Opening night, Thursday May 23
Free public showing of Wilfred Buck, a documentary
Free public showing of Wilfred Buck, a documentary
Wilfred Buck
Documentary, 1 hour 30 minutes
Painted Hand Casino Parkland Room
Thursday May 23, 7 pm
Admission is free to the public.
The acclaimed debut feature documentary from Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson, Wilfred Buck made its international debut at Copenhagen's prestigious CPH:DOX and is an official selection of Hot Docs 2024.
Sensitively directed and produced over six years, Wilfred Buck is a co-production between Jackson's Door Number 3 Productions and the National Film Board of Canada, in association with Clique Pictures.
About the film:
Moving between earth and stars, past and present, this hybrid feature documentary follows the extraordinary life of Wilfred Buck, a charismatic and irreverent Indigenous Elder who overcame a harrowing history of displacement, racism, and addiction by reclaiming ancestral star knowledge and ceremony
Free public showing of Wilfred Buck, a documentary
Free public showing of Wilfred Buck, a documentary
Free public showing of Wilfred Buck, a documentary
Lisa Jackson is an Anishinaabe filmmaker whose work has garnered two Canadian Screen Awards, been nominated for a Webby and screened at top festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, Berlinale and Hot Docs.
Her VR experience Biidaaban was viewed by more than 25,000 people, while her film Indictment won Best Doc at imagineNATIVE and is one of CBC’s top watched documentaries.
She won the 2022 Chicken & Egg Award and the 2021 DOC Vanguard Award, and has an MFA from York University.
Suzanne Guèvremont
Suzanne Guèvremont
Suzanne Guèvremont
In November 2022, Suzanne Guèvremont became the 17th Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. Named to a five-year term, she is the third woman and first Francophone woman to hold this position.
With more than 25 years' management experience in the higher education, culture and technology sectors, Ms. Guèvremont has been recognized for her significant contributions to the development and vitality of Quebec's creative industries, particularly 3D animation, visual effects, video games, and immersive experiences. She was the Director of Montreal's École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD-UQAC) from 1999 to 2022, and under her leadership the school became a globally recognized university. Ms. Guèvremont signed several international partnership agreements, notably for a combined diploma program with Tianjin University of Technology in China. From 2018 to 2020, working with a mandate from the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education, she founded SYNTHÈSE - Pôle Image Québec, which promotes collaboration among the worlds of education, research, creation, and creative firms in the digital field.
Ms. Guèvremont has served on a number of boards of national organizations, including CBC/Radio-Canada and the Bell Fund, as well as Quebec's Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the Alliance numérique. In addition, she is a sought-after speaker, both in Canada and internationally.
Ms. Guèvremont is a certified Corporate Director (C.Dir. – ASC, 2021), has a graduate diploma in business administration from HEC Montréal (1997), is a past member of the Barreau du Québec (1993–2012), and holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Science from Université du Québec à Montréal (1992).
Valerie Creighton
Suzanne Guèvremont
Suzanne Guèvremont
Valerie Creighton is an industry leader in arts, culture and media, recognized for reenergizing some of the country’s most important organizations in the sector over the last 35 years.
Currently serving as President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund, Valerie positions Canadian programming at the forefront in world markets advocating successful, innovative Canadian content and software applications for current and emerging digital platforms. Valerie has taken part in foreign trade missions and is regularly called upon to present the CMF model internationally.
Valerie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan, has served on a variety of regional, national, and international juries and boards and has produced radio dramas for the CBC in Saskatchewan, where she owns and operates the Red Horse Ranch.
David McLeod
Suzanne Guèvremont
Richard Cormier
Based in Winnipeg, David McLeod is the CEO of Native Communications Incorporated (NCI), which operates a provincial radio network. He is also the Executive Producer of the Indigenous Music Countdown (IMC), a weekly Top 40 program syndicated across Canada on 15 radio stations, including SiriusXM.
David has over 30 years of experience working in media, from writing and directing children’s programs appearing on CBC Manitoba North, hosting talk radio and television, to working as a reporter, covering Northern Manitoban stories for several years. He currently sits on the boards of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. He is also a member of the Winnipeg Indigenous Writers Collective.
