(Tuesday, May 11 — 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PT)

How can Canada create a self-sustaining talent development network, where individuals working in all areas of production have the opportunity to build long-term, meaningful careers in this country? Set against the backdrop of the federal government’s pending updates to the Broadcasting Act, this panel will explore how stakeholders from across the industry can collaboratively seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a strong and self-sustaining Canadian talent ecosystem.

GUESTS 

Amy Cameron | Executive Producer, Cameron Pictures

Amy Cameron is an award-winning journalist, author, TV series creator, broadcast executive and executive producer. She is the co-founder of Cameron Pictures Inc., an independent production company she runs with her sister Tassie Cameron.

She is an executive producer at Cameron Pictures, overseeing the critically acclaimed dramatic series Mary Kills People for Global TV/Lifetime, the CBC comedy Little Dog and their new series Pretty Hard Cases for CBC.

A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre, Cameron also has a BFA from Concordia University and a diploma from a very fancy fashion design school in Paris, France.

Darcy Waite | Producer

Darcy Waite is a Producer/TV Host based in Winnipeg, MB. He’s currently the goofy host of ATPNs youth series THAT’S AWSM. Darcy is one of Canada’s fastest rising producers. He recently produced his first feature film through Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program – Ruthless Souls. The feature premiered at ImagineNATIVE in 2019 and was a part of Telefilm’s Canadian Perspectives Program in Berlinale in 2020. Darcy was also a part of the 2020 CMPA’s Emerging Producer Delegation to Berlinale. Darcy produced the award-winning CBC Short Docs film Zaasaakwe which played at the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival. He produced the short, Lost Moccasin for APTN, which also played at ImagineNATIVE. Darcy was also Associate Producer on the CBC Short Docs film Fourth Period Burnout, and Rainbow Ice. Darcy won the 2017 Imaginenative Web Series Pitch Competition as the Producer of Madison Thomas’ web series Color of Scar Tissue, starring Star Slade, Mary Galloway, and Kaniehtiio Horn. The series premiered at ImagineNATIVE 2018 before airing on APTN Digital. Darcy’s short Case Number #### was nominated for best narrative short at the 2018 LA Skins fest. His series DJ Burnt Bannock was a 2019 ImagineNATIVE Web Series Pitch Competition finalist. Recently, Darcy won the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival’s Rising Producer Award. Darcy is currently in pre-production with Eagle Vision to co-produce his next two projects DJ Burnt Bannock (APTN/BELLFUND) and the Telefilm funded feature Finality of Dusk directed by Madison Thomas.

Erin Haskett | President, Executive Producer, Lark Productions

Erin serves as executive producer on the upcoming Global/eOne legal drama Family Law, and  executive produced Fortunate Son, a spy drama for CBC and NBCUniversal International, successful crime drama Motive (CTV, USA, ABC), the award-winning docu-series Paramedics: Life on the Line and Emergency Room: Life + Death at VGH for Knowledge Network, and the hit formats The Real Housewives of Toronto and The Real Housewives of Vancouver (Slice). Lark’s programs succeed domestically and internationally, having been sold in over 180 territories.

Before joining Lark, Erin was Director of Development at Paperny Entertainment and also ran development with Infinity Features, where she was the Executive in Charge of Production for Terry Gilliam’s film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

 A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre, Erin is currently the Chair of the CMPA National Board of Directors and also serves on the Board of the BC based Pacific Screenwriting Program.

Glenn Cockburn | President/Agent, Meridian Artists

Glenn Cockburn is the founder of Meridian Artists.  Glenn graduated with a B.F.A. Honours in Film and Television Production from York University in 1990 and a M.B.A. from the Ivey School of Business in 1996. Shortly after Glenn began working for New Line Cinema. In 2000 Glenn returned to Toronto and joined The Characters Talent Agency and in 2005 Glenn founded Meridian Artists, where he represents a select roster of some of Canada’s most talented and fastest rising writers and directors.

