Production Team
Frederic Bohbot
President / Producer
Executive Producer of the 2014 Academy Award winning short documentary The Lady in Number 6, Frederic Bohbot founded Bunbury Films in 2002 as an independent producer/director intending only to make one film: Once a Nazi… - 2006 (Canal D, PBS, Noga). On the back of the critical success of Once a Nazi… there was no turning back and Bohbot expanded Bunbury’s production slate – producing a number of documentaries including: Bigfoot’s Reflection – 2007 (Space, Netflix) and Leaving the Fold – 2008 (SRC, ABC, YLE, Documentary, Canal +, TV5 Monde, RTBF). 2010-12 were break out years for Bohbot, producing four documentaries Burning Water, (CBC) Land of Destiny, (Documentary, PBS) Underdog Plaza (OMNI, PBS) and the epic Triumph of the Wall aka: Work in Progress (Superchannel, Theatrical). November 2013 saw the release of My Brothers Vows a German co-production (ARTE), which premiered at DOK Leipzig and The Lady in Number 6 (Oscar™ Winner!, Netflix). In 2015 Frederic produced Underdog Rises about the rise and fall of boxing champion Dierry Jean for OMNI. 2016 has been a busy year where Frederic completed the television documentary and the interactive digital platform Vie de Chateau (Radio Canada) about the celebrated Chateau Frontenac as well as the feature docs Shadows of Paradise featuring David Lynch (Documentary, Bell Media, Theatrical) and Zimbelism on the photographer George S. Zimbel as well as his first foray into fiction filmmaking, producing the feature fiction Boost (5 CSA Award Nominations, Shanghai FF) with the support of Telefilm Canada and Film Option International. 2017 sees the completion and broadcast of Kosher Love (Best Doc CSA Nom) for CBC while in production on You Are What You Act (Documentary/Canal D) I Think You’ve Been Looking For Me (CBC) and Tuning the Brain with Music (Radio Canada). Frederic produced The Walrus and the Whistleblower in 2020, winner of 2020 Hot Docs Audience Award. In 2022 Frederic produced and released Pouvoir Oublier (Télé-Québec) and produced two short films, Queen of the Punks and Soleil de nuit. Both shorts were release in 2023 where Soleil won the Best International Film Award at the prestigious Palm Springs Short Fest. Frederic also produced Ara Ball’s next feature fiction “L’Ouragan F.Y.T” which premiered to critical acclaim in October 2023 at Montreal’s famous Festival du nouveau cinema.
Kacim Azouz Steets
Producer / Director
Kacim may be the only producer/director in Canada who is a physics graduate from Montreal’s McGill University. Kacim began producing corporate videos in 2012 and has since produced and or directed a number of feature and short films in both fiction and documentary genres. Kacim financed and produced the dramatic horror film Alice in the Attic in 2017 as well as Ara Ball’s Quand l’amour se creuse un trou (When love digs a tunnel) in 2018. Kacim started working with Bunbury Films in 2017 directing his debut documentary for national broadcast on CBC. A personal point of view film called I Think You’ve Been Looking For Me about the return of his long lost brother who had been given up for adoption in the late 1960’s. The film received a Best Documentary nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards. From then on Kacim joined the Bunbury team in a more formal sense as a producer and director. In 2021 he began directing another personal family story with Rebirth where he will investigate his own family’s past in the Southern US. In 2022 Kacim produced two short films, Queen of the Punks and Soleil de nuit. Both shorts were release in 2023 where Soleil won the Best International Film Award at the prestigious Palm Springs Short Fest. He also produced Ara Ball’s next feature fiction “L’Ouragan F.Y.T” which premiered to critical acclaim in October 2023 at Montreal’s famous Festival du nouveau cinema.
Valerie Shamash
Line Producer
Valerie Shamash has worked on hundreds of Canadian documentary films. She has been a part of documentary production since 2001, when she spent 7 years as part of Productions Multi-Monde’s production team. She began Line Producing at Bunbury Films in 2008 and now shares her time overseeing documentary (and some fiction) productions with Bunbury Films as well as with EyeSteelFilm. Valerie has a Master's Degree in anthropology and is particularly interested in relaying the importance of appreciating cross-cultural differences.
Esmé Tierney
Production coordinator
Esmé has been a Production Coordinator and Administrative Assistant at Bunbury Films since 2023. She earned her BFA in Film Studies and a second major in Film Production from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Additionally, she has worked on several short films, music videos, and at various film festivals.
Her interest lies in exploring non-fiction narratives through observational and experimental video practices, combining video effects and editing techniques in the post-production process. In her previous work, she has focused on using video art to represent and recreate memories and emotions in a unique way.