Monday, April 4, 2022 | Members Lounge Programming
Presented by the Directors Guild of Canada in Ontario
12:00 - 1:00 PM ET | Faraway Worlds: Picture Editing, Sound, and VFX in Horror & Genre
Presented by
The immersive nature of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi worlds continues to draw the attention of our collective imaginations and transport audiences on faraway and fantastical escapes. This panel, presented by the Directors Guild of Canada in Ontario, provides an inside look at the post-production teams who craft these narratives by shaping atmosphere and holding tension and suspense. Picture, sound, and VFX creatives discuss creating chilling effects on-screen, bringing authenticity to a fictional world, and the future best practices of genre world building.
Dashen Naidoo was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT. After graduating high school, he spent a year at the University of Alberta studying Film Theory. In 2003, Dashen moved to Oakville to attend Sheridan College where he found and focused on my passion in Sound for Film.
Shortly after graduating in 2006, he started his career with Sound Dogs Toronto. Currently, Dashen works as a Sound Designer with credits that include The Strain, The Expanse, and The Shape of Water. His most recent credits include: Nightmare Alley and Firestarter.
Originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, Kristin moved to LA to study and work in film and television. She worked on several blockbusters, including Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War, before joining Pixomondo LA and dipping her toes into TV production.
After working on shows like The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead and Agents of Shield, she joined the team for Fast and Furious 8 and headed back to the Great White North. Since being in the Toronto office, she's honed her skills on VFX and Virtual Production for TV, producing Star Trek: Discovery, Goliath, Westworld, and Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian.
Moderated by:
Carolyn Mauricette is a Toronto-based Rotten Tomatoes approved critic, Programmer/Development Coordinator for the Blood in the Snow Film Festival and Director of Canadian Programming for the Fantasia International Film Festival. She’s contributed to The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films and The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films. She’s produced talks on The Omega Man for The Black Museum, Afrofuturism and Black women monsters for Fantasia, and was a commentator in the 2020 documentary Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business, and The Hollywood Suite original documentary series, A Year in Film, Season 3.
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET | Director's Roundtable: Best Direction, Comedy
Presented by
In this dynamic roundtable, presented by the Directors Guild of Canada in Ontario, 2022’s Best Direction, Comedy nominees discuss their creative process and work on Kim's Convenience, Pretty Hard Cases, Sort Of, and Workin' Moms.
Her work has garnered numerous awards and nominations, including Canadian Screen Awards, Directors Guild of Canada, and Canadian Comedy Awards.
Her most recent projects include The Kids In the Hall reboot (Amazon), Run the Burbs (CBC) in which she was producing director and EP, and Blockbuster (Netflix).
Fab Filippo is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, playwright and director. Most recently he wrote, directed (6 out of 8) and was co-showrunner of Sort Of, a half-hour for CBC and HBOMAX (Sienna Films Prodco). Previously, he wrote and directed the critically acclaimed and award-winning digital series Save Me, which was nominated for over 20 international festival awards and a Webby. He has over 20 episodes of true crime under his belt as a director and is in pre-production to shoot his first feature. Before that, he developed half-hours for Amazon and 20th Century Fox. As a playwright, he was nominated for a Dora Award for his play The Summoned. He co-wrote true crime indie Perfect Sisters starring Abigail Breslin and Mira Sorvino and co-wrote the Lifetime movie Too Late To Say Good-Bye starring Rob Lowe. He also co-created, directed, and starred in the half-hour Showcase and ABC hit comedy Billable Hours. As an actor you may also recongize him from such projects as Lives Of The Saints starring opposite Sophia Loren, the indie hit waydowntown, or as Ethan Gold in the groundbreaking Showtime series Queer As Folk. He is often recognized for an acting stint on the hit cult series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Renuka Jeyapalan is a Toronto-based writer/director and graduate of the Canadian Film Centre. Her short films have screened at TIFF, Tribeca, and the Berlinale. She has directed episodes of KIM'S CONVENIENCE, WORKIN' MOMS, SORT OF, the Netflix original series GINNY & GEORGIA, and the pilots of SON OF A CRITCH and CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING. Her first feature film, STAY THE NIGHT, will have its World Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March 2022. Renuka has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto.
With over forty hours of TV and film to her credit, British-Canadian Siobhan Devine is a versatile and exciting director who loves to bring a fresh eye to projects spanning comedy, kids and drama. Vancouver based, Siobhan is a regular director on several shows including Netflix’s Virgin River and Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart & Chesapeake Shores. Currently she is thrilled to be working on the new Syfy dramedy Reginald The Vampire. Siobhan’s credits also include the multi award winning Kims Convenience, Disney’s Gabby Duran & The Unsittables and the feature film The Birdwatcher.
Moderated by:
Nelu Handa is an award-winning Writer and Actor based in Toronto. Nelu has worked on many popular series, including A Little Late with Lilly Singh, Run the Burbs, Jann, Odd Squad, Tall Boyz, and the critically acclaimed hit Sort Of. For her contribution on Baroness Von Sketch Show, she earned a 2021 CSA for Best Writing. She can also be seen on Star Trek: Discovery, Workin’ Moms, and the film Canadian Strain. A dedicated advocate for representation, in 2015 she created Mirchi Comedy, a ground-breaking night of live comedy featuring Women Of Colour.