Tonya Williams | Actress and Founder/Executive Director of Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute

Tonya Williams has worked in the entertainment industry as an actor and producer for the past 45 years.  For 19 of those years she starred on The Young and The Restless. She is considered one of the first Black Canadian actresses to find international success. In 2019 Vibe105 listed her as one of the “Top 5 Canadian actresses taking Film and TV Industry by Storm”. She’s been nominated twice for Emmy Awards and a recipient of two NAACP Image Awards, 2017 WIFT Crystal Award, 2005 ACTRA Award of Excellence, and more.  In 2001 she Founded and has been the Executive & Artistic Director of Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute both creating more racial diversity and inclusion in the Canadian screen industry.  Last year they launched AccessReelworld.ca, now the largest searchable recruiting platform for diverse talent.  Tonya sits on Telefilm’s Diversity & Inclusion Group, the Canadian Media Fund Black Industry Leaders Group, Ontario Creates Advisory Committee, a Board Member of The Black Academy and is one of the founders and a Board Member of the Black Screen Office. She is a life-long advocate for racially diverse people. She resides in Los Angeles.

MODERATOR

Jordan Pinto | Associate Editor, Playback

Jordan Pinto is the Associate Editor for Playback, reporting on all aspects of the weird and wonderful world of Canadian film and television.

More panelists to come!

This session is free for members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Tickets are available for purchase for non-members.

Provided by TimePlay

(Tuesday, May 11 — 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET / 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM ET)

Show off your knowledge of movie trivia in this exclusive game of TimePlay. Compete against fellow Members Lounge cinephiles to win SCENE points and bragging rights.

Prior to the 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT showtime, open the TimePlay app on your mobile device, and launch your second screen browser and go to media.timeplay.tv.

Free and open for all movie fans to participate!

Have the TimePlay app? 

• Awesome! Make sure to update it so that you have the latest version ( iOS Android )

Don’t have the TimePlay app?

• No worries! Simply download the TimePlay app now ( iOS Android ) and register your email for the richest experience.

How to Play: 

All you need is your phone and a second screen!  

1. Open the app prior to the 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT showtime in order to get set up for your first time. Click on TimePlay Live and follow the prompts.
2. Launch your second screen browser (ex. Chrome) and go to media.timeplay.tv. For your second screen, you can use a PC or Smart TV. It’s also compatible with the browser on Amazon Fire.
3. Click ‘Let me in!’ on your second screen and then click the play button to get started.
4. Connect your phone to the second screen by scanning the QR code or entering the QR code at the bottom left of the screen.

See you on the leaderboard!

(Tuesday, May 11 — 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM PT)

Producers take the reins to ask the real, relevant questions in this candid and dynamic two-way interview between Canadian Screen Award nominees Heidi Lynch and Perrie Voss (Avocado Toast the series) and 2020 IPF funding recipients Zarqa Nawaz and Claire Ross Dunn (Zarqa). From proof-of-concepts to awards notoriety, these peers re-examine the top takeaways of their short form projects. Focusing on their development processes, how they’ve leveraged financing, finding the right collaborators, and their best pitching tips, these teams investigate each others’ projects and processes that have forged their paths to success.

GUESTS

Claire Ross Dunn | Executive Producer, ZARQA

Claire works as a writer, story editor and producer. She has written and story-edited several movies for Hallmark, Lifetime and independent producers in Canada.

Claire is an EP for the digital comedy ZARQA (CBC Gem), to be shot in Fall, 2021.

For TV, Claire’s many credits include Good Witch, Make It Pop, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Degrassi: The Next Generation for which Claire earned The Alliance for Children and Television Award for Excellence, The Smart Woman Survival Guide (W/Cosmo TV), and Wingin’ It, earning Claire a 2014 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Writing in a Children’s/Youth Program.

Heidi Lynch | Writer, Producer, Actor, Avocado Toast the series

Heidi Lynch is an actor, writer and producer. Stay tuned for Season 2 of Avocado Toast the series, coming in 2022! As a creator/producer Heidi is in development on a half hour comedy for AMI, a feature documentary about women who wish, and a comedic redemption story web series co-written by Ellie Moon. Heidi is a #SeeJane member of the Geena Davis Institute, a WIFT member, a Canadian Academy member and proud to prioritize representation for women in film in front of and behind the camera in her work.

