Panelists & Juries Archive

Sohrab Merchant has a passion for helping writers and other creatives build and grow their careers. After completing his undergrad at University of Toronto, he took a post-grad at Humber College where he discovered his love of the entertainment industry. He started at The Characters 7 years ago as an intern and quickly was offered a position as an assistant. He now represents writers, directors and other key creatives in both Canada and the United States.

Lulu Wei is a Toronto based director and cinematographer. She holds an MFA in Documentary Media from Ryerson University. Her work explores themes of urbanization, cultural identity and queerness. Her debut feature documentary There’s No Place Like This Place, Anyplace, premiered at Hot Docs in 2020 and won a Rogers Audience Award. Her short films and installations have been screened and exhibited at various festivals such as Images Festival, Planet In Focus Film Festival and Inside Out Film Festival. Outside of film, she has shot and directed commercials for brands such as Air Canada, Mazda, Converse and Scotiabank. She is an alumnus of the Hot Docs Doc Accelerator program, DOC Breakthroughs program, RIDM Talent Lab, Reelworld E20 and an inaugural recipient of the Hot Docs CrossCurrents and Telefilm Talent to Watch funds.

Jesse Brossoit is an arts administrator and media archivist. He is a fourth generation white settler from Treaty 18 and Haldimand Treaty territory, now based in Tkaronto working as the Distribution & Collections Coordinator at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC). Jesse holds a Master of Arts degree in Film Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University. He has previously worked on cataloguing and archiving film collections for the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto.

Maya Annik Bedward is a Jamaican-French Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. After working and studying in Brazil and the UK, Maya returned to Canada and launched Third Culture Media with support from the Michaëlle Jean Foundation. Her films have screened at festivals across North America and Europe and sold to Air Canada and the CBC. Maya is a recipient of the WIFT-T Business of Broadcasting Mentorship and a fellow of the inaugural Berlinale Doc Toolbox Programme. She is currently in production on her first feature, BLACK ZOMBIE with the Documentary Channel. She is also an active member of the Black Screen Office Ad Hoc Working Group.

Steven Thibault, the COO of BRON Media Corp., is a partner in the company he’s helped steer since 2012. He oversees all corporate operations, and production finance, and is a key member of the management group. Thibault has helped grow BRON into an industry leader and has established preferred relationships with production unions and guilds across the globe. He is part of every financial closing for the company, including its corporate facilities with Comerica, its more than 40 single picture production/financing deals, and its slate co-financing ventures with Warner Brothers and MGM. Prior to BRON, he was an auditor with Ernst & Young working extensively with private and public studio clients in Canada and around the world. He currently serves as a board member of the Canadian Media Producer’s Association. Thibault also serves on several policy and advisory committees in the industry.

Samah Ali is a distributor and film programmer hailing from Toronto, Canada. A lover of documentaries and virtual reality, her primary interests lie in short films, ethnic futurisms, and international stories. She is this year's FOFS Industry Director and programs for Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Black Femme Supremacy Film Festival. Samah is also the founder of Sisterhood Media, a production and distribution company streaming films about community and identity on Sisterhood Media TV. You can interact with her on Twitter @sistersamah.

Scott Miller Berry is a filmmaker and cultural worker. By day he’s Managing Director at Workman Arts an art + mental health organization in Toronto that presents Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival. Previously he was Executive Director at the Images Festival. He sits on the Board of Toronto Media Arts Centre [TMAC]; is on staff of annual Film Farm 16mm residency and programs films via the year-round re:assemblage collective. Recent screenings of his short films include: Manchester, Wales, Montréal, Lisbon, Bangalore, Jakarta, Ottawa, Vienna, Oberhausen, Québec City and a solo retrospective at Colectivo Toronto.

Sophy Romvari is a filmmaker born in Victoria, B.C. and based in Toronto. Her critically acclaimed short films have travelled the international festival circuit and have earned her a reputation as a leading young talent.

