WORKSHOPS//معامل

Aesthetics of the Absurd – Screening, Panel & Workshop
Event Details
Screening & Panel
March 1, 2023
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
CFMDC, 1411 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M6H 4C7
Join us for a screening of “Life on the CAPS”, followed by a talk with Nehal El-Hadi.
Screening:
Life on the CAPS
Country: Morocco
Director: Meriem Bennani
Length: 76 mins
Synopsis: Life on the CAPS is a trilogy of short film by Moroccan artist Meriem Bennani. Set in a supernatural, dystopian future, Life on the CAPS (short for “capsule”) features a fictional island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In the world of the CAPS, teleportation has replaced air travel, and displaced populations utilize this mode of transportation to cross oceans and borders.
Panel:
Incorporating multi-media and digital techniques into diasporic narratives
This post-screening discussion will engage viewers in a theoretical and practical discussion of incorporating multi-media and digital techniques into diasporic narratives.

Speaker:
Nehal El-Hadi, Writer, Researcher, Editor

Nehal El-Hadi investigates the relationships between the body (racialised, gendered), place (urban, virtual), and technology (internet, health).

She completed a Ph.D. in Planning at the University of Toronto, where her research examined the relationships between user-generated content and everyday public urban life.

As a scholar, her hybrid digital/material research methods are informed by her training and experience as a science and environmental journalist.

Nehal advocates for the responsible, accountable, and ethical treatment of user-generated content in the fields of journalism, planning, and healthcare.

Her writing has appeared in academic journals, general scholarship publications, literary magazines, and several anthologies and edited collections.

Nehal is the Science+Technology Editor at The Conversation Canada, an academic news site, and Editor-in-Chief of Studio Magazine, a biannual print publication dedicated to contemporary Canadian craft and design. She currently holds a residency at Toronto’s Theatre Centre, where she is developing a live arts event that explores surveillance, privacy, and consent.

Nehal sits on the Board of Directors of FiXT POINT Arts & Media and Provocation Ideas Festival. She is a member of the Digital Communities Advisory Panel at the Centre for Free Expression. She was previously a Visiting Scholar at the City Institute at York University.
Workshop
March 5, 2023
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
LIFT, 1137 Dupont St, Toronto, ON M6H 2A3
Workshop:
Projection Mapping Workshop
Join Ilze Briede [a.k.a. Kavi] for a Video Projection Mapping Workshop. Learn the basics of video projection mapping in this introductory workshop. With Resolume, you can manipulate and mix videos in real-time, create complex and dynamic compositions from scratch using built-in effects and, most importantly, how to map your video output on site-specific objects, also known as Video Projection Mapping

No previous experience with projection mapping is required.

Facilitator:
Ilze Briede [a.k.a. Kavi]

Ilze Briede [a.k.a. Kavi] is a Latvian/Canadian artist and researcher working across multiple disciplines, including visual art, interactive installation and live performance. Her creative practice and academic research encompass working with live data sets and designing systems to turn data into visceral experiences. An example would be harnessing data from the forest about trees and the environment or the human body through bio-physiological sensing and translating them into immersive narratives. Kavi sees data as a living material that can express its essence and inner truth through creative, technological and artistic interventions. Sometimes, it looks too abstract for the human mind’s eye; however, she believes that the more we are exposed to weird and unusual, the more we stretch our cognitive abilities to embrace the world at large. She is currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computational Art at York University.
Diary Films in the Diaspora Workshop
November 5-6, 2022
Soulpepper Theatre Company, 50 Tank House Lane, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Diary films, also known as self-documentary, essay or personal films, have a rich history within experimental cinema and specifically within diasporas. In this two-part workshop, we will discuss the art of creating diary films. In part one, with Kamal Riahi, we will examine the art of writing about the self, and in part two with Rolla Tahir, participants will look at and discuss visual examples and create a 3-minute diary film on Super8

This is an introductory workshop and is meant primarily for emerging filmmakers but is open to all. No prior knowledge of Super8 is required. This is an in-person workshop, which will be held at Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto.
- Part One will be taught exclusively in Arabic. Comprehension of and communication in Arabic is a must.
- Part Two will be taught in English.
Facilitators:
Kamal Riahi
Kamal Riahi is a novelist, critic and founder of Beit al-Riwaya in Tunisia. He has been a regular contributor to Arab and international cultural media since the 1990s. He has led many workshops in creative, journalistic and critical writing in Tunisia and the Arab world.
Rolla Tahir
Rolla Tahir is a filmmaker and director of photography based in Toronto. She’s lensed short, narrative and experimental films, which screened across Canada and internationally, including the UK, Germany, and the United States. Obsessed with the durability, longevity and spontaneity of the analog film medium, Rolla has worked with Super 8, 16mm and 35mm to explore the analog process and its possibilities.
Through the generous support of Soulpepper Theatre Company, we are able to offer this workshop free of charge.
Documentary Filmmaking and Storytelling
Event Details
September 18-19, 2021
Virtual
Goethe-Institut Toronto and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) present Documentary Filmmaking and Storytelling with Daniel Carsenty.