His writing has been published in several anthologies, including Let the Drum Be My Heartbeat, Prairie Fire, and CV2. David is a past board member of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, an organization that celebrates and fosters music both in Canada and internationally. He is also the committee co-chair and the curator of the National Music Centre’s Speak Up! exhibition, which recognizes powerful Indigenous voices in music, and is the co-curator of the Beyond the Beat exhibition opening at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg in December 2023.
David has advocated for Indigenous media and access to it throughout his career, whether it be in parliament or in the community. In 2002, he received an Indigenous Music Award for his contributions in promoting Indigenous music. A self-professed ‘music fanatic’, David and NCI continue to produce the longest running Indigenous music chart program in Canada.
Richard Cormier
Richard Cormier
Richard Cormier
Born to Acadian parents, Richard Cormier has worked for more than three decades in audiovisual production and post-production, content creation, and as an innovator in the uses of technology for creative purposes, both in Canada and the United States.
At age 24 Mr. Cormier co-founded Buzz Image, the first post-production studio in Canada to offer digital visual effects solutions. In 1995 he created an innovative product that allowed filmmakers to review several production processes in real time. This breakthrough drew interest from Bell/Téléglobe, and he would later partner with the company.
In 1999 he was recruited by Ascent Media for the Los Angeles-based position of Senior Vice President. Mr. Cormier created a highly financially successful studio dedicated to producing films, ads and TV series. He relocated to New York in 2004, where he joined the post-production group Nice Shoes and made his mark by implementing synergies, costsaving measures and more efficient processes. In 2005 he moved on to Ringside in Detroit where he served as President. During his six years with the company, he transformed it from a traditional advertising and digital production and postproduction studio to a fully integrated creative services
house.
After returning to Montreal Mr. Cormier led the global expansion of Moment Factory’s production services. In 2020 he joined MELS, where he created a virtual production division in addition to heading the company’s digital creative services.
Charlotte Engel
Richard Cormier
Charlotte Engel
Charlotte Engel is a producer and a former broadcaster with over 30 years of experience in film and television. She recently directed an episode of CBC’s “Land and Sea” about square dancing and is in development with CBC’s “The Nature of Things”.
While at CBC, she oversaw CBC’s cutting edge documentary strands Firsthand and CBC Docs POV. She specialized in bringing unique voices and unforgettable stories to CBC. Many of these documentaries won multiple awards (“Indictment: The Crimes of Shelley Chartier”, “Nipawistamasowin: We Will Stand Up” and “The Skin We’re In”).
As a producer of documentaries for Rock Yenta Productions, she brought docs to CBC, TVO and the Documentary Channel. She won a CSA for “My Millennial Life” and a Golden Sheaf award for “Mugshot”.
Engel currently is on the board of Film PEI and Charlottetown Film Society and is on the Yorkton Film Festival programming committee. She has previously sat on the boards of Hot Docs, DOC Ontario and imagineNATIVE.
Daniel Cross
Richard Cormier
Charlotte Engel
As founder of EyeSteelFilm in Montreal, Daniel has been a central figure in the international documentary community for over 25 years. His process-driven and hyper-personal approach, as director, as producer and as educator, have had a profound influence on a generation of documentary filmmakers.
Films such The Street: a film with the homeless, S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks in Traffic, Homeless Nation, Up the Yangtze, Last Train Home, Yintah, and more than 50 other feature films are all testament to his level of discipline and sensitive approach to complex cultural situations.
His most recent film as director/producer I Am the Blues received two Yorkton Golden Sheaf Awards, along with two Canadian Screen Awards (Canada’s Oscar). Cross is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Erin Mussolum
Alison Korogyi
Alison Korogyi
As a seasoned producer, Erin has seen her award-winning work on national outlets such as CBC, Bravo!, CTV, Vision TV, Global, Knowledge Network, Corus, PBS and Youtube.
She recently finished up her tenure as the Co-Executive Director of Vancouver’s Crazy8s Film Society, making the move to Manager of Operations with the Whistler Film Festival.
She is President of Chickadee Creative Works Inc., where she continues to produce television and provides corporate communications to the film and television industry.
Alison Korogyi
Alison Korogyi
Alison Korogyi
As a Development Executive, Alison Korogyi works with industry writers and partners on the development of new projects for Bell Media’s Original Programming Slate. Alison’s development portfolio spans both scripted and unscripted titles for national channels, including Crave, CTV and CTV Specialty channels, Discovery and TSN.