4:00 - 5:00 PM ET | Animated Soundscapes: Creating Space Through Sound
Presented by
This session, presented by the Directors Guild of Canada in Ontario, delves into audio storytelling of animated and imagined worlds and how sound design, music, and voice acting complement each other in creating immersive environments. Our panel discusses the unique challenges of mixing and recording remotely, establishing perspective and point of view through sound, and recent innovations in spacial audio.
Emmy nominated Amin Bhatia has been composing for several decades. His prizes in the Roland International Synthesizer competitions led to projects with David Foster and Steve Porcaro, with a synth cameo on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
TV scores include Anne with an E, Flashpoint, The Handmaid’s Tale, Detention Adventure, and Lets Go Luna, many of them co-written with his friend and colleague Ari Posner with whom he shares several Canadian Screen Awards.
Film credits include Iron Eagle II and John Woo's Once a Thief as well as many orchestral scores for David Lickley’s IMAX features.
J.R. Fountain is a supervising sound editor, sound designer and re-recording mixer working in film and dramatic television. He discovered the world of motion picture sound through a high school co-op placement at the early age of 17. Fascinated with craft, he decided that this would be his career to pursue. With much help along the way he has become one of Toronto’s many sought after sound designers having been recognized with a number of industry awards and nominations.
In the world of animation J.R. has been fortunate to work on a number of feature films including PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021), The Breadwinner (2017), The Nut Job 2 (2017), and Ratchet and Clank (2016).
Kristi McIntyre is a Toronto based sound editor/designer who has been working in the film and television industry since 2013 upon graduating from Sheridan College’s Media Arts program. She has had the great pleasure of working and forming bonds with many post houses and editors in the city, working on shows ranging from horror to children’s animation. She thrives on creative challenges and collaborating with fellow filmmakers to make unique, immersive and compelling soundtracks.
Some of her recent credits include Overlord and the Underwoods, Wildhood, Kicking Blood and Run the Burbs.
Rachel Sim is a sound designer who has been working in the video game industry since 2017, after leaving a career in academic librarianship and graduating from Vancouver Film School's Sound Design for Visual Media program. She is currently the producer at A Shell in the Pit Audio, a culturally and gender-diverse audio studio, known for its whimsical and emotionally impactful work, that specializes in music, sound effects, and audio programming for video games and interactive experiences.
Some of her credits include JETT: The Far Shore, Sneaky Sasquatch, Poly Bridge 2, Ikenfell, and Parkitect.
Moderated by:
Katie Jensen has made podcasts for CBC Podcasts, Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, Indigo, David Suzuki Foundation, DGC Ontario, Globe Content Studio, Brain Canada, St. Joseph Media, Canada Media Fund, Polaris Music Prize, and Canadaland. She has spoken at Hot Docs Podcast Festival, World Radio Day, Atlantic Podcast Summit, NASH, NCRA, CAJ, CFUZ, Bechdel Tested, Toronto Public Library, Kitchener Public Library, Long Winter and Pop Montreal. She is the principal of Vocal Fry Studios, a Toronto-based podcast company creating original shows and sound design products for media companies, brands & non-profits.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | Members Lounge Programming
Presented by William F. White International. Inc.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Sustainable Sets, Energy, and Environments | Case Study: Virtual Production
Presented by
As we head into a greener future for production, this panel, presented by William F. White International, explores Virtual Production as an alternative resource to help alleviate the environmental ramifications of film and television sets. Learn about both the sustainable opportunities and potential challenges of Virtual Production, as well as renewable energy solutions and other considerations, in order to determine whether virtual solutions are best for your next production.
Edward Hanrahan is a seasoned visual effects leader, with over a decade of experience working with dedicated visual effects teams on high-budget productions including The Shape of Water and The Mandalorian. In 2017, Hanrahan joined WFW’s partners at PXO to act as Virtual Production Designer, where he worked on shows like Star Trek: Discovery and spearheaded content including demos, interviews, and other reels to educate clients about the features and benefits of virtual production. Most recently, Edward worked at Scanline VFX as Global Virtual Production Manager and Technical Director, where he built the company’s virtual production team, while designing workflows to integrate alongside traditional visual effects.
Nancy Basi heads strategic development for Versatile Media’s technical services where she combines her passion for screen-based entertainment and the advanced technology that drives it. Previously, Ms. Basi was the Executive Director of Media+Entertainment for the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) where she worked strategically to promote and grow the digital entertainment and interactive industries for the City of Vancouver and surrounding regions. Her unique 360 perspective to screen based entertainment when applied to trade, investment and talent initiatives, developed new ecosystems and cross sectoral opportunities enabling business and job growth. Prior to joining the VEC Nancy had a 20 year career in the film industry in physical production, visual effects, animation and studio management.
Seasoned Lead 3D Generalist and Unreal Engine Virtual Production Artist with a demonstrated history of working in the higher VFX Industry and education industry.
Worked in productions such Halo, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Discovery, Avatar The Airbender, The Boys and many others.
Most Recently, Thiago was hired by Epic Games as an Education Advisor for the Education Team, working on developing relationships with schools in Brazil, Portugal and Canada.