Her 2017 hybrid documentary Pumpkin Movie premiered at True/False to considerable praise, before bowing at Hot Docs and Sheffield Doc Fest, among many others. It has been praised by critics as "a lovely, subtle work of feminist protest.

Albert Shin is a Korean-Canadian filmmaker who co-founded the Toronto-based production company, Timelapse Pictures, with fellow filmmaker, Igor Drljaca. His film, IN HER PLACE (2014), received 7 Canadian Screen Award nominations including Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay, as well as the Jay Scott Prize for Emerging Artist by the Toronto Film Critics Association. Albert was also a producer on Drljaca’s KRIVINA (2012), THE WAITING ROOM (2015) and THE STONE SPEAKERS (2018) all of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before screening at numerous festivals worldwide. His newest feature as writer & director is DISAPPEARANCE AT CLIFTON HILL (2019), a mystery set in Niagara Falls, which premiered at TIFF ’19 and is slated to be released in February 2020 by IFC Midnight and Elevation Pictures.

Tiffany Hsiung is an international award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto. She recently received the prestigious Peabody Award for her documentary The Apology. Her socially conscious work and dynamic artistry sparks a unique energy in the stories of marginalized individuals and communities. Hsiung’s approach to storytelling is driven by the relationship that is built with the people she meets both in front and behind the lens. By shooting much of her own work, Hsiung obtains unobtrusive access to the stories she captures. Hsiung is a graduate of Ryerson University, where she studied film production. She was the recipient of the Norman Jewison award. Her award winning short film ‘Binding Borders’ (2007), screened in film festivals internationally and propelled her to direct the RCI/CBC six-part mini series on Beijing’s first ever Olympic Games A New Face for Beijing (2008).

Luis De Filippis is a Canadian-Italian trans femme filmmaker whose work celebrates otherness and employs a fierce female gaze. Their work has played internationally at festivals such as TIFF, Rotterdam, and BFI. Their most recent work, For Nonna Anna, won the Best Short Narrative Award at the Atlanta International Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. With generous assistance provided by the TIFF Canadian Women in Film Fellowship they attended the Tiff Filmmaker Lab in September 2018.

Stuart Campbell is a cinematographer who currently resides in Toronto but shoots globally. He discovered his love for the arts is his 20’s and spent years as an art director at some of Canada’s top advertising agencies, being recognized for his work internationally. Stuart’s route to becoming an awarded cinematographer was by no means traditional but it’s that indirect path that brings the unique vision to the films, commercials, music videos, and documentaries that he works on.

Greg Jeffs has spent the past decade producing award-winning short and web content, for which he has been awarded multiple filmmaking grants from organizations including Telefilm, Telus Optik, Telus Storyhive and Bravofact. His productions have also received several nominations from the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association (AMPIA). In 2016, he was asked to join the TIFF stage as part of the 2016 Telefilm PITCH THIS! program. Greg’s current work with William F. White Int’l combines his vast knowledge of Canadian independent filmmaking with the world of professional filmmaking equipment and support. He actively develops long-lasting relationships with emerging and established content creators at all stages of their production to guarantee they obtain maximum value by providing mentorship and advisement on all possible funding opportunities. In working closely with and nurturing filmmakers, Greg ensures their finished product is the best as it can be.

Born to Guyanese parents, award-winning filmmaker Karen Chapman has screened her work everywhere from subway displays and airplanes to classrooms and international festivals. A graduate of Emily Carr University, Chapman is an alumna of the Banff Centre, a Hot Docs Accelerator Fellow, and was named one of Playback’s “5 Filmmakers to Watch” in 2018. Chapman honed her craft in the Directors Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and her film Lesson Injustice won Best Screenplay Award at WIFT's 2019 Showcase. Currently she is preparing to shoot her first feature film, Village Keeper, through Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch Program.