Leslea Mair
Alison Korogyi
Cary Ciesielski
Leslea Mair is a writer, director and producer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With a background in theatre and experimental film, Leslea has applied her love of narrative to writing and producing award-winning documentaries and series.
She has written, produced and sometimes directed documentaries in the genres of science, current affairs, social/political issues, POV and feature documentary. She has also produced lifestyle series, a science fiction web series, and has recently added children’s animation to her slate of projects.
Cary Ciesielski
Shirley Vercruysse
Cary Ciesielski
Cary is an award winning director, editor, sound designer and producer. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production to go along with nearly 30 years of experience in the industry. He has worked on set as a boom op, a sound recordist, and has performed every job there is in audio post-production, including composer.
Cary has mixed films in many different studios in Regina, Calgary, and Montreal. Select documentary credits include, Etthen Heldeli: Caribou Eaters, Grasslands, Saskatchewan River Delta (Gemini Nomination), Voice from the Wilderness, Ride, Talking at Night, To Wake Up the Nakota Language, Ted's Story: Honouring Melissa, Nanjing Nightmares, and Dying to be Free.
Cary really excels in documentary soundtracks, designing natural soundscapes true to the time and place they represent. Because of his background in filmmaking, he truly understands that designing sound for film is part of telling the story, and not just filling in the silences.
Tug Phipps
Shirley Vercruysse
Shirley Vercruysse
Tug Phipps has worn many creative and technical hats in his 17+ years in the motion picture industries. Having Written, Produced, Directed and/or Edited more than 100hrs of internationally broadcast content, screened in 90+ countries and reached global audiences of over 100m.
Never one to stick to the rules or say no to an adventure - he has produced content for major corporate clients, documentaries in environmental protest camps, written and directed for theatre, created an experimental horror web-series, produced & directed combat sports events, slept in squats and fled from riot police while shooting tour films with punk bands.
Joining Sunbelt Rentals: Film and TV, (then William F. White International) in 2016, Tug connects with creators, both emerging and veteran, and aids in navigating the production landscape.
When working with a project, Tug takes the time to understand the creative vision, align with the techincal requirements and looks to find ways to propel the creators forward.
He now mostly sleeps in a bed and his back is much happier about that.
Shirley Vercruysse
Shirley Vercruysse
Shirley Vercruysse
Since 2014, Shirley Vercruysse has been an Executive Producer with the National Film Board of Canada. Based in Vancouver she leads a team producing documentaries in Western Canada (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Yukon).
Her producing team includes Teri Snelgrove (Vancouver) and Chehala Leonard and Coty Savard (Edmonton). Recent releases from the studio include the feature-length documentaries, WaaPake (Tomorrow), directed by Jules Koostachin; Anything for Fame, directed by Tyler Funk; Laydown Your Heart, directed by Marie Clements; Unarchived, directed by Haley Gray and Elad Tzadok; and Voices Across the Water, directed by Fritz Mueller.
Prior to joining the NFB, Shirley was based in Calgary where she produced independent Canadian feature films, fiction and documentary, including the award-winning Gary Burns titles way downtown, Radiant City and Mike Dowe’s Fubar II.
Robert Hardy
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski
Robert Hardy is a seasoned writer and producer. He is currently showrunning the History series Big Timber and was a key part of the creation and first season of the hit Netflix/History series Rust Valley Restorers. Robert is a storyteller with extensive experience in the development and production of documentary and factual programming, scripted comedy and drama.
Known for his ability to coalesce people around an idea and a shared vision, Robert helped create one of the world’s first web series in 1997, and has served as a Senior Vice President at Entertainment One, a network executive with Bell Media and a Senior Communications officer with CBC-Radio Canada. Before that he was a Communications Director, an advertising writer and director and a strategic communications consultant. Having built an extensive network within the media industry, he has worked as a consultant and collaborator with a diverse range of organizations including Corus, CBC, TELUS, Cirque du Soleil and Kew Media.
He has also served as a co-founder and board member of a number of entertainment industry organizations from Field and Post and FactualWEST to national theatre companies and film festivals.
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski
Jennifer Podemski is a director, writer, producer, and actor. Hailing from Toronto but calling Barrie ON her home, Jennifer's artistic journey has been shaped by her rich Anishinaabe (First Nation) and Ashkenazi (Jewish) heritage.
Jennifer's acting career took flight with a standout performance as Sadie in Bruce McDonald's iconic film, Dance Me Outside. This breakthrough role garnered critical acclaim and solidified her position in Canada's film and television canon.
Driven by the desire to address the underrepresentation of Indigenous voices in the entertainment industry, Jennifer pivoted to producing in 1999. She co-founded Big Soul Productions, a ground-breaking Indigenous-owned and operated full-service film and television production and post-production company.
In 2005, Jennifer branched out independently, establishing Redcloud Studios Inc., where she continues to create, produce, write, and direct content. Notable works include the recently award-winning critically acclaimed limited series Little Bird, for Crave and APTN.
Alongside her career as a director and producer, Jennifer built a illustrious career on screen with popular shows like Degrassi TNG, Republic of Doyle, Take This Waltz, Blackstone, Hard Rock Medical, Cardinal, Reservation Dogs, Resident Alien and the upcoming comedy Don’t Even for Crave. Among her proudest achievements is her leading role in her film Empire of Dirt, which earned her a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Beyond her artistic endeavors, Jennifer's passion for empowering Indigenous voices led her to establish The Shine Network Institute in 2020, a Canadian not for profit dedicated to advancing the careers of Indigenous women within the screen, media, and creative arts sectors.
Kerry Swanson
Jennifer Podemski
Kerry Swanson
Kerry Swanson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), an independent funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis screen-based storytellers across Canada. She is a co-founder of Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival, a celebrated multi-platform biennial event in Toronto, where she now serves as advisor.
For over a decade, she helped build the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content, serving as Executive Director and later as Board Chair. Kerry is a member of the Board of Directors and Indigenous Steering Council for Forge Project, an exciting new space for Indigenous creative experimentation in upstate New York.
She sits on advisory committees for the City of Toronto and the Toronto International Film Festival. Kerry has a Master of Communications and Culture from Toronto Metropolitan University. Kerry was born and raised in Treaty 9 territory in a Cree/Ojibwe/Irish and French family. She is a citizen of Michipicoten First Nation with familial ties to Chapleau Cree First Nation.
Joanne Levy
Michelle van Beusekom
Kerry Swanson
Joanne’s career has spanned several different roles. She has worked as a television journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, formed an independent production company, and served in senior leadership roles in broadcasting.
As Executive Director of the A-Channel Production Fund and then Director of Programming for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Joanne led teams to commission hundreds of hours of programming in all formats and genres.
Joanne has mentored emerging producers and advocated for Canadian creative talent from regional centres. She served as Chair of On Screen Manitoba, a National Director for Women in Communications and Technology and on the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
Kris Krug
Michelle van Beusekom
Michelle van Beusekom
My name is Kris Krug – a boundary-pushing Creative Explorer, an intuitive Tech Whisperer, and a tenacious Culture Hacker. In the fabric of the digital era, where technology often overshadows humanity, I've taken it upon myself to chart a different course. I’m on a relentless mission to humanize technology, to infuse it with empathy, ethics, and emotion.
I'm not just tinkering with gadgets and algorithms; I'm reprogramming the very core of our interactions with the digital world to resonate with the heartbeat of human experience.
Michelle van Beusekom
Michelle van Beusekom
Michelle van Beusekom
Michelle is the President & CEO at Knowledge Network, BC's free and commercial free public educational broadcaster and streamer and has worked in Canada's broadcast and production sector for the past 25 years.
Michelle previously served as the Executive Director of the National Film Board’s Canada-wide network of English language production studios. She was Senior Broadcast Advisor for Uvagut TV, Canada’s first national Indigenous language television network; and Executive Director of the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Michelle has held production/development executive roles at the CBC and WTN (now W Network) and is a former programmer at Planet In Focus, Canada’s first environmental film festival.
Joy Loewen
Sarah Spring
Sarah Spring
Before joining the Canada Media Fund as VP of Growth and Inclusion, Joy was CEO of the National Screen Institute (NSI), where she successfully completed a three-year strategic plan before stepping down in April 2024. She originally joined the NSI in 2005 as a Program Manager, then left in 2010 to pursue other opportunities. She returned to the nonprofit in 2016 as Manager of Programs and Development and was named its Acting Executive Director in May 2019, before taking the role of CEO in January 2020. In addition, Joy has worked as a broadcast and festival programmer at WTN (now W Network), CBC, and Gimli Film Festival.