A free two-part digital workshop.

Co-presented with Toronto Arab Film (TAF) and the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF).
- Part 1: Artist Talk Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm ET. Register here.
- Part 2: Facilitated Workshop Sunday, September 19, 2021 from 1:00pm – 4:00pm ET. Register here.
The central element of this workshop is the idea that a film—documentary or fiction—is at its core a character-driven story. The camera captures the relationships between people and visualizes the unspoken elements at play. Most films pivot around ‘dramatic’ scenes. Scenes in which characters express their wants and needs either vocally or through the subtext of body language. They run up against an obstacle and we as an audience ‘discover’ their true character in the way they deal with the obstacle on screen.

This two-part workshop, aimed at emerging and intermediate filmmakers, will create awareness for the basic elements of storytelling at play and show examples in which these elements have been successfully captured on screen. After a 90-minute introduction open to registered participants and general audiences, where Carsenty will be joined from Berlin by his collaborator filmmaker Mohammed Abugeth, the workshop participants will go out and independently film a dramatic scene with their own cameras, which has the power to stand alone as a short film or could be the centre of a longer documentary. On the second day, the workshop participants will screen their work and have a collaborative discussion, critique the work of their peers and grow an understanding of storytelling.
Instructor:
Daniel Carsenty
Daniel Carsenty is a Berlin filmmaker currently working at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, teaching at the Raindance Institute London and the International Academy for Film and Media in Dhaka, Bangladesh. danielcarsenty.com
Nahda Film Lab 2021
Saturdays & Sundays, November 6 – December 9, 2021
Virtual + In-Person Workshops
A month long filmmaking program for emerging Arab artists.

Registration fee: $125
Capacity: 12 participants
Facilitator:
Lobna Mahdi
Lobna Mahdi is the Outreach and Development Coordinator at TAF and the co-lead of the Nahda FilmLab. She holds an MA in Adult Education and Community Development and a Bachelor’s in Equity Studies and Psychology, both from the University of Toronto. During her graduate studies, she conducted research on the works of lower-class Egyptian women filmmakers of the early 20th century, demonstrating their pioneering role in the Egyptian and Arab arts and their influence on nationalist and feminist discourse of their time. With a vision of sparking an Arab-Canadian film renaissance/Nahda, Lobna is dedicated to creating learning and training opportunities for the next generation of Arab filmmakers as well as providing Arab youth with safe spaces to imagine a world beyond imperialism, capitalism, and orientalism.
Instructors:
Rolla Tahir, Filmmaker, TAF Co-founder & Artistic Director
Rolla Tahir is a filmmaker and director of photography based in Toronto. She’s lensed short, narrative and experimental films, which screened across Canada and internationally, including the UK, Germany, and the United States. Obsessed with the durability, longevity and spontaneity of the analog film medium, Rolla has worked with Super 8, 16mm and 35mm to explore the analog process and its possibilities.
Maha Al Saati, Filmmaker
Maha Al-Saati is an independent, experimental filmmaker interested in exploring women’s stories in the Arab World. She is TIFF Filmmaker Lab 2020 and TIFF Writers’ Studio 2021 Alum, and honorary recipient of the Share Her Journey Award and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) residency 2021. Her short films include Hair: The Story of Grass (18), an official selection of Fantastic Fest 2018, Slamdance 2019, and HollyShorts 2019; Cycle of Apples (19); and Fear: Audibly (17). Her feature project Hajj to Disney was selected for development by the Red Sea Lodge in partnership with TorinoFilmLab.
Nehal El-Hadi, Writer, Researcher, Editor
Nehal El-Hadi investigates the relationships between the body (racialised, gendered), place (urban, virtual), and technology (internet, health).

She completed a Ph.D. in Planning at the University of Toronto, where her research examined the relationships between user-generated content and everyday public urban life.

As a scholar, her hybrid digital/material research methods are informed by her training and experience as a science and environmental journalist.

Nehal advocates for the responsible, accountable, and ethical treatment of user-generated content in the fields of journalism, planning, and healthcare.

Her writing has appeared in academic journals, general scholarship publications, literary magazines, and several anthologies and edited collections.