Moderated by:
Julie Anita Bernard, is the Manager of Production Services + Reel Green™ Partnerships at Creative BC’s Film Commission for the last 21 years. Julie works closely with local and international producers providing service including valuable resource information and location expertise helping to market the province as a film destination. Previously, Julie worked for 20 years in the film industry as a Location Manager, working on many productions: commercials, television movies, pilots, series and feature films; she brings extensive knowledge of the film industry, having worked directly with producers, production managers, directors and the creative teams. Julie has also been working with Industry partners for the last 6 years to evolve the Reel Green Initiative to where it is today and takes great pride in helping transform BC into one of the greenest production centres.
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET | Cross-Canada Roundtable | The Future is Green: An Update on Sustainable Production
Presented by
Across the country, the Canadian screen industry has been moving towards strategies that are leading the way to an environmentally sustainable future. In this panel, presented by William F. White International, check in with provincial initiatives as they address the pressing question when it comes to where the responsibility of green productions lies and how we can work together across the country to achieve the targets set. Sustainability initiatives are calling for and building the necessary infrastructure for standardized green productions going forward. Where is Canada now and what are our most pressing long-term and short-term priorities?
David Hardy is the Vice President, Sustainability & Stakeholder Affairs at William F. White International. There, in conjunction with parent company Sunbelt Rentals, he works to embed sustainable best practices into the fabric of the company and ensure that there is a clear line of sight to the carbon reductions necessary to meet the science-based targets of the Paris Accord.
Long a passionate advocate for a more sustainable industry, David works with colleagues and stakeholders to build global sustainability frameworks, and actively participates in local and regional initiatives that increasingly intersect with efforts to better inform all levels of government of the value in supporting a sustainable film and television production industry.
An inveterate content consumer, he is the father of three daughters and is partner to a professional orchestral musician.
Smiely Khurana is the Reel Green™ Sustainability Lead at Creative BC, supporting and connecting Reel Green’s expanding community of engagement. She has showcased this through the implementation of Reel Green’s strategic plan, deepening industry’s expertise and use of the tools, further transforming production practices through the Clean Energy municipal collaboration, and work to help industry transition to a circular economy. With a background in Motion Picture Arts and business, Smiely has worked on a number of productions in several different positions such as producer assistant, accounting, digital marketing and film promotion, and most recently as a sustainability coordinator. Throughout the years, Smiely's passion and involvement in environmental sustainability has allowed her to lead discussions, workshops and keynotes at universities, festivals, at the Sustainable Production Forum, and host a successful podcast focused on environmental sustainability.
With 15 years of experience in large-scale cultural enterprises, her energy and enthusiasm have been at the heart of several major achievements. Valérie Daigneault has held, among others, the positions of production manager and director, Events and Shows department at Productions J, a well-established cultural company in Quebec.
Over the years, she has also distinguished herself through her commitment and passion for philanthropy with various social organizations, notably through her position as director of the Events department of the Fondation du CHUM (Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal).
She joined the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC) in 2020, where she currently managed the activities of the Audiovisual Cluster. In this role, she works to support the economic development of Quebec companies in the sector so that they remain competitive and attractive internationally. She is also a president of the governance committee of Synthèse - Pôle image Québec.
Moderated by:
Leaticia Kaggwa is on a mission to help content creators tell compelling stories while minimizing their environmental impact. She joined the CBC as their first ever environmental sustainability lead in January 2022. Among other environmentally-driven duties, she primarily collaborates with producers, industry partners, and other members of the screen industry to track carbon emissions and implement sustainable production tools and techniques. Previously, she was the summer sustainability coordinator at William F. White, Canada's largest provider of filming equipment and studio space. Leaticia also holds a Master of Science degree in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto.
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET | In Conversation with Radius Award Winner Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Presented by
Join us for an intimate conversation with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, presented by William F. White International. This year's Radius Award recipient discusses how she has won over an international audience with captivating comedic and dramatic timing and her recent work on Mindy Kaling's Never Have I Ever and Pixar's Turning Red.
The Radius Award, presented by MADE | NOUS, is presented to a Canadian whose work is making waves globally.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, one of the 2021's TIME100 Next, an annual list of individuals who are shaping the future of their fields and defining the next generation of leadership, recipient of New York Times's best actors' category and ambassador of Plan International Canada, has won the hearts and minds of a global audience.
Her natural talent in acting and comedy was revealed through her breakthrough, starring role as Devi Vishwakumar, in Mindy Kaling's global hit show, Never Have I Ever. Captivating international audiences with fast-paced comedic and heart-wrenching dramatic skills, Maitreyi's multifaceted acting talent has been recognized by the Gracies, awarding her Actress in a Break Through Comedy Role 2021. In addition, she was recently recognized by the Annual Asian American Awards 2021 for Breakout in TV and was nominated for Best Actress 2021 by the Independent Spirit Awards.
Maitreyi is soon to appear on screens in 2022 in Pixar’s Turning Red voicing the role of Priya. She is currently filming Season 3 of Never Have I Ever.