Based in Winnipeg, Joy holds a bachelor’s degree in radio and television arts from Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan University). She is an active volunteer and a member of several community and nonprofit boards and councils, including The Winnipeg Foundation, Canada's National Ballet School, the Order of Manitoba Advisory, and Manitoba King’s Counsel Advisory. In 2023, Joy was named Playback Changemaker of the Year.
Sarah Spring
Sarah Spring
Sarah Spring
Executive Director of the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) and a veteran producer and consultant, Sarah has been actively involved in Canada's vibrant film community for almost twenty years. The company Sarah co-founded in 2010 with Selin Murat, Parabola Films, is a boutique production house known as a champion of independent cinema and innovative storytellers.
Sarah served as Board Chair of Montreal's RIDM documentary festival and is currently on the Board of the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC (Black and People of Colour) Creators. In her role as Executive Director of DOC Sarah advocates toward an equitable, sustainable and inclusive film industry.
Janine Steele
Sarah Spring
Janine Steele
Janine is an experienced media producer and arts administrator with a focus on digital strategy and immersive technologies. Currently, she is Director, Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Content for the Canada Media Fund. In this position she oversees all IDM funding programs and plays a critical role in developing sector policy Prior to the CMF Janine held senior roles provincially at Creative BC and federally with the National Film Board of Canada, helping to incubate, support and uplift the voices of content creators across the country.
While at Creative BC, she was instrumental in the design of the $15 million Domestic Motion Picture Fund, as well as the first Slate Development Program in the country. At the NFB, she is most well-known for overseeing production for the former English Interactive Studio, the team behind dozens of award winning and genre defining works, including “Bear 71” and “Welcome to Pine Point”.
Will Dixon
Jessica Gibson
Jessica Gibson
As the Program Manager, Original Production (Citytv, OMNI, Citytv Sask), Rogers Sports and Media, Will Dixon oversees the development and production of original homegrown programming for the Rogers owned station.
Prior to this position, Will spent three years as a Regional Development Executive for the premium pay television network Super Channel. Before that Will worked primarily in TV production spending almost 20 years writing, directing, story editing, and producing series and movies everywhere from Toronto to Vancouver to Montreal to Edmonton to Regina to Los Angeles.
Jessica Gibson
Jessica Gibson
Jessica Gibson
Jessica is a manager of programs and development at the National Screen Institute.
Her programs include NSI Series Incubator and the Telefilm Talent to Watch Mentorship Program.
Before working with the National Screen Institute, she spent the last decade building a successful career as a film and television producer and production manager.
Jim Krysko
Jessica Gibson
Jim Krysko
As the AMI Content Development Specialist for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Jim works with external production companies to bring unique documentaries and docu-series to AMI’s national audience.
Along with his 10 years at AMI working directly with the disability community, Jim brings with him many years of experience in production and post-production.
Erin Dean
Ursula Lawson
Jim Krysko
Erin is the CEO for Creative Saskatchewan. She is responsible for the overall operation of the organization, by providing strategic leadership and working closely with the provincial government, industry stakeholders, the Board of Directors, and the senior management team.
Erin was Creative Saskatchewan’s first employee, as the Director of Programs, and has been heavily involved in the creation of programming right from the start. Previously, Erin was a Program Officer at the Saskatchewan Film Commission and has experience working in Business Affairs for several independent production companies.
Erin obtained her BFA in Film and Video Production and BA in English at the University of Regina. Erin also holds a Certificate in Entertainment Law from the Osgoode Hall Law School. In her spare time, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, especially baking with her daughter, watching the silver screen, and game nights with friends.
Cara Nye
Ursula Lawson
Ursula Lawson
Since joining AMI-tv in 2012, Cara has moved from overseeing the channel’s internal productions to her current role as Director of Content Development and Production. She is now responsible for all of AMI’s current original content including Mind Your Own Business, Dish With Mary and returning series’ By Hook or By Cook and Breaking Character.
Cara is responsible for screening pitches, show development, and ensuring that all content meets AMI’s standard bearing qualities with respect to disability storytelling and inclusivity in all areas of original production – both on camera and behind the scenes.
