Formido Films — Genre Production & Visual Effects

The Studio

Elevated genre storytelling.

Formido Films was founded in 2017 by director/VFX artist Corey Mayne and producer Barbara Szeman — a Toronto-based production company built on a simple idea: the best genre films are made by people who understand the craft on every side of the camera.

Before founding Formido, Corey cut his teeth at Sony Pictures Imageworks and Pixar, contributing to several Oscar-winning productions. That studio-grade discipline now underpins everything Formido makes — from original genre features to the visual effects work our team delivers for outside productions.

Today, Formido is developing a slate of elevated horror features, while our VFX continues to support high-end television and studio film with compositing, rendering and technical direction.

16+Years in VFX & Post-Production

2017Formido Films Founded

TOBased in Toronto, Ontario

Selected Credits

Work our team has shaped.

Members of the Formido team have contributed compositing, rendering and technical direction to studio and network productions including:

Prestige Drama & Epic

The Handmaid's Tale VFX Artist
The Testaments Compositor
Vikings VFX Artist
Game of Thrones VFX
Penny Dreadful Compositor
The Borgias VFX

Genre & Sci-Fi

Wednesday Compositor
Halo VFX Artist
Toy Story 3 Rendering TD
Up Rendering TD
From Compositor
Suicide Squad Production
RoboCop Production

Projects

Selected work.

Willa

An adaptation of Stephen King's ghost story.

Winner, Steam Whistle Jury Award — Kingston Canadian Film Festival
Official Selection — Windsor International Film Festival
Featured, Best of Blood in the Snow

"It's creepy, it's original, it's emotional and it's clever. The special effects are great — definitely one to watch out for." — Blood in the Snow

For The Record

Award-winning music video for country artist Kelsi Mayne.

Someone Who Knows

Music video for country artist Kelsi Mayne.

As I Go

Music video for country artist Kelsi Mayne.

Surrender

Music video for country artist Kelsi Mayne.

News & Updates

Recent activity.

2026

Compositing on Hulu's The Testaments

Corey Mayne joins the VFX team on the highly anticipated Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.

2022–2026

Ongoing VFX work on From

Formido's Corey Mayne continues as a VFX compositor on MGM+'s horror-mystery series From, now heading into its latest season.

2022–2025

Compositing credits on Netflix's Wednesday

Digital compositing work across multiple episodes of Netflix's gothic hit series, from the Addams Family universe.

2020

Willa wins the Steam Whistle Jury Award

Formido's Stephen King adaptation Willa takes the Jury Award at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

2019

Willa screens at WIFF, featured in Best of Blood in the Snow

"It's creepy, it's original, it's emotional and it's clever... definitely one to watch out for." Willa screens at the Windsor International Film Festival and is named among the Best of Blood in the Snow.

The Team

Corey Mayne

Director / VFX Artist

Sony Pictures Imageworks and Pixar alum turned director. Co-founded Formido in 2017 and directed the award-winning Willa.

Barbara Szeman

Producer / Co-Founder

Toronto-based producer specializing in ambitious, genre-driven projects — overseeing Formido's slate of horror, action, sci-fi and drama features.

Zandy Sunga

Writer / Co-Producer / Stunts

Actor, stunt performer and martial artist bringing physical storytelling to Formido's action-driven productions, on camera and off.

Sebastian Chirinos

Co-Producer

On-set production background across Apple TV+, Hulu and Netflix series operating in Ontario — bridging technology and production.