Moderated by:
Born in Illinois and raised in Toronto, Jean Yoon is a playwright, actor, advocate and Mom who makes her home in Toronto. Jean began her theatre career in the early 1980s in Toronto. In the 1990s, Jean was active as a cultural equity advocate and new play producer. She was Cross Cultural Coordinator for Theatre Ontario 1991/92, and then Co-Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre Projects 1992 to early 1994, cementing Cahoots’ role as a leader in new play development for playwrights of diverse cultures.
Jean’s playwriting credits include the Dora-nominated stage play, The Yoko Ono Project, a multimedia performance art comedy, produced in Toronto, January 2000. Her comedic adaptation of a classic Korean folktale Hongbu & Nolbu: The Tale of the Magic Pumpkins premiered at Young Peoples Theatre in 2005 and was published by Duke University Press in 2012. Jean also has several other writing credits as well as many acting credits in the theatre world.
Jean is best known for her work on the CBC television adaptation of Kim’s Convenience, for which she has received the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance Female 2017, and five CSA nominations. Other notable screen credits include Orphan Black, Dragon Boys, The Expanse, Save Me, Nurses and voicing Connie in the Emmy Award winning PBS show Peg + Cat.
Jean was honoured with the Birks Diamond Tribute for Women in Film and Television in September 2019, and the ACTRA Toronto Award of Excellence in February 2020.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | Members Lounge Programming
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Tune Up Your Grant Application: Music Video Production Project
The MVP Project, a joint initiative from the Prism Prize and RBCxMusic (with support from the RBC Foundation), promotes the intersection of emerging Canadian Recording Artists and Filmmakers through Music Video Production Grants valued between $5,000 and $15,000. Join MVP grant recipients and administrators for this upbeat discussion as they advise on what makes a successful grant application, an engaging music video, and the role that the MVP project plays within the Canadian music video landscape.
ALIM SABIR is a Kazakh-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. His practice includes short-form narrative, documentary, music video, and high-end commercial work. Alim’s perceptive style is defined by his infinite pursuit of expressing the intricacies of human nature and his own connection to the ever-evolving world.
As an artist manager, over his 10 years at Arts & Crafts developing and managing artists, Bled Celhyka has built and launched projects of all kinds including domestic and international tours, full album cycles including recording, single release campaigns, videos. He’s also worked on various projects at the label such as Field Trip Music & Arts Festival, developing and booking the festival’s Comedy stage in the early years of the festival.
Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon a city in the heart of Canada lies a soulful, creative spirit that proves there’s much more to the so called ‘fly over states’ than grassland and grain silos. Katie Tupper, a 24 year old neo soul musician, embodies that spirit of boundary pushing, genre defying artists at work within the often overlooked region. Her latest EP Towards The End a sultry, glittering debut that showcases Tupper’s mastery as a musician, writer and producer, and is an ode to love, identity and the inextricable ways the two entwine.
Xavier Tu is a choreographer, producer, and movement director based in Toronto, Ontario. Whether producing film, choreographing music videos for Canadian artists, creatively directing international competition choreography, or working as a performer on film, Xavier always seeks to bring innovation, creativity, and multidisciplinary approaches to his work. Though dance and movement was his first medium, Xavier seeks to bring new perspectives into the film world by rethinking the way that dance and non-dance movement can amplify the impact of film projects of any format.
Moderated by:
Neil Haverty is Senior Manager of the Prism Prize & MVP Project; Canadian music video support initiatives administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. The Prism Prize was established to recognize outstanding artistry in Canadian music videos, with an annual awards slate that includes a host of special awards and a juried, $20k Grand Prize. The MVP Project is a joint initiative with RBCxMusic established to support the intersection of emerging Canadian recording artists and filmmakers through music video production grants. Neil is also an avid musician and film composer, most recently scoring Brettan Hannam's Wildhood and Melanie Oates' Body & Bones.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET | Academy Talks: In the Room | The Recipe for Success: Unscripted Content
Presented by
From the kitchen, to the runway, to the garage, reality, competition, and lifestyle series continue to teach new crafts, adapt contemporary formats, and entertain global viewers. In this special Academy Talks: In the Room event, presented by Boat Rocker, unscripted development executives, producers, and directors uncover the current and future trends of the genre and celebrate recent Canadian and international successes. Join us as we dive into decision making from both sides of the aisle; uncovering the development process and answering the big questions of who is watching, what has proven to last the test of time, and where new formats are succeeding.
Aisha Fairclough is a Toronto based filmmaker and producer with over 15 years of experience developing and producing factual, lifestyle and documentary content for several networks including OWN, Slice, HGTV, Showtime, Global TV, Food Network Canada, TVO, CBC and Crave. Aisha sits on the board of Inside Out LGBTQ+ Film Festival serving as Strategic Planning Committee Chair and on the advisory council for X University (formerly Ryerson University) School of Fashion. In 2021, her short film Body Politics premiered at Hot Docs. It also screened at the Calgary International Film Festival and St John's Women’s Film Festival, among others.
Aisha’s cheeky quotes on fashion and "body positivity" have been featured in Toronto Star, Metro, Etalk, Refinery 29, Huffington Post, BBC, CTV News and Essence Magazine. Most recently, she was the Series Producer on the Crave original series 1 Queen 5 Queers, currently airing on Crave.