Cara and her team at AMI are dedicated to creating accessible content for all Canadians. Through a production process called Integrated Described Video (IDV), AMI embeds audio description directly into the programs they produce, providing a seamless and inclusive experience for the blind or partially sighted viewer. Applying the IDV method in production ensures that the integrity of the program, as envisioned by the producers, is not altered in a post-production environment, but included in all stages: pre-production, production and post.
Cara has over 30 years of production experience, having previously worked at networks such as MuchMusic, Citytv, OMNI, FX Canada, OLN and Bio.
Ursula Lawson
Ursula Lawson
Ursula Lawson
Ursula has been with the National Screen Institute since 2004 and is the senior programs manager.
She is currently working on the Access BIPOC Producers program and provides management and support to the NSI programs staff.
In 2013 Ursula was honoured to receive the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Circle of Inspiration Award along with colleagues Lisa Meeches and Melissa Kajpust for their contribution to CBC New Indigenous Voices. In 2019, Ursula was nominated for the Winnipeg Arts Council Making a Difference award which celebrates contributions to the growth and development of the arts in Winnipeg.
Instrumental in helping the National Screen Institute develop and deliver culturally sensitive film and television training to emerging Indigenous content creators, Ursula previously managed CBC New Indigenous Voices, NSI IndigiDocs and NSI Aboriginal Journalism. She coordinated NSI Global Marketing, NSI Totally Television, NSI Aboriginal Cultural Trade Initiative and NSI Pitch to Win!
Kaya Wheeler
Michelle McCree
Michelle McCree
Kaya Wheeler, Program Manager, Indigenous Screen Office, is of Anishnaabe and Nehiyaw descent – is a registered member of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a bachelor of arts in Indigenous Studies, and has been working within the Indigenous community in Winnipeg for more than 10 years.
She has spent a large portion of this time working with Indigenous youth in many areas, including acting and storytelling for theatre. For the last five years she has specifically worked with emerging and mid-career storytellers in film, tv and digital media.
She has had experience both volunteering and working on film sets, and even had a small stint on the stage and in front of the camera.
Michelle McCree
Michelle McCree
Michelle McCree
Michelle McCree is an Executive In Charge of Production at CBC Docs. The team commissions broadcast hours, features and documentary series. Michelle oversees The Passionate Eye, which is home to an internationally-renowned playlist of documentaries from Canada and around the world. Prior to joining CBC, Michelle worked across genres as a director, writer and producer. .
Leif Kaldor
Michelle McCree
Shelley MacDougall
From the Pentagon to the Shaolin temple, Maya pyramids and the Paris Opera, Leif Kaldor finds great stories wherever they live.
Leif has directed and co-written award-winning documentaries looking at drone technology, a miracle cure for MS, global air pollution, the Cockney Chinese general Two Gun Cohen, killer robots, eco-village life, and a feature documentary on preachers who aren’t believers.
He recently directed and co-wrote a feature documentary on the Paris Opera Bastille and Fall of the Maya Kings for Explora, Smithsonian Channel Canada, PBS NOVA, ARTE France and SBS Australia.
In addition to his television awards Leif is a Juno award winning music producer and a Gemini award winning multimedia producer.
Shelley MacDougall
Shelley MacDougall
Shelley MacDougall
As the Indigenous Language Production Executive of original programming at APTN, Shelley oversees documentary series and children's for English productions with Indigenous language versions. Shelley has more than 25 years of experience in Canada's screen industry and has held a range of positions in Development, Production, and Acquisitions. Shelley has been part of APTN's programming team since late 2015 and works with independent producers to bring unique and engaging content to APTN's national audience.
Steve Allen
Shelley MacDougall
Steve Allen
Steve Allen is a principal partner, founding member and a Producer and Director with the Wavelength Entertainment Group and is responsible for major decisions on key issues for the Wavelength Entertainment Group of companies.
Steve has worked in the television industry as a Director and/or Director of Photography on commercials and documentary series since 2001 for History Television, Discovery Channel, Discovery Military, The Smithsonian Channel US, A&E Biography, and TLC.