Nehal is the Science+Technology Editor at The Conversation Canada, an academic news site, and Editor-in-Chief of Studio Magazine, a biannual print publication dedicated to contemporary Canadian craft and design. She currently holds a residency at Toronto’s Theatre Centre, where she is developing a live arts event that explores surveillance, privacy, and consent.

Nehal sits on the Board of Directors of FiXT POINT Arts & Media and Provocation Ideas Festival. She is a member of the Digital Communities Advisory Panel at the Centre for Free Expression. She was previously a Visiting Scholar at the City Institute at York University.
Ahmed Ismaiel Nour, Filmmaker
Ahmed is an award-winning filmmaker, film scholar, educator, and programmer based in Ontario. He started his career as assistant director where he gained valuable experience in the Egyptian main-stream film industry. His passion for innovative storytelling led him into independent filmmaking. For the past 18 years, he has made numerous shorts and features that played myriad international film festivals and picked several prestigious awards.

Despite being known for his 2013 hybrid picture Moug / Waves, Nour’s body of work encompasses many successful fiction, experimental, and documentary films. He has also produced and/or directed quite a few commercials and TV documentaries for renowned TV Channels.

Ahmed’s area of expertise comprises screenwriting, producing, video-editing, and directing. His work varies between experimental, documentary, and fiction films. However, his particular interest is in hybrid nonfiction filmmaking.

Nour is a short film programmer at Kingston Canadian Film Festival, and the founder and director of the 18 mm program, a yearlong film training program for youth, funded by KCFF and KFO in the city of Kingston.

Ahmed is a teaching assistant at Queen’s University’s film and media department. His current research engages with theories of myth, feminist film theory, and hybrid documentary cinema.
TAF x TSV Filmmaker Commission 2022
The Toronto Arab Film and Trinity square Video present the 2nd TAF x TSV Filmmaker Commission. This year the commission will be awarded to two local (Toronto-based) filmmakers, to complete a short 5-10 minute film between June 2022 – January 2023. The commission will include in-kind credit from TSV that can be used for equipment rentals, workshops and/or post-production services.

This is ideally suited to filmmakers who are interested in short films (format: documentary or experimental). Applicants must be ready to start and finish a film between June 2022 to January 2023. This is ideal for emerging Arab identifying artists who have little to no experience in film. It is meant to introduce applicants to the film field in Toronto and guide them through making a short film

The final film will be screened at the 4th annual Toronto Arab Film Festival in 2023.
Details:
- 1-year membership to Trinity Square Video
- $400 in-kind credit, which can be used for equipment rental, post-production facilities, or workshops
- Consultations with local filmmakers as needed
- 1-year free access to Masterclass
Requirements:
- Must identify as Arab-Canadian
- Must be residing in the GTA
- No prior filmmaking experience required, but applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in film and filmmaking
- Must make their completed film available to screen at the 2023 Toronto Arab Film Festival
Final Selection:
The successful recipient will be selected in mid-May and an announcement will be made during the festival in late May.
Any further questions can be sent to: info@arabfilm.ca
Generously made possible by:
TAFF2020: Accessing the Canadian Film Industry

Postponed due to COVID-19
April 25, 2020
10:00 am EDT
Trinity Square Video, 401 Richmond Street, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
A primer workshop for creatives interested in accessing the Canadian film industry. The workshop will cover an introduction of filmmaking, production resources and a presentation by ACTRA.
Sponsored by:
TAFF2021: Accessing the Canadian Film Industry
Event Details
May 29, 2021
1:00 – 4:00 PM EDT
Virtual
A primer workshop for creatives interested in accessing the Canadian film industry and making their first film. The workshop will cover a basic introduction of filmmaking, including a look at production resources in Canada, development, the production process and post-production.
Instructor:
Lana Lovell
Lana Lovell came off a six-year hiatus with a surge of work. In 2017, she wrote the play “Elbow Room,” which went into pre-development in 2018 with Toronto’s Obsidian Theatre and was produced at Fringe 2019. Then she wrote the short play “The First 100 Years of Sophia Pooley” for Fringe 2020, during COVID-19 she began developing her play into a full-length production.

During Lana’s artistic hiatus, she worked as a freelance Associate Producer on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight at the CBC.