Annelies McConnachie-Howarth has series produced 100 episodes of unscripted television. She has over 12 years of experience in development and production on shows that have aired on HGTV Canada and US, YTV, Food Network Canada, OWN, Animal Planet, TVO and more. Currently Showrunner of Island of Bryan, Canada’s #1 Specialty Series.
Cathie James oversees Proper Television’s development and content creation, executive producing and show running a number of original and international formats including MasterChef Canada (CTV), The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC, Netflix), Motel Makeover (Netflix), Junior Chef Showdown (Food Network Canada, Hulu) and Mary Makes It Easy (Bell Media, Food Network US). Prior to joining Proper, Cathie was part of the pioneering executive team at CBC Factual Entertainment that oversaw Dragon’s Den and Battle of the Blades. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and began her career in news and current affairs.
Dora Fong is an award-winning production executive, showrunner, and director, with hundreds of hours of unscripted programming credits to her name.
With more than 20+ years in the industry, her production experience spans true crime (Cold Blood) to makeovers, real estate to renos, alongside some of Canada’s brightest talents including Drew and Jonathan Scott (Property Brothers) and Kortney Wilson (Making It Home).
Dora is a proud immigrant, fluent in Cantonese, English, and of course, the language of television. Her work as a broadcaster at Corus is centered around championing the work of her illustrious colleagues, and supporting new voices in the unscripted space.
Moderated by:
Margot Daley is an award winning Toronto-based senior unscripted producer, director,story editor, and former Production executive with more than 25 years of industry experience in factual and lifestyle television.
Her recent credits include series producing Underground Railroad: The Secret History, for Discovery Canada, and as lead story editor for the CBC doc series, Enslaved.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET | La pénurie de main-d’oeuvre: solutions pour le secteur audiovisuel
Présentée par la
en collaboration avec
et la
En compagnie d’expert.e.s de la Banque Nationale et de professionnel.le.s qui oeuvrent au sein de compagnies de production, cette discussion s’articulera autour des outils de rétention de ressources humaines, les assurances collectives, les différents services de paie afin de mieux naviguer les défis des ressources humaines dans un contexte de pénurie de main-d'œuvre dans le secteur audiovisuel.
Panélistes:
Julie Fontaine | Vice-présidente gestion des talents et communications internes
Catherine Luangphakdy | Conseillère en resources humaines
Modératrice:
Julia Langlois | Productrice et associée
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET | Thinking Outside the Funding Box: Spotlight on BC Creatives
Presented by
It's no secret that finding funding to support your project can be one of the most difficult parts of creating content. In this panel, presented by the Bell Fund, creators with projects currently in development share their adventures navigating the challenging world of financing. Listen in as they share their experiences repackaging content, considering exporting potential, and how to bring a local story to a global audience. Discover how approaching the problem of funding creatively can lead to a world of new opportunities.
Jordan Waunch is a Vancouver based Métis performing artist, public speaker, and emerging filmmaker. A graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology's Film And Television Production Program, Jordan has gone on to build a career as a professional casting associate at the Vancouver based casting facility Studio 3 Media. In 2019, he directed the project Sisters Of Sorrow through StoryHive’s first ever Indigenous Storyteller Edition, created the Indigenous language documentary Seeking Our Stories which was supported by the Indigenous Screen Office and Netflix through their cultural mentorship program, and recently produced the Queer Indigenous horror film Terror/Forming. His upcoming directing project Shadow of the Rougarou is a limited series based on traditional Michif oral stories and is set for release in spring 2022 on APTN's streaming platform Lumi.
Michelle Morris is a Feature Producer and CEO of Lily Pictures. She sits on the CMPA-BC Council and is a 1st AD member in the DGC. After a childhood in Iran, she travelled to 50 countries and lived in China. This experience inspired her to focus on diversity and stories that need to be heard, most recently with Alexander Lasheras’ The Behive, Marie Clements’ Red Snow, and Ana de Lara’s Good Girls Don't. In development are Anne Wheeler’s When I Sing, Tarique Qayumi’s Motherhood and Over The Next Hill, and Mary Galloway and Kerry Borsuk’s Renegade: The Emily Carr Story.
Shana Myara is an award-winning writer who is tiptoeing into film and TV. She's a former queer film festival director and movies buyer for cable TV, and the director of the fat acceptance documentary Well Rounded (Inside Out; BFI Flare) and the creator of Killjoy Comedy. Her short story collection is forthcoming from Biblioasis in Spring 2023.
Trish Dolman founded Screen Siren Pictures in 1997 and is a leading producer and director in Western Canada. Trish is currently executive producing the upcoming limited series/feature film hybrid Bones of Crows from award-winning filmmaker Marie Clements for the CBC, Radio-Canada, APTN, and Elevation Pictures; and producing the feature documentary Rock N’ Roll Revival, about the legendary 1969 Toronto concert. Other recent credits include British Columbia — An Untold History, a landmark documentary series nominated for five 2022 Canadian Screen Awards; French Exit, a feature adaptation of the award-winning novel; and the feature documentary The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel.
Moderated by:
Janine Steele is an experienced producer and administrator working at the intersection of arts, linear filmmaking and technology. Currently she is a Project Manager at Creative BC, overseeing the design and implementation of the $2 million Domestic Motion Picture Fund, including targeting funding for equity and emerging filmmakers, capacity building supports, production financing, and slate development programs.