In 2009 he won the Showcase best Photography award In 2005 for Worksafe Saskatchewan “Hospital” commercial, He was nominated for a Canadian Society of Cinematographers C.S.C. Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the documentary Escape from Iran, which was also nominated for a Gemini Award. He was nominated for a Showcase Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary for the series Crime Stories. He has also been nominated for a Showcase Award for Best Visual Effects.
Jon Montes
Shelley MacDougall
Steve Allen
An award-winning producer and cultural worker committed to social issue storytelling, Jon’s many producing credits include the feature documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, winner of the 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary Film, and the shorts I Pity the Country and June Night. He is currently in development on a slate of dramatic and documentary projects. Jon is chair of the program committee for the Yorkton Film Festival and Short Film programmer for the Gimli Film Festival. A transplanted east coaster with British and Spanish roots, he holds an MA in Communication & Culture from York and Toronto Metropolitan Universities.
Mark Miller
Joanne McDonald
Joanne McDonald
Mark Miller is President Cineflix Studios Vancouver. He is one of North America’s most successful factual producers.
He is the creator of hundreds of hours of television, including the hit series; Highway Thru Hell. In 2010 he co-founded Great Pacific Media and served as president of Thunderbird Entertainment. No other creative producer in Canada has created and then sold more hours of factual international television into more markets. As Executive Producer of CBC’s Kim’s Convenience he cemented his success across scripted and unscripted television.
Miller is driven by a commitment to authentic storytellers and storytelling. 35 years ago his career started in Indigenous media, producing and hosting bilingual Cree/English newscasts for the Arctic. Over the past three decades he has championed Indigenous stories and storytellers through mentorship and seed financing. In 2021 Mark became the lead investor in Indigifilm, a studio focused on creating Indigenous led content. Cold Road, the company’s first theatrical drama, was released in the spring.
Joanne McDonald
Joanne McDonald
Joanne McDonald
Sometime between the invention of colour television and the first HD broadcast in Canada, Joanne McDonald’s world has mostly been filled with screen-based media (which until recently was better known as film and television) and lots of coffee.
As the General Manager for Citytv Saskatchewan she’s involved in all aspects of broadcasting- from operations to programming. The station is a provincial educational broadcaster and was called SCN in a former life.
Over the years she has helped bring many hours of content from Saskatchewan and beyond to screens and audiences. A number of titles have won national and international awards –and have gone on to be licensed in other markets around the world.
When she’s not running a TV station, you can find her volunteering for arts and cultural organizations- at present she sits on two Boards of Directors: SaskCulture (Past President) and the Yorkton Film Festival. She also gets to vote as a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and belongs to Women in Communications and Technology. In the past she was on the board of the Saskatchewan Media Producers Industry Association and was a member of the Saskatchewan Arts Board’s Creative Industries Advisory Committee. In her other spare time she likes to make jelly salads, pull weeds in the garden and travel. And watch TV - of course.
Although her dad remains skeptical to this day, there is proof that someone with a philosophy degree can get a real job.
Steven Foster
Joanne McDonald
Steven Foster
Steven Foster is the Business Agent for the DGC Manitoba & DGC Saskatchewan. He is responsible for all local administration and office management, member, labour & industry relations. Prior to his nine years with the DGC, Steven worked in various capacities in the music industry and is well versed with the gig economy, and the role culture plays within society.
Steven also sits on various Board of Directors and spends time volunteering with community organizations.
Jon Taylor
Johnny Zhang
Johnny Zhang
Jon Taylor is a media executive based in Toronto, Canada. Jon is the CEO of the Independent Production Fund, one of Canada's oldest funding agencies and a pioneer in digital series development and production financing.
Prior to joining the IPF, Jon was VP of Digital Content & Strategy at Bell Media where he led the launch of Crave, Canada’s premiere streaming platform. Prior to that Jon was Executive Producer of CTV Network and has worked as a producer for Discovery, ESPN, MTV, the United Nations, the Academy Awards and at the Olympic Games.
Johnny Zhang
Johnny Zhang
Johnny Zhang
I have 15 years of experience in the financial services sector supporting companies in the Media and Entertainment industry.
I hold a post-secondary degree in Business Administration from Brandon University. My professional designations include a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Regina and a Certificate in Financial Services Advice from Canadian Security Institute.
I am committed to continually building my knowledge so I can provide you with advice that is current and relevant in today’s environment.
Johnny Zhang