2025 SFX Roundup for Melissa Itwar Artistry

Hey friends! It’s been a while since we’ve posted an update, and that’s because it’s been quite the year! From epic builds, to notable releases, here’s what Melissa and her team have been up to in 2025.

A Huge Year in SFX Makeup for Melissa Itwar Artistry

Melissa kicked off the year with MAMUSHI - a photo shoot commissioned by iconic Toronto Queer photographer Albert Hoang to commemorate the Lunar Year of the Snake. MAMUSHI had Melissa emulating molting snakeskin on model P. Kat Nye using custom gold scale transfers, and peeling glass skin a la Maison Margiela.

Next was Melissa’s collaboration with noted videographer Fatty Soprano, creative director 10Tango, and influencer KShowtime in The Comeback is Personal. With no budget, no fitting, and very little lead time, Melissa constructed a full-body fat suit and facial prosthetics $300 worth of materials. The shoot spanned 3-days, chronicling KShowtime’s Maker Pizza-induced weight gain, and comeback weight loss to mark his move to LA. 

In May, the Toronto 48HR Film Project beckoned with an all-horror/sci-fi competition. Lead by writers Adam Marley & Jonathan Britto who selected Slasher/Splatter as the sub-genre, Melissa joined fellow Makeup Artist Emma Nuyens in staging one death per minute in RUN!. At the 48HR Film Project screenings, RUN! was awarded with Best Poster, Audience Choice Group A, and Best Choreography , in addition to a nomination for Best Sound Design. RUN! later went on to screen at Newfoundland’s Fogfest later in November; it features an all-star Toronto Indie cast including Mila Zubair, Ziggy Schulting, Madison Caan, Watson Rose, Stephanie Figueira, Sean Irvine, and Gerry.

Melissa revisited her body-building skills in May with the vertical drama series Mute For Love. The opening scene saw the lead take a balcony tumble, and director Rafay Rashdi insisted on a practical fall vs VFX. Faced with the actress’ Emma Almeida’s Fairytale Princess proportions, a custom-built body double was non-negotiable. Coordinating with Costume Stylist Coeli Myx, Art Director Alexander Constantino, and Stunt Coodinator Junior Rojas, Melissa’s low-budget body double created a wildly believable murder scene on-camera. Mute For Love is set to stream on the JoyReels app.

Spooky Season Slam

As with any makeup artist, fall came with a fury! Melissa rejoined the Canada’s

Wonderland team late September as one of the Haunt Makeup Artists, creating gory looks for the Kingdom of Carnage section using airbrush makeup effects. She also regrouped with director Tim Biemann; last year, Tim had Melissa construct a silicone neck prosthetic that actively bled on camera. This year, she created another prosthetic: a custom-sculpted Pros-Aide transfer of a demon brow, along with custom polygel claws, to bring Tim’s entirely black mimic to life.

Just in time for Halloween, Fatty Soprano reunited with Melissa - this time for local

music artist PVRX’s track Zombies. The guerilla style shoot meant a low-light, pop-up processing station for out-of-kit prosthetic making, and airbrush makeup application. Fatty’s final edit completely transformed the setting, and the video is a must-see. 

In November, Hollow Ones saw an all-star Toronto crew come together for writer/directors Adrian Altobelli and Eric Kingsbury. With themes of “real-life Coraline", this spooky thriller assembled a team of 3 SFX Makeup Artists: Liza Attiqi and Jonathan Mayhew lead by Melissa, with Costumes Stylist Mikee Tablada, and Art Director Alexander Constantino to convert a local farm into a timeless horrorscape. Wrapped in late November, Hollow Ones will debut early 2026.

SFX Releases

While the fruit of 2025’s labour is mostly left to be seen, the release of past SFX makeup work did not disappoint. Nikki Shaffeeullah’s Purgatory kicked off its cross-

Canada tour this September after having assembled a cast and crew almost entirely of Guyanese-Canadian artists two years ago in May 2023. Starring Michelle Rambharose, Premika Leo, Rebecca Ablack, shot by Roya De Sol, and assisted by Guyanese-Jamaican Makeup Artist Melly Minks, Melissa transformed the 28 year old Premika into 70 year old Aunt Hadiya. After premiering in Toronto at the iconic Revue Cinema, Purgatory made its rounds at Vancouver’s Rumble Theatre and Calgary’s Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre.

Tanziel Mohamed’s Perils of Otranto also premiered in September at Toronto’s Nia Centre for Arts during TIFF. In Summer 2024, Tanziel commissioned Melissa to transform Trish Kanu into Isabella - a black woman with implied natural red hair. The character Godfrey also required a tell-tale scar: an important element to his character’s personality and eventual actions. Perils of Otranto was an Official Selection at New York's Renaissance Black Film Festival later this year. 

Most notably, We’re All Haunted Here by Zac Pinto has made a stunning festival run after premiering in summer 2025. With performances by Emily Jeffers, Elie-Bella Wood, and Ori Olfassi, We’re All Haunted Here has circulated at Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival in Orlando, Fright Nights, Austria, Toronto Indie Horror Fest, and took home the Genre Award for Toronto Indie Nights 2025.

2025 Wrap-Up

So what’s next in SFX after monster month? Getting more intentional about work-life balance for the holidays, Melissa pares down with the Winterfest season at Canada’s Wonderland, creating key characters in the Winterfest gang until the first weekend of 2026. She has also accepted one last monster of the year for Tim Biemann, shooting just before Christmas.