Currently, she’s developing two documentaries including “Taking Space,” after a very difficult experience in 2010 as the director of “Resilience: Stories of Single Black Mothers,” a film that countered stereotypes of black mothers with complex and richly detailed portraits of real women. Before that, Lana was commissioned by Omni Television for the project. She directed the documentary “The Incomparable Jackie Richards” (2008), which explored the life and times of cabaret artist, theatre and film actor, performer Jackie Richardson, broadcasted on Bravo Television for 5 years. Lana’s first music content documentary, “Underground,” screened at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival (2006) won praise for capturing the complex central character’s, Coco Brown, life and artistry. “Into the Heart of Africa” (1996), the first film Lana directed was about the protest during the contentious exhibit, of the same name, at the Royal Ontario Museum. Lana lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
Sponsored by: Trinity Square Video
TAFF2021: Producing Masterclass
Event Details
May 30, 2021
1:00 – 4:00 PM EDT
Virtual
This workshop is suited for emerging producers, those who are trying to elevate their practice to produce low-budget, festival worthy short films and features. Learn everything you need – and what it takes – to produce low-budget, independent films.
Instructor:
Dina Emam
Named one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch in 2018, Dina Emam is an Egyptian-American film producer and educator working between New York and Cairo. Her first feature, Yomeddine, had its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition, and was Egypt’s submission for the 91st Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In addition to producing, she teaches filmmaking/producing workshops and masterclasses for aspiring filmmakers in the MENA region. Prior to becoming a film producer, Emam worked in television market research and production management at MTV Networks in New York City.

Emam holds a BS from New York University’s Stern School of Business in Marketing and International Business and an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She has previously served as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
Sponsored by: Trinity Square Video
TAFF2022: Producer Accelerator
May 28, 2022
10:00 am – 5:00 pm EDT
Virtual
The Accelerator pairs emerging Arab-Canadian filmmakers with emerging producers where they will attend an intensive day of workshops presented by industry professionals on: development, pitching and distribution.
Ten participants will be selected in total to form 5 teams – 5 directors, and 5 producers. Participants can either apply as a team comprised of a producer and a filmmaker, or they can apply individually and be partnered with someone. TAF will partner participants based on their applications detailing their experience, goals and content interests.
Speakers:
Sherien Barsoum
Sherien Barsoum is a producer with the National Film Board of Canada. As an independent filmmaker she directed and produced Cynara, Ride for Promise and Player Zero, winning the Hot Docs Short Film Pitch and Best Canadian Documentary at NorthWest Fest. She was the producer of Dreams in Vantablack and Babe, I Hate To Go, which played top festivals internationally and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. Sherien was also the story consultant on the Oscar-shortlisted Frame 394 and co-produced House of Z, the first feature bought and distributed by Condé Nast, now on Netflix. Sherien is a founding member of the Racial Equity Media Collective, which uses research to advocate on behalf of racialized creators in Canada. She is also the former Director of Programming for the Reelworld Film Festival and served as a board member of the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Christina Piovesan
Christina Piovesan is the founder and principal of First Generation Films, a film and tv production company based in Toronto. Past films include the Cannes Winner Amreeka directed by Cherien Dabis; The Whistleblower directed by Larysa Kondracki, Mouthpiece directed by Patricia Rozema, Paper Year, written and directed by Rebecca Addelman and American Woman directed by Semi Chellas which had its Canadian premiere as a Gala Presentation at TIFF 2019. Her collaboration with Elevation Productions, the production arm of Elevation Pictures, has Christina in post-production on The Exchange directed by Dan Mazer and French Exit directed by Azazel Jacobs. Most recently, Christina was producer on The Nest directed by Sean Durkin which had its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival
This program was made possible by the generous support of Ontario Creates
TAFF2023: Crafting Compelling Narratives: Story Editing Essentials In Film
Event Details
June 7, 2023
6:00 – 8:00 PM EDT
Virtual
Rewriting is an essential element in a screenwriter’s toolkit. Understanding why screen stories work and don’t work helps a writer develop their ability to improve their own work. In this workshop, participants will delve into the intricacies of story editing and explore the fundamental principles that make screen stories truly resonate. We will touch on how to work with a story editor and when along the process of writing should you start story editing.
Facilitator:
Abdul Malik
Abdul Malik is a Canadian-Pakistani screenwriter based out of Toronto and Edmonton. He dropped out of film school to pursue the political, spending his twenties working in the labor movement, participating in worker struggles across Canada as an organizer and photojournalist. Abdul returned to the film industry, starting as the co-writer of the Telefilm-funded PEACE BY CHOCOLATE, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Recently, Abdul’s written on Season Three of CTV’s TRANSPLANT, the upcoming Telefilm-funded feature QUEEN TUT, and was Executive Story Editor and a Producer on the Super Channel digital series STREAMS FLOW FROM A RIVER. He is currently a Supervising Producer on a to-be-announced CBC drama, and has a bevy of projects in development with companies such as Shaftesbury, Husk Media, Lark Productions, and Sphere, alongside a first-look deal with Neshama Entertainment. Abdul is a member of the Writers Guild of Canada.
TAFF2023: Digital Marketing Mastery For Filmmakers & Producers
Event Details
June 5, 2023
6:00 – 9:00 PM EDT
Goethe Institute, 100 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5J 1V6
This workshop will demystify the process of marketing films in the digital age. Dive deep into the principles of positioning, social media marketing, and branding, and learn how to apply these principles to your film promotion strategy. With expert guidance, you’ll learn to position your film, leverage social media to engage and attract audiences, and build a compelling brand that reflects your film’s essence. Whether you’re in pre-production, production, or post-production, this workshop will provide the marketing tools you need to bring your film to market.
Facilitator:
Carolina Oliveira
Carolina Oliveira is Marketing Director at Entertainment One, where she oversees global marketing strategy for digital, physical, AVOD, and FAST. Originally from Brazil, she has been working in the film industry in Canada for the past 15 years. Carolina is passionate about developing innovative campaigns for independent films, mentoring future marketing superstars, and learning about plants.
TAFF2023: Unlocking Doors: Exploring Entryways into the Canadian Film
Event Details
June 8, 2023
6:00 – 7:30 PM EDT
Goethe Institute, 100 University Ave, Toronto, ON M5J 1V6
There are many entry ways into the film industry as an emerging filmmaker, whether you want to direct, write, produce or work below the line. This panel focuses on three particular Canadian institutions: Reelworld Institute, Toronto Arts Council and Director’s Guild of Canada. Representatives from each organization will outline the opportunities available to those who want to work in the industry and answer your questions about any of the programs they run.
Speakers:
Safia Abdigir
Safia Abdigir is a Toronto-based arts culture worker specifically interested in the facilitation of diverse perspectives in the Canadian film/visual arts industry. Currently, she’s the Industry Programming Manager at the Reelworld Screen Institute, where she manages the programming of the film festival and runs the year long Producer Programs.
Timaj Garad
Timaj Garad is an Ethiopian-Harari Toronto-based multidisciplinary storyteller (poet, actress, singer-songwriter), arts educator, and community organizer. She works at Toronto Arts Council, where I develop and manage the Black Arts program for Black artists and Black-led organizations. She creates music with genre-bending mix of spoken word poetry, hip-hop, and R&B, soul, afro-jazz, and dance. In 2017, she founded LUMINOUS Fest, Canada’s first Black Muslim arts festival, and later co-founded The Sisters’ Retreat, a retreat series hosting arts-based wellness retreats for Muslim Women.
Marwa Siam Abdou
Marwa Siam Abdou is a film director, a writer and freelance journalist. She is currently the National Outreach manager at the Directors Guild of Canada, a union representing members in the areas of direction, design, production and editing in the country. At the Guild, she oversees and manages equity-focused initiatives and campaigns that amplify the voices of racialized members. Her professional and creative work align, as she is also focused on portraying and telling the stories of people of colour, and particularly women, in her films.
TAFF2024: Producer Accelerator
Event Details
June 23, 2024
10:00 am – 6:00 pm EDT
Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4
Join us for a day of immersive learning and networking at the Toronto Arab Film’s exclusive industry event, tailored specifically for directors and producers. Dive into insightful panels and connect with like-minded professionals at our networking socials. Elevate your craft, expand your network, and unlock new opportunities in the vibrant world of Arab cinema in Canada and beyond.
10:00 am – 10:45 am Breakfast
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Panel: Feature Film Funding in Canada
Speakers:

Christina Piovesan

Christina Piovesan is the founder and principal of First Generation Films, a film and tv production company based in Toronto. Past films include the Cannes Winner Amreeka directed by Cherien Dabis; The Whistleblower directed by Larysa Kondracki, Mouthpiece directed by Patricia Rozema, Paper Year, written and directed by Rebecca Addelman and American Woman directed by Semi Chellas which had its Canadian premiere as a Gala Presentation at TIFF 2019. Her collaboration with Elevation Productions, the production arm of Elevation Pictures, has Christina in post-production on The Exchange directed by Dan Mazer and French Exit directed by Azazel Jacobs. Most recently, Christina was producer on The Nest directed by Sean Durkin which had its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

Shant Joshi

Shant Joshi is an award-winning producer and president of Fae Pictures, based in New York and Toronto, on a mission to decolonize Hollywood. His credits include award winners at Sundance (Framing Agnes), Red Sea (In Flames), Iris Prize (Scaring Women at Night), Durban (Runs in the Family), premieres at Cannes, Toronto, Canneseries (Streams Flow From A River), Aspen (I Live Here), Palm Springs (Diaspora), Hot Docs, Black Star (Noor and Layla), Bentonville, and BFI London, and nominees for the Canadian Screen Awards (Queen Tut). He was also an executive producer on Nisha Pahuja’s Academy Award ® nominated film To Kill A Tiger, an impact producer on John Greyson’s TEDDY Award-winning film International Dawn Chorus Day, and an associate producer on Ingrid Veninger’s Canadian Screen Award-nominated film Porcupine Lake.

Shant currently sits on CMPA’s Restructuring, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Committee, and previously was Co-Chair of the BIPOC TV & Film Board, and co-founder of the Future of Film Showcase.

He is an alum of the Canadian Film Centre, Rotterdam Lab, and Osgoode Hall Law School, and was named a MIPTV Producer to Watch, Reelworld Trailblazer, nominated for an Indiescreen Award, and to York University’s Top 30 Changemakers under 30.

Aeschylus Poulus

Aeschylus Poulus launched Hawkeye Pictures as the Executive Producer on the feature film SLEEPING GIANT. Prior to Hawkeye, Aeschylus was a Producer at Foundry Films (CAIRO TIME, THE BANG BANG CLUB), where he co-produced Ruba Nadda’s thriller INESCAPABLE, starring Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, and Kate Melville’s acclaimed PICTURE DAY, starring Sundance award-winner Tatiana Maslany; and at Blue Ice where he co-produced the mini-series The Book of Negroes and the thriller OCTOBER GALE, starring Patricia Clarkson. Aeschylus actively forges relationships with domestic and international partners, broadcasters and distributors.
12:15 pm – 01:15 pm Panel: Producer Development in Canada & Beyond
Speakers:

Shonna Foster

Shonna Foster is a highly visual director whose work truthfully centers story and character. She is passionately invested in telling stories that prioritize, investigate, and celebrate Black and POC experiences, and which explore universal themes through relatable characters with strong points of view.

A graduate from York University’s Creative Ensemble Theatre Conservatory (BFA Honors), Shonna is described as an ‘actor’s director’ who is all-in, highly committed and collaborative in her approach to the work. She is known for her ability to direct raw talent in scenes with high emotional stakes, and has a strong ability to create compelling imagery through her work in scripted narrative, documentary and branded content. In addition, her passion combined with her reputation for working closely with writers elevates her tenacity for discovering and leaning into compelling stories that lift off the page.

Shonna made her directorial debut with the short film Residue which debuted at the Reelworld Film Festival, and was also licensed for national television broadcast and streaming through CBC’s Gem. Residue was featured on Breakfast Television, CBC Arts, CHCH TV, TO Indie and Black on Both Sides. Her second film Mothers: Out of A Pandemic, a documentary short Executive Produced by Jennifer Podemski and Lauren Grant is currently in the 2023/2024 festival circuit and won the “Best Long Form Short Documentary Film” at the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival. Shonna has also directed impactful branded content, including the Gold Series x Pantene campaign which won MLS and Procter & Gamble the Grocer Impact Award.

As a director, Shonna has successfully completed one-on-one mentorships and director observer-shadowing positions with some of the industry’s leading directors and producers in Canada and the US on various television and film productions. Her impressive resume highlights almost two decade of key positions and executive positions she has held at award-winning production companies, distribution companies and deeply rooted organizations in Canada’s film and television industry. Shonna has worked on productions for Paramount Pictures/Elevation Pictures, Sony Pictures/Lifetime, Warner/OWN, CBC, Reel One Entertainment, Pier 21 Films, and Bell Media. As a highly regarded team member and sought after asset, Shonna’s all encompassing employment experiences have made her a director who comes with a thorough understanding of the production process and pipeline. A producer’s dream!

Shonna credits her parents’ and Grandparents love of film, television, and music for planting the seed in her developing an understanding of storytelling and deep appreciation and passion for the art of the moving image from a very young age. Whether she was engaged in an extracurricular creative activity or working on set as a child actor, Shonna would watch performers, directors, and crew work at their craft with both intrigue and fascination. She knew from a young age that the world of film and television was where she felt most at home.

Shonna deeply loves the process of creating and feels equally at home in rehearsal, on set, in a writers room, and in an editing suite. She hopes to leave this world with a body of work that is impactful, motivating, transcends time, elevates the Black community and shifts the world just a little bit. She believes this is best achieved through fostering truthful and meaningful connections with other human beings globally and through the process of collaborating on important works of art – one episode, film, and commercial at a time.

Coral Aiken

Coral Aiken is a director, producer, and hobby gardener based in Toronto. Through her company Aiken Heart Films (AHF), founded in 2014, Coral has been supporting Canadian filmmakers to create short films and narrative features for over a decade.

Coral’s films have screened in competition at Cannes Cinéfondation, TIFF, Sarajevo, Seattle, Buenos Aires, in the Locarno Academy, and on Nowness.com. AHF is currently in post on The Well, the highly anticipated, narrative feature debut from Oscar-nominated director Hubert Davis. The Well will be released globally by XYZ Films.

Directed by the acclaimed Canadian director Valerie Buhagiar, Carmen (2022) is Aiken Heart’s first international co-production. Shot in Malta and starring Natascha McElhone, Carmen premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in 2021 winning best cinematography in the Borsos competition, and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

Coral Aiken studied as a director at York University, MFA and at Berlinale Talents. She is an alumna of TIFF Studio, and EAVE. Coral teaches at LIFT, York University and the Canadian Film Centre.

Coral is represented by the United Talent Agency as a line producer and has worked for clients including Lionsgate, Elevation Pictures, Lisa Pictures, Discovery Channel, National Film Board of Canada, Scythia Films, Film Forge, MDFF, and Babe Nation Creations.

Dan Montgomery

Dan Montgomery, b. 1985, is a Toronto-based producer of film and commercials. In 2009 he co-founded the production company MDFF. His short and feature length films have screened at some of the world’s top festivals including: the New York Film Festival, Cannes Critics’ Week, Berlinale, Venice, Locarno, SXSW and TIFF. His 2022 feature, THE MAIDEN, premiered in competition as part of Giornate degli Autori at the 79th Venice Film Festival where it won the Cinema of the Future Award. His most recent feature MATT AND MARA had its world premiere at the 74th Berlinale as part of the competition program Encounters.

As a freelance commercial line producer, he has worked for such production companies as Animals, Merchant, CANADA, Radioaktivefilm, Eleanor, Smuggler, Steam, Colossale, OPC, Furlined, Love Song, Tool of North America, Revolver, Asymetric, Suneeva, as well as various ad agencies: Energy BBDO, Preacher, Rethink, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Deutsch LA, GUT, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Cossette, FCB, Leo Burnett, Anomaly, Juliet, The Hive, lg2, Wunderman Thompson, Motive, TAXI, Erich & Kallman, among others.

In addition to producing films, he has also co-run a monthly screening series in Toronto since 2013, MDFF Selects now presented at the TIFF Lightbox.
01:15 pm – 02:15 pm Lunch
02:15 pm – 03:15 pm Mentorship Meetings

Filmmakers interested in applying to the mentorship meetings must indicate their interest via this form. Limited spaces available.
3:30-4:30pm: Panel: Impact Producing & the Power of Community
Speakers:

Sholeh Fabbri

Sholeh Alemi Fabbri has been producing award-winning content for two decades and has received three Canadian Screen Award nominations. For seven years as the Executive Producer of Entertainment Tonight Canada, Sholeh built the ET Canada brand for broadcast and online. Her award-winning special Canada Together: In Concert showcased superstars including Shania Twain, Lady A, and Christopher Plummer raising over $300,000 for Food Banks Canada and music industry personnel impacted by the Covid-19 shutdowns. Working with HitPlay Productions on Last of the Right Whales about the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, marks Sholeh’s return to documentary storytelling. She is currently developing Eclipse, a feature film with co-producer Heather Haldane (Maudie) as well as other projects on her growing slate. Sholeh sits on two boards including Story Money Impact, a charity which connects mediamakers to changemakers and Artists for Peace and Justice (Canada), a non-profit organization that supports access to education for impoverished youth in Haiti. Being able to transform inspiration into impact is incredibly rewarding and why Sholeh launched Good Measure Productions.

Anna Fahr

Anna Fahr is a multi-disciplinary artist, filmmaker, educator, and founder of Morning Bird Pictures Inc. (formerly Sepasi Films, est. 2003), a production company dedicated to creating films with social impact that focus on the contemporary Middle East and its diaspora.

Anna’s last narrative short, Transit Game examines the refugee crisis in Lebanon against the backdrop of the Syrian war. The film screened in over fifty international festivals since premiering in the fall of 2014, winning prizes in Berlin, San Francisco and Florence, among others.

Anna’s first independent feature-length documentary, Khaneh Ma: These Places We Call Home, examines questions of cultural identity and dual-nationality from the vantage point of three generations of Iranians living in Iran, Canada, and Germany. The film screened in international festivals worldwide and was theatrically released in Montreal.

Anna’s latest projects include two interactive web documentaries that focus on experiences of exile and migration through a female lens. Migrant Mothers of Syria was financed by the Bell Fund and produced in collaboration with Emmy award-winning new media company, Stitch Media. The webdoc recently premiered as part of the Academy Award qualifying Doc Edge Festival’s Exhibition program and won a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Digital Media at the 2020 Yorkton Film Festival. My Life in Limbo was financed by the Canada Council for the Arts and premiered at Montreal Digital WebFest 2020, winning the Jury Prize.