Marisa Shepard is the Director of Operations for FOFS as well as the Sponsorship Coordinator of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF). In her spare time, she co-hosts and produces the Canadian Film Podcast, volunteers at various film festivals, and studies the Russian language.

Kazik Radwanski studied film in Toronto, completing a BFA at Ryerson University and an MFA at York University. In 2008 he co-founded the production company MDFF with Dan Montgomery. His short films screened at the Berlinale Shorts Competition for three consecutive years. In 2012 Radwanski directed his first feature film Tower which had its world premiere at the 65th Locarno International Film Festival. The film went on to screen at many festivals including The Toronto International Film Festival, The Viennale, and New Directors/ New Films presented by MoMA. His second feature How Heavy This Hammer had its international premiere at The 66th Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Canadian film of the Year by the Toronto Film Critics Association. Most recently his short film Scaffold was invited to screen at the 70th Locarno International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and New York Film Festival.

Paige Murray is the Executive in Charge of Production for CBC. As the key point of contact for comedy and drama submissions, Paige actively looks for new talent and projects and evaluates series pitches to fulfill CBC’s programming needs.

Paige is also the programmer for Canadian Reflections, the longest running Canadian short film showcase on national broadcast television. She oversees the film acquisition, programming and scheduling strategy of this weekly show. Recent acquisitions include projects directed by Alicia Harris, Yassmina Karajah, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, Sherren Lee, Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Dangle.

Jason Anderson is the lead programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Short Cuts programme. He’s also the director of programming for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. A longtime critic and arts journalist in Toronto, he writes regularly for Uncut magazine, Sight & Sound, Cinema Scope and POV and was a writer and script consultant for The VICE Guide to Film. He teaches at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

Alicia K. Harris is Toronto-based filmmaker. She graduated from Ryerson’s film studies prohram in 2016, and was awarded Best Director and the Norman Jewison Award for Best Production for her thesis film “Love Stinks.” The film won a Golden Sheaf Award (Yorkton Film Festival, 2017) and was licensed to CBC for broadcast. Collectively, her work has also been broadcast on TVO, Bell Fibe TV1, and at numerous festivals, including the Festival du nouveau cinéma, Vancouver International Film Festival and Atlantic International Film Festival. Her upcoming short, PICK, has been supported by the Toronto and Ontario Arts Councils and the NFB, and was featured in The Toronto Star and on CTV News. She was recently chosen as one of The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s directing apprentices, out of 400 applicants from all over Canada. Alicia is the co-founder of SUGAR GLASS FILMS, dedicated to creating films about women and marginalized groups. ​

Ashleigh Rains has appeared in more than 30 films and television series including The Handmaid’s Tale, Kim’s Convenience and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Continuing to challenge herself and have a greater role in the creative process, Ashleigh began producing. Her work includes music videos, commercials, shorts, digital series and features that have screened at international film festivals, selected by Telefilm Not Short on Talent at Cannes, Claremont-Ferrand and SXSW, and received multiple nominations and awards including winning WIFT’s Best of Showcase. Ashleigh is Co-Programmer for the Canadian Film Fest, a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, ACTRA and WIFT, where she volunteers as a mentor.

Paige Murray is the Executive in Charge of Production for CBC. As the key point of contact for comedy and drama submissions, Paige actively looks for new talent and projects and evaluates series pitches to fulfill CBC’s programming needs.

Paige is also the programmer for Canadian Reflections, the longest running Canadian short film showcase on national broadcast television. She oversees the film acquisition, programming and scheduling strategy of this weekly show. Recent acquisitions include projects directed by Alicia Harris, Yassmina Karajah, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, Sherren Lee, Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Dangle.