Perrie Voss | Actor, Filmmaker, Avocado Toast the series

Perrie Voss is an actor and filmmaker. Perrie co-wrote, co-produced, co-edited and co-starred in the multi award-winning web series Avocado Toast the series funded by Ontario Creates, Bell Fund, and IPF, streaming on OUTtv, Amazon Prime, AppleTV+ and more. As a queer filmmaker, Perrie champions underrepresented narratives with powerful visuals especially within the LGBTQ+ space. Currently, Perrie is developing season 2 of Avocado Toast the series, as well as Stories from my Gay Grandparents (funded by the IPF/CMF development fund). As an actor, Perrie most recently starred as ‘Cookie’ in Letters to Satan Claus (Syfy).

@perrievoss @avocadotoastseries www.avocadotoasttheseries.com

Zarqa Nawaz | President of FUNdamentalist Films

In 2007, Zarqa created the internationally renowned CBC comedy series, Little Mosque on the Prairie, the world’s first sitcom about a Muslim community living in the west. The show premiered to the highest ratings CBC had in over 20 years and went on to win a Gemini, and was nominated for Best Television Series.

In 2014, she published her comedic memoir, Laughing All the Way to the Mosque. Her first novel, Jameela Green Ruins Everything will be released in early 2022.

Zarqa is currently in pre-production for the CBC Gem web series entitled ZARQA, in which she will star.

This session is free for members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Tickets are available for purchase for non-members.

(Tuesday, May 11 — 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM ET / 4:00 – 4:45 PM PT)

(La version en français suivra)

Titan of Canadian filmmaking Deepa Mehta digs deep into how she navigates the complex themes of prejudice, culture, and coming into your own identity in Funny Boy (nominated for nine 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, including “Best Motion Picture”, “Best Adapted Screenplay”, and “Achievement in Direction” for Mehta).

GUESTS

Deepa Mehta | Filmmaker, Funny Boy

Deepa Mehta is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work is celebrated on an international scale. Her emotionally resonating, award-winning films have played every major film festival, and been sold and distributed around the globe. Her films include the Elemental Trilogy: Earth, Fire, Water, the final film of which received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film, Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven on Earth and the epic adaptation of Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie’s three-time Booker Prize winning novel. 

Her work challenges traditions and stereotypes and is always daring, fearless and provocative. It’s this spirit that saturated her feature film Anatomy of Violence. Deepa recently shot the pilot and second episode for the Netflix Original series, Leila, and is the Creative Executive Producer for the show. She also directed The Manager, the pilot episode of Little America for Apple TV. Her latest feature film Funny Boy is based on the award winning novel by Shyam Selvadurai, with Director of Photography Doug Koch, Editor Teresa Font and Music Composer Howard Shore.

MODERATOR

Glenn Sumi | Associate Entertainment Editor at NOW Magazine

Glenn is the Associate Entertainment Editor at NOW Magazine, where he’s written about film, theatre and comedy since the late 1990s. A member of the Toronto Film Critics Association, he’s written about and discussed the arts for a variety of outlets, and for three years was a weekly pop culture commentator on CTV News Weekend. He misses live theatre and seeing movies in actual theatres. Being part of this year’s lively Canadian Screen Awards feature jury – done on Zoom – was the most fun he’s had in 13 months.

Watch Funny Boy on CBC Gem

Based in the 70s & 80s Sri Lanka, Funny Boy is, on one level, a coming-of-age love story set in the backdrop of the ethnic conflict between the Tamil and the Sinhalese. And on another level, it is a film about the oppression of minorities, whether it is by race, culture, or sexuality.

This event is free and open to the public.

Séance de questions avec Deepa Mehta, réalisatrice de Funny Boy

Deepa Mehta, véritable titan du cinéma canadien, creuse en profondeur sa façon d’aborder des thèmes complexes comme les préjugés, la culture et l’acceptation de sa propre identité dans Funny Boy (finaliste dans neuf catégories aux prix Écrans canadiens 2021, y compris « meilleur film », « meilleure adaptation » et « meilleure réalisation »).