Anna is currently in post-production on the feature-length narrative film, Valley of Exile (Prod. Morning Bird Pictures, Six Island Productions, Hawkeye Pictures) with financing from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council and in development on Places in Between (Prod. Clique Pictures, Rep. Great North Artists Management) with financing from the Harold Greenberg Fund and Telefilm Canada.

Anna holds a BFA in Film Production from Concordia University in Montreal, an MFA in Screenwriting from Hollins University in Virginia and an MA in Film and Middle Eastern Studies from New York University.

For more information about Anna’s current projects in development, please contact: info@annafahr.com

Chrisann Hessing

Chrisann Hessing is a documentary filmmaker and impact producer based in Toronto. She has produced award-winning short films that have screened at Hot Docs, RIDM, Global Impact Film Festival and the London Asian Film Festival. Her work has been supported by the Ontario Arts Council, Inspirit Foundation, BravoFACT! Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent and Telefilm Canada.

Chrisann’s short film, Turning Tables, won Best Short Documentary at the 43rd American Indian Film Festival, and has screened in over 30 film festivals internationally.

Her debut feature, We Will Be Brave, premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival and won Audience Choice Feature Film at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival in 2023.

She is passionate about using visual storytelling as a tool to educate, raise awareness, and inspire positive change, and has collaborated with a number of community arts organizations including TIFF, JAYU, and the Doc Institute. She currently sits on the board of POV Magazine.

She previously worked as Festival Manager at Breakthroughs Film Festival, the only festival in Canada devoted exclusively to short films made by emerging women & non binary directors

Currently, Chrisann works as an Associate Impact Producer at Ring Five Impact Docs, a boutique impact producing and grassroots distribution company based in Toronto.

Yazmeen Kanji

Yazmeen Kanji is a Muslim Indo-Caribbean filmmaker, the Advocacy and Outreach Lead at BIPOC TV & Film, as well as the founder of Films With A Cause – a consulting startup for authentic storytelling practices. She graduated as a Dean’s Scholar from the University of Toronto in 2020, where she studied Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity and Cinema Studies. Throughout her undergrad, Yazmeen was offered grants to work on research projects exploring the social and political consequences of misrepresenting marginalized communities. Yazmeen is a Hot Docs Accelerator Fellow, a member of the Transmedia Zone and Social Ventures Zone at TMU (Toronto Metropolitan University) and a cohort member of Inspirit’s Narrative Change Lab alongside other Muslim creatives and content creators.

Her first documentary, From Syria To Hope (2019), explores the resettlement of Syrian refugee families and was awarded Best Short Doc at the 2019 Toronto Short Film Festival. Yazmeen directed With Love From Munera (2020), about a young storyteller’s healing journey, which premiered at the 2020 Inside Out Film Festival and was an official selection at TIFF Next Wave 2021 and the 2021 Breakthroughs Film Festival. With Love From Munera won the Audience Choice Award at the Breakthroughs Film Festival and Yazmeen was a guest on CBC Metro Morning to discuss the film’s success. With Love From Munera is available to stream on the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox site and has screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox numerous times. Yazmeen has directed video series for organizations including World Table (2020) about refugee chefs for Matthew House and an anti-hate series for the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, highlighting Muslim women and non-binary people who have faced discrimination within and beyond their communities. Yazmeen also directed Eadie’s first music video, L.O.E (Loyalty Over Everything), released in June 2021.

Yazmeen supported Charles Officer’s production company, Canesugar Filmworks, and projects directed by the Oscar nominated Sami Khan. Yazmeen has worked on CBC original series including The Porter and Zarqa as the Social Media Manager, as well as a cultural consultant on a number of documentaries.

Yazmeen’s first narrative short about an Indo-Caribbean Muslim teen who daydreams throughout her day will be released in the Fall of 2023, partially funded by the Ontario Arts Council. Yazmeen is in development on her first feature film funded by the Hot Docs Cross Currents Fund and executive produced by Charles Officer and Jake Yanowski – a documentary following the journey of one of the first recipients of a Bone Marrow Transplant to be potentially cured of Sickle Cell Disease in Canada.

Alongside her filmmaking work, Yazmeen publicly speaks about the importance of representing communities of her intersections and works in consulting capacities on productions to ensure stories and marketing campaigns portray historically marginalized communities in meaningful ways.
04:30 pm – 06:00 pm Social
Breakfast & lunch included
Special thanks to our community partner DGC Ontario and venue partner Centre for Social Innovation