Previously, Janine worked at the National Film Board of Canada where she produced or project managed pioneering interactive work, like Yesterday Today Tomorrow, Seven Digital Deadly Sins, Bear 71 and Welcome to Pine Point, earning accolades such as a Cannes Cyber Lion, FWA Site of the Year and several Webby Awards.
Thursday, April 7, 2022 | Members Lounge Programming
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET | Projecteur: le métier de coordonnateur.trice d’intimité
Présentée par la
De la vision créative à la limite personnelle des interprètes, le métier de coordination d’intimité agit en tant qu’intermédiaire et devient de plus en plus essentiel. Cette discussion, en compagnie de coordonnateur. trice.s d’intimité de l’ICCQ, une branche d’Intimacy Coordinators Canada, permettra aux participant.e.s de mieux saisir quand et pourquoi bénéficier d’un support à l’intimité en milieu de travail.
Panélistes:
Mimi Côté | Coordonnatrice d'intimité
Stéphanie Breton | Coordonnatrice d'intimité
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Creating & Recreating: Authenticity in Speculative and Historical Drama
Presented by
The work of skilled artists, designers, and technicians can take us on a journey through time. In this panel, presented by NABET 700-M UNIFOR, costume designers, make-up artists, hair stylists, and prop masters speak to what goes into imaging the future and re-creating history when designing speculative fiction and period pieces. Our panel will explore the references, research, adaptability, and accuracy that go into transporting a viewer to the past and future.
Annmarie Morais is the showrunner, creator and executive producer on CBC's The Porter. Her inaugural feature film How She Move was a 2007 Sundance Film Festival Selection and received worldwide release. Her work in television has proved equally noteworthy, writing for such major networks as CBS, SyFy and Global TV. In 2019, Annmarie brought her creative talents to BET’s groundbreaking scripted series American Soul, penning three episodes on The life of Don Cornelius and his famed “Soul Train” empire.
Playing dress up, telling stories, shopping and making people laugh while trying to solve the puzzle of costume designing a show are Joanna Syrokomla’s top list favourite things ever. Credits include Murdoch Mysteries S12-15, The L.A Complex, Little Italy, Whatever Linda, lots of indie things terrible and not, and being one of the founders of CAFTCAD and the CAFTCAD Awards.
Samantha Little is a Props Master and a Grammy and Juno nominated producer of music and film. She has worked for over 20 years on a variety of shorts, online and television series, features, as well as numerous recordings. As a props master and builder, she excels at supporting artistic visions from development to successful completion. Samantha and her production company Little Productions have a focus on female identifying led productions, as well as raising the voices of indigenous storytellers. Her most recent work includes a short film Nocturne Falls directed by Dennis Nicholson and the short thriller On The Water directed by Karis Malszecki. In development are a film by Jane Moffat, Little Toil of Love starring Jayne Eastwood and directed by Gail Harvey, and a lifestyle tv series highlighting sustainable urban living.
Shirley Bond is currently the Hair Designer on Murdoch Mysteries. Shirley has a passion for period hairstyling that she developed after spending a decade learning to build and style wigs while working in the theatre. Before moving to TV and film, Shirley spent several seasons at the Shaw Festival and worked on Livent productions including Joseph, Sunset Boulevard, Showboat, Ragtime, and as Head of Wigs on Phantom of the Opera. In 1999, Shirley began her television career with the series, Highlander: The Raven which included constructing pieces and wigs for the title character’s flashback sequences. This translating of historical looks still excites her.
Moderated by:
Chantel Riley is a Canadian-Jamaican singer, songwriter, and actress known for her lead role as “Trudy Clarke” in the Canadian hit series, Frankie Drake Mysteries. She also starred as “Angela Cooke” alongside Suits veteran Gina Torres in the Suits spin off series Pearson.
Chantel kicked off her acting career after attending an open call in Toronto and landed her first gig playing “Nala” in Disney’s The Lion King in Hamburg, Germany. For this, her first major role, she learned the entire play and lyrics in German. After a successful one year run, Chantel returned home to Toronto and was immediately offered an opportunity to play this role on Broadway. In the summer of 2012, she made her debut in New York City and spent four years bringing this well-loved character to life. While performing on Broadway, Chantel also landed her first film role playing “Quincella Nickerson” in the critically acclaimed Jesse Owens biopic, Race.
Chantel is also known for her recurring role on the SyFy series, Wynonna Earp and appears as “Layla Hassan” in the Assassin’s Creed Origins video game. In 2021, she released her EP called “I AM” and officially launched her kids boutique called Sweet Riley! You can take a peek @lovesweetriley on Instagram. Currently Chantel is the voice of Lucy in the upcoming animated series Daniel Spellbound and the League of Alchemists. Others project yet to release include the Jeremy Lalonde directed comedy Blue Iguana and the film Colorblind directed by Mostafa Keshvari.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET | Jam Sesh: Short Form Series Concept, Financing, and Development
Presented with the participation of the Independent Production Fund
Every song tells a story, and music and image are often harmoniously integrated on screen to evoke emotion. Join this quartet of creators from two IPF funded short-form series, Topline and Less than Kosher, for a candid look into their short form budgets, development, and creative process. Learn how these series have chosen to prioritize and centre their stories around music.