Cet événement se tiendra en anglais avec une interprétation en français offerte.

Invitée:

Deepa Mehta | cinéaste, Funny Boy

Deepa Mehta est une cinéaste nommée aux Oscars dont les œuvres sont appréciées à l’échelle internationale. Ses films lauréats de prix qui touchent les émotions du grand public ont été présentés lors de festivals majeurs du cinéma, en plus d’être vendus et distribués partout au monde. Parmi ceux-ci, citons la trilogie des éléments, Earth, Fire, Water (dont le dernier film a été finaliste aux Oscars dans la catégorie du meilleur film en langue étrangère), Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven on Earth et l’adaptation cinématographique épique du roman Midnight’s Children de Salman Rushdie, l’auteur qui a remporté trois fois le prix Booker. 

Son œuvre bouscule les traditions et les stéréotypes d’une manière toujours audacieuse, courageuse et provocatrice. C’est cet esprit qui imprègne son film Anatomy of Violence. Récemment, Deepa a tourné l’épisode pilote et le second épisode de Leila, une série originale de Netflix, en plus d’être la productrice déléguée chargée de la création pour l’émission. Elle a également réalisé « The Manager », l’épisode pilote de la série Little America sur Apple TV. Inspiré du roman gagnant de prix de Shyam Selvadurai, son dernier film, Funny Boy, compte aussi Doug Koch à la direction photo, Teresa Font au montage et Howard Shore à titre de compositeur musical.

Séance animée par :

Glenn Sumi | rédacteur en chef adjoint, divertissement, chez NOW Magazine

Glenn est le rédacteur en chef adjoint, divertissement, chez NOW Magazine où il écrit au sujet du cinéma, du théâtre et de l’humour depuis la fin des années 1990. Membre de la Toronto Film Critics Association, il écrit et discute des arts dans un éventail de médias, en plus d’avoir été chroniqueur sur la culture populaire à CTV News Weekend pendant trois ans. Il s’ennuie énormément du théâtre et du cinéma en salle. Il souligne que pour lui, sa participation au jury du cinéma (sur Zoom) dans le cadre des prix Écrans canadiens a été le moment le plus amusant des 13 derniers mois.

Regardez Funny Boy sur CBC Gem

Cet événement est gratuit et ouvert au grand public.

Nadia, an Olympic swimmer in her twenties, faces the challenges of her imminent retirement.

Nadia, 23 ans, prend la décision controversée de se retirer de la natation professionnelle après les Jeux olympiques; afin de fuir une vie de sacrifice. Après sa dernière course, Nadia dérape dans les nuits d’excès, mais cet étourdissement transitoire ne peut toutefois pas occulter sa réelle quête intérieure: définir son identité en dehors du monde du sport de haut niveau.

Screening available for 48 hours from Monday, May 10th, 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT to Wednesday, May 12th, 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT

MEMBERS RSVP

An RSVP is required to attend this screening. Online screenings are exclusive to members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Space is limited and RSVPs will be on a first come, first served basis.

(Wednesday, May 12 — 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT)

Meet new collaborators in this versatile virtual networking session geared towards Costume, Hair, Makeup, Props, Set Decoration, Lighting, and Sound professionals. Ideal for producers looking to connect with talent in these departments, and for emerging or established professionals looking to meet their peers and expand their network.

Choose from a variety of breakout rooms with unique question prompts to get the conversation started. Attendees can also find NABET 700-M UNIFOR representatives and craft veterans in their dedicated rooms to also connect with.

Networking sessions will require pre-registration and will be capped at a maximum number of participants to encourage small discussions and connections. Waitlist available.