Lisa Haller has worked for TIFF since 2010 and is currently the Festival Programming Manager and Shorts Programmer. In her role she is the lead on Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival strategy and programming execution, and she curates short film for Canada’s Top Ten, TIFF Kids International Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival. ​​

In addition to her programming experience, Haller has participated on juries, panels, and programming teams at film festivals and film institutions both in Canada and internationally, including the NorwegiaSorn Short Film Festival (NO), Clermont-Ferrand (FR), Cucalorus Film Festival (US), Newport Beach Film Festival (US), Young at Heart Short Film Festival (AU), TIFF Kids International Film Festival, Canada's Top Ten Film Festival, Ryerson University Film Festival, and the National Screen Institute.

​Haller was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a BAH in Film Studies and History from Queen’s University, and a Master’s degree in Communication and Culture from Ryerson University and York University.

Haller is a longtime advocate for emerging and student filmmaker talent, both Canadian and international, and sits on the TIFF Talent Development advisory team.

Tony Wosk has been working in Canada's film and television industry for over eighteen years. He has held positions including Senior Film & Distribution analyst at Telefilm Canada, Director Acquisitions & Development at Christal Films Distribution, and Executive in Charge of Production, TV Comedy at CBC Television. His credits include producing The Samaritan starring academy award nominees Samuel L. Jackson, Ruth Negga and Tom Wilkinson, the comedy Sorry For Your Loss (coming 2018), short documentary The Hundred-Year-Old Whale (2018 Winner WGC Award) and the documentary Lost Heroes: The Untold Story of Canadian Superheroes. He Executive Produced the award winning features Room For Rent and Berkshire County, and the CSA Nominated and Banff Rockie Award winning series The Illegal Eater.

​​Tony holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from York University's Schulich School of Business and a BA from the University of Western Ontario.

As Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival, Jenn Kuzmyk oversees all aspects of the international event. Now in its 39th year, BANFF is recognized globally as a one of the most important markets for executives working in the media industry. Its focus is the development, production, distribution and monetization of screen-based content. BANFF is the leading destination for international delegates with participants from over 25 countries in attendance annually, making it one of the most effective marketplaces for co-production and co-venture partners. In addition, the festival hosts The Rockie Awards Program Competition, one of the largest awards programs of its kind, juried by an esteemed panel of 115 international industry professionals and covering all major genres, and the Rockie Awards Gala, which recognizes outstanding talent and celebrates some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names.

​She has also worked as a TV development consultant and a film critic. As member of the Writer’s Guild of Canada she has written scripts for series airing on YTV and Discovery.

One of the founding partners of Raven Banner, Andrew T. Hunt is a Writer/Producer/Director with over 20 years of industry experience. Andrew’s feature length debut Sweet Karma premiered at the 2009 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, and was the catalyst for the formation of Raven Banner Entertainment - a worldwide sales company specializing in genre films. In 2012 Raven Banner Releasingwas formed as the Canadian distribution arm for RBE, releasing such titles as Autopsy of Jane Doe, Turbo Kid, Deathgasm, Baskin, Dead Shack, and the upcomingTodd & The Book of Pure Evil: The End of The End. 2015 saw the creation of Northern Banner Releasing, a Canadian distribution company that focuses on non-genre films; titles such as Academy Award Nominated Embrace of the Serpent, The Happiest Day In The Life of Olli Maki, How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town, and Hello Destroyer. Additionally Andrew has Executive Produced numerous films, including Borealis, Stakelander, Avenged, and the upcoming films Trench 11 and It Came From The Desert. Within Raven Banner Andrew plays a key role in supervising the review, development and packaging of feature projects from script to screen, as well as overseeing the branding, marketing and distribution of select titles.