Cyrena Fiel is a singer, songwriter, and actor from Toronto. She is currently enrolled at Etobicoke School of the Arts where she majors as a Music Theatre student. In 2019, she made her Toronto Fringe Festival Debut as Carmela in Drama 101, and soon after, began her transition from musical theatre to the film industry. She currently stars in the new CBC Gem series, Topline, directed by Romeo Candido, as the lead character, Tala. Cyrena as well wrote and released her first, self-titled EP to streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music just last year.
Michael Goldlist is an actor, writer and producer from Toronto. He has written and produced three digital series - including The Ninth on CBC Gem and the upcoming Less Than Kosher. He created numerous award-winning music videos, dozens of commercials and one Heritage Minute.
Shaina Silver-Baird is an actor, musician, creator and producer from Toronto/Tkaronto. She is the co-creator/writer, co-executive producer and star of upcoming digital series Less Than Kosher (Filmcoop Inc.). In July 2022, she will resume touring as Chaya/Violinist in the award-winning, international sensation Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story with 2b Theatre (6 Drama Desk nominations). Shaina has been nominated for a MyTheatre Award for Outstanding Performance and won a Dora Award for Best Ensemble. Shaina is also the lead singer/songwriter for electro-pop band Ghost Caravan.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET | Public Reading - Je me vois à l’écran
Presented by
in collaboration with
Public reading of short film scripts written by Afro-descendant writers, and performed by professional actors. The projects were developed through the screenwriting residency offered by the collective Black on Black Films, with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Comédien.nes / Actors:
Hamidou Savadogo
Fabrice Yvanoff Sénat
Dominick Rustam
Inès Defossé
Leisa Reid
Anthony Jeannevol
Ummy Sylla
Wood-Alder Barthemy
Membres du Jury / Jury Members:
Kadidja Haïdara | Scénariste / Writer
Marya Zarif | Autrice, réalisatrice et illustratrice / Writer, Director, and Illustrator
Eva Kabuya | Scénariste et réalisatrice / Writer and Director
Modératrice / Moderator:
Tatiana Zinga Botao | Comédienne / Actress
Friday, April 8, 2022 | Members Lounge Programming
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET | On tourne vert : plateaux écoresponsables
Présentée par
en collaboration avec
Le programme On tourne vert vise à faciliter l’adoption de gestes écoresponsables sur les plateaux de tournage. Toute production, quelle que soit sa taille ou son type, peut bénéficier des pistes d’action et des références offertes afin de réduire son impact sur l’environnement. Cette séance d’information aura pour but de souligner les bénéfices du programme et de présenter les différents outils disponibles en présence d’un.e représentant.e d’On tourne vert et d’un.e représentant.e d’une production accréditée On tourne vert.
Panélistes:
Luke Bélanger | Producteur, réalisateur, scénariste
Rose Mailloux | Directrice de production
Richard Cormier | Vice-président aux services créatifs numériques chez MELS
Caroline Voyer | Directrice générale au RQFE
Modératrice:
Valérie Daigneault | Directrice du secrétariat de la Grappe audiovisuelle au BCTQ
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET | Every Lens Tells a Story: The Technical and Artistic Processes of Cinematographers
Presented by
Part technician, part artist — cinematographers play a vital role in our industry as experts in movement, colour, design, and technology. Presented by Panavision, this session will feature a panel of talented Canadian cinematographers discussing their unique professional journeys, past triumphs, future goals, and ongoing barriers. The conversation will offer industry insights and a behind-the-scenes look at the cinematographers’ technical and artistic processes.
Bobby Shore, CSC, is a lauded Director of Photography who has worked on award winning feature films, commercials, and music videos. Upon graduating from the cinematography program at the American Film Institute, his talent was in demand - enabling him to shoot in the USA, Canada, and Europe to date, Bobby has shot TV series for both Netflix and Amazon, including the critically acclaimed Anne, directed by Niki Caro, and most recently for BBC UK / Hulu with Lenny Abrahmson's highly anticipated adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Conversations with Friends. He has also shot more than 15 feature films, including Karyn Kusama's cult classic The Invitation, and independent films Pink Wall, directed by Tom Cullen (which premiered at SXSW 2019), and Castle in the Ground (which premiered at TIFF in 2019).
Equally interested in music videos and commercials, Bobby has shot for such bands as Austra, SIA, Halsey, Majid Jordan, and Drake, and for clients such as Adidas, Jonnie Walker, Derek Lam, Target, Wiser's, McDonald's and Mercedes. Bobby splits his time between Toronto, Los Angeles, and London, where he still rides his ten-speed to work.
Driven by a deep sense of purpose, Jordan Oram has dedicated himself to creating experiences that not only entertain but also enlighten and empower. He believes that curiosity has the power to change the world, to challenge our perceptions and inspire us to dream bigger, love more deeply, and live more fully. Through his lens, Oram invites us to embark on a journey of self-discovery and exploration, to connect with our own inner truths and to embrace our unique perspectives and experiences. His work is a testament to the human spirit, to our capacity for creativity, resilience, and transformation.
Moderated by:
Ella Cooper is an award winning independent producer, multimedia artist, educator, writer and director based in Toronto who has been working in the arts, media and cultural sector for over 20 years. She is the Founder of Black Women Film! Canada - a not for profit dedicated to the success of Black Women in Film & Media. Ella is currently directing a new children’s series for TVO, has an animated series in development with CBC Kids through her production company Brown Rabbit Studios and has featured her photo and video based work at numerous national galleries across Canada and abroad. Ella is a recognized speaker and has been featured as ‘33 Black Women Making Change’ by Chatelaine Magazine and was a 2019 Mayor Arts Award Nominee for Cultural Leadership.
Presented by
Presented for the first time in 2022, the Changemaker Award recognizes and honours those in the media community in Canada who are using their voice or platform to call out systemic racism and discrimination. This year’s inaugural recipients discuss supporting and amplifying the voices of those who are actively engaged in anti-racist work and seeking structural transformations in media organizations in Canada.
This conversation was recorded March 2022.
Moderated by:
maxine bailey is a dynamic member of Toronto’s arts community. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). Previously, maxine served as the Vice-President of Advancement at TIFF where she founded Share Her Journey, a fundraising commitment to achieving gender parity both on and off screen. She also co-founded the Black Artists Network in Dialogue (BAND), which showcases Black cultural contributions nationally and internationally, and currently participates on the advisory boards and steering committees for the Toronto Arts Council/Foundation Advocacy Committee, the Canadian Academy, the Luminato Festival Toronto and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund.
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM ET | Producer's Roundtable: Best Motion Picture
Presented by
Join the key creatives behind 2022’s Best Motion Picture nominees for a lively and candid roundtable discussing Canadian film production from the past year. This session, presented by the Canadian Media Producers Association, will deep dive into this year’s Best Motion Pictures, original voices, pandemic-era distribution, and financing.
Gharrett Patrick Paon is an actor-turned-producer and the president of Rebel Road Films. 2021 was a landmark year for Gharrett & the company. He filmed a 7-episode recurring arc on the fourth season of The Sinner and launched Bretten Hannam’s two-spirit feature Wildhood at TIFF. Rebel Road Films combined digital series, doc series and features were nominated for 8 Canadian Screen Awards in 2022. Gharrett was also a producer on the Charles Wahls short The Mohel, which held it's world-premiere at SXSW in 2021. Followed by Palm Springs Shortfest, where it won Best Live-Action Short qualifying it for the 2022 Academy Awards.
After working in distribution for 5 years, Luc Déry founded production company micro_scope in 2002. The company has produced over 25 feature films including Gabrielle (Louise Archambault), Congorama, C’est pas moi, je le jure, and My Salinger Year (Philippe Falardeau), Continental, un film sans fusil, and Tu Dors Nicole (Stéphane Lafleur), Inch’Allah (Anaïs Barbeau Lavalette), Drunken Birds (Ivan Grbovic) and this year’s Viking. All of these films have premiered in major film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, TIFF and Locarno) and two, Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies and Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar were nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.
Shasha is a Toronto-based storyteller with over a decade of experience. Her work has aired on the BBC, CBC, ZDF, and Arte; screened at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); been nominated for 16 Canadian Screen Awards and a Golden Sheaf; named TIFF’s Top 10; and shortlisted for an Oscar.
Netflix Canada’s first content executive, Tara Woodbury is in charge of developing and commissioning all Canadian scripted series. Previously as Executive Producer and VP of Development for SphereMedia Plus, Tara developed and EP’d the smash medical hit Transplant for CTV and NBC. As an independent producer, her sci-fi thriller Night Raiders by director Danis Goulet was a TIFF Gala, won the DGC Discovery Award, and is being distributed by Samuel Goldwyn in the US.
Yanick Létourneau is the owner and co-founder of PERIPHERIA, a film production company established in 2000 in Montreal, Canada, dedicated to bringing directors' stories to international audiences. Yanick is very involved in advocating for the interests of the independent film production sector in Canada, working with several groups on issues related to filmmaking and representation. He is a founding member of the UPPCQ, an association representing independent film producers in Quebec.
Recent producer credits include Côte d’Ivoire's Night of the Kings, directed by Philippe Lacôte, a Canadian co-production with France, Ivory Coast and Senegal, which premiered in Venice, followed by TIFF, NYFF, Sundance and many more. Acquired by NEON, it made the 2021 Oscar shortlist for Best International Film and won several awards including the NAACP Best Outstanding International Film Award in 2021. Night Of The Kings is considered one of the Best films of 2021-2022 by Rolling Stones Magazine, Esquire, BBC. His latest co-production, a historical drama by Robert Guédiguian set in Mali, Mali Twist, in co-production with Agat in France and Senegal has just been released in French theaters. He is currently in preparation for Maxime Giroux's first English-language feature, In Cold Light, in co-production with Lithium Studios (Toronto) and Belgium to be shot in Spring 2022.
Moderated by:
Claudia Hébert is a radio host and culture reporter for Radio-Canada. After years in Toronto, where she first worked as host of the film programs at TFO and then hosted a few shows for Ici Premiere, she is now based in Montréal. She can be heard on various programs like Tout un matin, Culture Club, and On dira ce qu'on voudra. Before working in the media, she trained as a filmmaker and directed many fiction short films (Les deuxièmes, Le déni).