GUESTS

Room #1 | Nominees of Schitt’s Creek:

– Annastasia Cucullo (nominated for 2021 Best Achievement in Hair)

– Joe Susin (nominated for 2021 Best Production Design or Art Direction, Fiction)

Room #2 | Nominees of Frankie Drake:

– Cindy Lou Tache (nominated for 2021 Best Achievement in Hair)

– Andrew Kawczynski (nominated for 2021 Best Production Design or Art Direction, Fiction)

Room #3 | Learn about NABET:

– Peggy Kyriakidou

– Amber Munro

Room #4 | Set Decoration & Costumes:

– Julian Peters for Set Decoration

– Samantha Rice for Costumes

Room #5 | Opportunities for Students & Emerging Talent:

– Jill Thornhill

– Neyall Williams

– Jayson Mosek

An RSVP is required to attend our networking sessions. Networking sessions are exclusive to members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Space is limited and RSVPs will be on a first come, first served basis.

(Wednesday, May 12 — 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM PT)

In celebrating the tapestry of voices that are rising up in our industry, we hear from an exceptional group of BIPOC writers and creators to connect the threads of their journeys in and out of the writers’ rooms in Canada. Our panel offers insight on diversifying the writers’ room, creating an equitable and responsive team, and advice to emerging BIPOC creators in the room.

GUESTS

Bilal Baig | Co-Creator of Sort Of

Bilal Baig (they/them) is a queer, trans-feminine, Muslim writer, performer and workshop facilitator. Bilal’s first play, Acha Bacha, had its world premiere in 2018 and has been published by Playwrights Canada Press. Bilal is the co-creator and lead of the upcoming CBC series, Sort Of. Bilal is a core team member at non-profits such as Story Planet and Rivers of Hope, where they develop and facilitate workshops for youth in under-resourced neighbourhoods in Toronto focused on creative writing and literacy (Story Planet), and combatting Islamophobia through the arts (Rivers of Hope).

Melanie Nepinak Hadley | Program Director, WarnerMedia Access

Melanie has worked in programming at two national broadcasters in Canada and has been on the receiving end of thousands of pitches. She has overseen dozens of projects in development and countless hours of production. She also contributes to the industry by sitting on the board of directors for imagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival, National Screen Institute, and Cousin Film Collective. In all avenues she is actively connecting talent to opportunity and diversifying and deepening the pool of storytellers working in Canada. In her current role at WM she is focused on above the line talent initiatives.

Nathalie Younglai | Screenwriter-producer, Founder of BIPOC TV & Film

TV writer and director, Nathalie Younglai founded BIPOC TV & Film, a not-for-profit organization advocating meaningful representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in front and behind the camera.

Nathalie hauled her parents to the Daytime Emmys after being nominated for her writing on Dino Dana. She’s honored to be the recipient of the 2020 CSA Humanitarian Award, the WGC Alex Barris Mentorship Award and one of NOW Magazine’s 2020 Trailblazers.

Nathalie is currently showrunning a web series she co-created with Simu Liu and is Writer/Supervising Producer on CBC’s Coroner. Black Lives Matter.

Penny E. Gummerson | Writer/Executive Producer

Métis writer Penny Gummerson was born and raised in Flin Flon, Manitoba, hunting, trapping, fishing and collecting future stories from the land and her crazy family. 

Penny recently won the WGC Award for Best Writing, Drama Series (TRICKSTER). She’s also been nominated for two 2021 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Writing, Drama Series (CARDINAL and TRICKSTER). Some of her other TV credits include THE ORDER, BLACKSTONE, STRANGE EMPIRE, ARCTIC AIR, HEARTLAND, RENEGADEPRESS.COM and MOCCASIN FLATS.

Her plays (IS THERE BINGO IN HEAVEN?, CROSSING BOUNDARIES, and award-winning WAWATAY) have been produced across Canada.

Penny is currently writing a feature film with Northwood Entertainment based on the memoir UP GHOST RIVER by Edmund Metatawabin.

Vivian Lin | Writer/Producer

Vivian Lin is a Toronto writer and producer. Her previous writing credits include co-executive producer on Hudson & Rex (CityTV/Shaftesbury), three seasons of Killjoys (SyFy/Space), Carter (WGN/Sony/Bravo), Bajillionaires (Universal Kids/DHX) and Daytime Emmy-nominated Holly Hobbie (Family/Hulu). She is a recipient of the Telefilm New Voices Award and the Bronze Prize at the Page Awards, and has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award.

MODERATOR

Amber-Sekowan Daniels | Screenwriter

Amber-Sekowan Daniels is a mixed Anishininew (Oji-Cree) screenwriter, comedian and creator and is a proud member of the Garden Hill First Nation. She was recently in the room on Diggstown III for CBC and Circle Blue Entertainment. Amber’s stand-up comedy has been featured in the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Oddblock Comedy Festival and on CBC’s The Debaters.

This session is free for members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Tickets are available for purchase for non-members.

(Wednesday, May 12 — 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM ET / 4:00 – 4:45 PM PT)

In this one-on-one conversation, Pascal Plante shares his insider view on the pressures of competitive swimming, casting and shooting in the pool, and unpacks the central  dilemma of Nadia, Butterfly’s character study: following expectations or blazing your own trail.

Nadia, Butterfly is nominated for “Best Motion Picture”, “Achievement in Cinematography”, and “Achievement in Direction” for Plante at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards.

Missed our screening? Nadia, Butterfly is available to rent or buy on Google Play, YouTube, or iTunes Store.

GUESTS

Pascal Plante | Writer and Director, Nadia, Butterfly

Pascal Plante is a Montreal-based filmmaker whose first narrative feature, a punk romance entitled Fake Tattoos, competed at the Berlinale, in Generation 14plus, in 2018. After his graduation from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Pascal co-founded the production company Nemesis Films, with which he directed numerous short films including BLAST BEAT (Slamdance 2019), Blue-Eyed Blonde (Best Canadian Short Film VIFF 2015), and Nonna (Slamdance 2017). Pascal considers himself like a cinephile that became a narrative filmmaker with documentarian tendencies. His latest feature film, Nadia, Butterfly, has been included in the official selection of the 73rd edition of Cannes Film Festival in 2020.

MODERATOR

Claudia Hébert | Host and Culture Reporter

Claudia Hébert is a radio host and culture reporter for Radio-Canada, sharing her time between Toronto and Montréal. She is also a filmmaker, having directed many short films.

   
This event is free and open to the public.

Charismatic entrepreneur Rory moves his family to England with dreams of profiting from booming 1980s London. His wife, Allison, struggles to adapt to the move and the promise of a lucrative new beginning unravels. The couple has to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.

Screening available for 48 hours from Tuesday, May 11th, 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT to Thursday, May 13th, 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT

An RSVP is required to attend this screening. Online screenings are exclusive to members of the Canadian Academy, CMPA, and DGC Ontario. Space is limited and RSVPs will be on a first come, first served basis.

This filmmaker centred panel will explore how Canada’s current system can best foster creation and distribution of high-quality, diverse cinema to Canadian and international audiences. With the rise of streamers setting the stage, panelists will discuss metrics for success in the context of supporting established filmmakers and fostering emerging talent. 

Moderator:

Ali Kazimi | Award-winning filmmaker and professor/ professeur et cinéaste récompensé

Ali Kazimi is an award-winning filmmaker, media artist and author. His films have received national and international honours and awards, been screened in prestigious festivals and broadcast nationally and internationally. Runaway Grooms (2005) was the recipient of the Donald Britain Award for Best Social/Political documentary presented under the Gemini Awards. His feature films include Narmada; A Valley Rises (1994), Continuous Journey (2004) and Random Acts of Legacy (2016). Continuous Journey (2004), alongside his book, Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru (2011), have played a key role in shedding light on the forgotten histories of early South Asian migration to Canada. He served as the President of the Independent Film and Video Alliance (1992-93) and the Chair of the Toronto chapter of the Canadian  Independent Film Caucus (1996-1997)

He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema & Media Arts, York University where he has also served as the Chair of the Department.

In 2019 he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, Canada’s foremost distinction for excellence in visual and media arts. The same year University of British Columbia conferred him with a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa).

Ali Kazimi est cinéaste primé, artiste en arts médiatiques et auteur. Ses films, qui ont reçu des prix et des honneurs à l’échelle nationale et internationale, ont été présentés dans des festivals prestigieux et diffusés ici et ailleurs. Runaway Grooms (2005) a reçu le prix Donald Britain du meilleur documentaire social ou politique présenté dans le cadre des prix Gémeaux. Parmi ses œuvres, citons Narmada; A Valley Rises (1994), Continuous Journey (2004) et Random Acts of Legacy (2016). Son film Continuous Journey (2004) et son livre, Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru (2011), ont d’ailleurs joué un rôle essentiel pour mettre en lumière les histoires oubliées des premiers immigrants de l’Asie du Sud au Canada. Par le passé, il a été président de l’Alliance de la vidéo et du cinéma indépendants (1992-1993) et de la section de Toronto de l’Association des documentaristes du Canada (1996-1997).

Il est professeur agrégé au Département de cinéma et d’arts médiatiques de l’Université York dont il est également le directeur.

En 2019, il a été récipiendaire du Prix du Gouverneur général en arts visuels et arts médiatiques, la plus haute distinction du Canada pour l’excellence en arts médiatiques et visuels. La même année, l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique lui a décerné un doctorat honorifique en lettres.

Panelists:

Cameron Bailey | Artistic Director & Co-Head, Toronto International Film Festival/coprésident et directeur artistique du Festival international du film de Toronto

Cameron Bailey is the Co-Head and Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival ®. He is responsible for TIFF’s programming and curatorial vision, as well as maintaining relationships with the Canadian and international film industries.

Bailey grew up in England and Barbados before migrating to Canada. He began his career as a film critic, then joined TIFF in 1990 as a seasonal programmer. At TIFF he headed the Festival’s Perspective Canada program, and founded its Planet Africa section in 1995.

For 20 years he worked as both programmer and critic, contributing to Toronto’s NOW Magazine, CBC Radio One, and CTV’s Canada AM . He has been published in The Globe and Mail , The Village Voice , and Screen , along with several books. In 2015, Bailey participated in CBC’s Canada Reads competition, successfully championing Kim Thuy’s novel Ru .

Bailey has taught film curation at the University of Toronto, and holds an honorary doctorate from Western University. He is a Chevalier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters. For eight consecutive years (2012–2019), Toronto Life magazine has named him one of Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People.

Cameron Bailey est le coprésident et directeur artistique du Festival international du film de Toronto®. Il est responsable de la programmation et de la vision de conservation du TIFF, en plus du maintien des relations avec les industries cinématographiques canadienne et internationales.

Cameron Bailey a grandi en Angleterre et à la Barbade avant de s’installer au Canada. Il a amorcé sa carrière en tant que critique cinéma avant de se joindre au TIFF en 1990 à titre de programmeur saisonnier. Au sein du TIFF, il a dirigé le programme Perspective Canada et fondé la section Planète Afrique en 1995.

Pendant 20 ans, il a combiné les rôles de programmeur et de critique dans des médias comme le magazine NOW de Toronto, CBC Radio One et Canada AM sur les ondes de CTV. Il a également été publié dans The Globe and Mail, The Village Voice et Screen, ainsi que dans plusieurs livres. En 2015, il a participé à la compétition littéraire Canada Reads de CBC où il a représenté le roman Ru de Kim Thuy.

Cameron Bailey a enseigné la conservation de films à l’Université de Toronto et est titulaire d’un doctorat honorifique de l’Université Western. Il est chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres de la France. Pendant huit années consécutives (de 2012 à 2019), il a figuré à la liste des 50 personnalités les plus influentes de Toronto publiée annuellement par le magazine Toronto Life.

Jeff Chan | Director & Producer, Collective Pictures/Cineaste et producteur, Collective Pictures

Jeff is the founder of Collective Pictures, a Toronto based film and television production company. In 2016, Jeff released Code 8 (short film), an original IP that generated a record breaking $3M in crowdfunding. Using the momentum from the short, Jeff went on to independently direct and produce Code 8 (feature film). At release the film premiered theatrically and on VOD, setting the highest grossing day and date record at both Elevation Pictures and Vertical Entertainment. Simultaneously acquired by Netflix, the film then made it’s global debut as the #1 movie across dozens of territories. 

Most recently Jeff has partnered with Wattpad Studios to produce Float, a romantic drama based on the hit story that has garnered over 26 million reads. The feature is slated to film this summer in Vancouver. 

Deepa Mehta | Filmmaker/cinéaste, Funny Boy

Deepa Mehta is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work is celebrated on an international scale. Her emotionally resonating, award-winning films have played every major film festival, and been sold and distributed around the globe. Her films include the Elemental Trilogy: Earth, Fire, Water, the final film of which received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film, Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven on Earth and the epic adaptation of Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie’s three-time Booker Prize winning novel. 

Her work challenges traditions and stereotypes and is always daring, fearless and provocative. It’s this spirit that saturated her feature film Anatomy of Violence. Deepa recently shot the pilot and second episode for the Netflix Original series, Leila, and is the Creative Executive Producer for the show. She also directed “The Manager”, the pilot episode of Little America for Apple TV. Her latest feature film Funny Boy is based on the award winning novel by Shyam Selvadurai, with Director of Photography Doug Koch, Editor Teresa Font and Music Composer Howard Shore.

Deepa Mehta est une cinéaste nommée aux Oscars dont les œuvres sont appréciées à l’échelle internationale. Ses films lauréats de prix qui touchent les émotions du grand public ont été présentés lors de festivals majeurs du cinéma, en plus d’être vendus et distribués partout au monde. Parmi ceux-ci, citons la trilogie des éléments, Earth, Fire, Water (dont le dernier film a été finaliste aux Oscars dans la catégorie du meilleur film en langue étrangère), Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven on Earth et l’adaptation cinématographique épique du roman Midnight’s Children de Salman Rushdie, l’auteur qui a remporté trois fois le prix Booker.

Son œuvre bouscule les traditions et les stéréotypes d’une manière toujours audacieuse, courageuse et provocatrice. C’est cet esprit qui imprègne son film Anatomy of Violence. Récemment, Deepa a tourné l’épisode pilote et le second épisode de Leila, une série originale de Netflix, en plus d’être la productrice déléguée chargée de la création pour l’émission. Elle a également réalisé « The Manager », l’épisode pilote de la série Little America sur Apple TV. Inspiré du roman gagnant de prix de Shyam Selvadurai, son dernier film, Funny Boy, compte aussi Doug Koch à la direction photo, Teresa Font au montage et Howard Shore à titre de compositeur musical.

Monique Simard | Producer and Film Executive/Productrice et gestionnaire culturelle

Chair of the Board of Directors, Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
Chair of the Board of Directors, QUEBECOR Fund
Chair of the Board of Directors, Vitrine culturelle

From 2018 to 2020, she was part of the federal Broadcasting & Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel that produced the Yale report.

From 2014 to 2018, Monique Simard was president and CEO of the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC).

She was Executive Director of the NFB’s French Program from 2008 to 2013 where among other achievements she opened the interactive production studio.

From 1998 to 2008, she was producer and vice-president at Productions Virage where she produced more than 60 films.

She has been Chair of the Board at the Cinémathèque québécoise, founding member of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) and member of the Board of Directors for the Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ).

In 2017, she was appointed Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic.

Productrice et gestionnaire culturelle
Présidente du Conseil D’administration du Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
Présidente du Conseil d’administration du Fonds Québecor
Présidente du Conseil d’administration de la Vitrine culturelle

De 2018 à 2020, elle a été membre du Groupe d’experts pour l’examen de la législation en matière de radiodiffusion et de télécommunications (Rapport Yale).

Monique Simard a été présidente et chef de la direction de la Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) de 2014 à 2018.

Elle a été directrice générale du Programme français à l’Office national du film du Canada de 2008 à 2013 u elle a notamment ouvert le studio de production interactive.

De 1998 à 2008, productrice et vice-présidente des Productions Virage ou elle a produit plus de 60 films.

Elle a été Présidente du Conseil d’administration de la Cinémathèque québécoise, membre fondatrice des Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) ainsi que membre du Conseil d’administration de l’Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ).

En 2017 elle a été nommée commandante de l’Ordre des Arts et des lettres de la République Française.