Maisie Jacobson is a director and writer of both documentary and fiction films. Primarily interested in the specificity of character and the nuances of human relationships, Maisie’s work investigates intimacy, obsession, and the messy and awkward business of being human. She studied art history at McGill University and creative writing at the University of Toronto. Her films have screened at festivals across Europe and North America. Her film Flush received a BravoFACT and won an Industry Choice Award at Toronto Youth Shorts. Her documentary Billsville, about outsider artist Bill Anhang, was commissioned by CBC and won Best Documentary at the Dam Short Film Festival, and second prize in the Freshflix competition at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Maisie also co-directed a stop-motion music video for Amelia Curran’s song Gravity. Her writing was shortlisted for PRISM International’s Creative Non-Fiction Contest, and she is the co-creator of a crime series in development with Temple Street Productions. Maisie is the winner of the Corus Fearless Female Director Award from the National Screen Institute.

Mary Lewis is a writer, film and television director and actress. She is the recipient of multiple national and international awards for excellence in Directing, Writing, and Animating, including a Gemini and a Genie for her film and television directing work, Best Film Awards at AIFF, TIFF, VIFF, Best Screenplay at Flicks, and more. Training and education include: Acting at the National Theatre School of Canada, Directing at the Canadian Film Centre, MFA Screenwriting at York University, BA English and French Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Humanities at Le Petit Seminaire de Quebec. Mary is screenwriter of feature films (February and Butterfly Jump), currently in development. Born in Kampala, Uganda, she was raised in Newfoundland and divides her time between St. John’s and Toronto.

Sean Buckley is a producer and director, known for Defendor (2009), Serial Killers: The Real Life Hannibal Lecters (2001) and Rich Bride, Poor Bride (2006). He is the owner and CEO of Buck Productions, a content creation company successful in feature films, television, documentaries, commercials and branded content.

Michael Chwastiak is a writer, producer and actor (seen on such shows as The Strain, Murdoch, Mysteries, Orphan Black, and Reign).

Nick Smyth started his career on the CBC TV series "Street Cents"in Halifax, Nova Scotia and as a writer and cast member of Much Music’s "Video On Trial”. Recently, Sony pictures optioned one of the short films he was the lead in and a recent pilot that he starred in, “The Six”, has been bought by eOne Entertainment.

Liz Taylor began acting in 2014 and, in her first two years as an actor, was booked on over 80 projects. She speaks several languages, including English, Polish, Italian, and some French. Recently, Liz incorporated "Wild-Maple Films" and, through this company, is helping indie filmmakers to get world-wide distribution for their work on various digital platforms.

Alona Metzer is an actor-turned-producer, who trained at David Mamet and William H. Macy’s Atlantic Acting School in NYC. In December 2016, Alona was chosen by WIFT and Deluxe for their Producer Mentorship and was honoured at the 2016 Crystal Awards. She is currently in development for a comedic short film entitled Stranger, that was shortlisted for the Kevin Spacey Artists of Choice Award, as well as various features set to go to camera in 2017 and 2018.

Cathleen MacDonald is a creative entrepreneur in broadcast, digital media, and distribution. She is the founder of Motion Picture Enterprises, as well as the creator, writer-producer-director of several series for CBC and the Discovery Channel, and a national manager for VEC/Criterion Pictures. Cathleen frequently serves as a juror and mentor for industry festivals, organizations, and fundraisers.

Ron Leach is an international award-winning director, writer, and producer, as well as prolific casting director and renowned acting teacher. He has produced and directed 13 short films in the past 7 years, circling the globe on the international festival circuit for films and screenplays. Ron has juried the International Emmy Awards; Canadian Screen Awards; Genie Awards; Gemini Awards and the Smart Phone Film Festival of Toronto.

Gary Harvey has an extensive director-producer background on 6 different TV series including Arctic Air, as well as impressive credits as a director on such shows as Murdoch Mysteries, Strange Empire, Cedar Cove, Being Erica, The Border, and Wild Roses.

Stephanie Herrera is a writer, producer, singer, director, and actor. She has been a main stage player with Theatre Sports Toronto, Second City, and the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Stephanie is the founder and Artistic Director of Durham Improv Collective Inc., a Board member of the Durham Region Film Festival, and the Director of Industry Operations for FOFS. Her new one-woman show will premiere in the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival.