmaking today.

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