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On October 21,2020 at ImagineNATIVE, Women in View launched Five in Focus: Indigenous, its latest iteration of a successful professional development program that will promote and elevate Indigenous women-identifying and non-binary writers and directors in Canada. Co-led by Tracey Deer and Jan Miller,  the Five in Focus: Indigenous participants will work with Indigenous women mentors – Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuit), Tracey Deer (Mohawk), Danis Goulet (Cree/Métis), Tina Keeper (Cree), and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sami) – and other industry experts on the development of their feature film or television series. The program is supported by with the Indigenous Screen Office, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund, Directors Guild of Canada, and TELUS. Five in Focus: Indigenous is tailored to meet the specific needs of each participant and will include industry activities, master classes, pitch training with international consultant Jan Miller, project packaging and more.

 “The statistics in WIV’s On Screen Report make it very clear that Indigenous women are woefully underrepresented in our Industry. We are excited to offer this program to help amplify the voices of the incredible talent that exists and to be part of the movement to create an equitable and inclusive media landscape.” -Tracey Deer, Chair of the WIV Board.

Women in View is proud to announce the participants for Five in Focus: Indigenous, the fourth iteration of their professional development program that promotes and elevates women-identifying writers and directors in Canada.

The Five in Focus: Indigenous selected participants are Lindsay McIntyre, Marylou Mintram, JJ Neepin, Eva Thomas, and Roxann Whitebean.

SSEE: Five in Focus: Indigenous Team Press Release

 

 

Five in Focus: Previous Iterations

Launched at the 2016 Whistler Film Festival and headed up by a stellar jury, Five in Focus was created with the goal of identifying and promoting five talented female directors.

“It’s an invitation we’re sending out to our colleagues in the industry,” said Louise Clark, President and Executive Producer, Lark Productions and 2017 selection committee member, “We simply want to say, ‘these are terrific talents. We wanted to bring this talent to the industry’s attention.”

“Five in Focus was one of the most professionally gratifying experiences for me. It was instrumental in helping me sign with an agent as well as getting me in front of producers which resulted in my first TV directing gigs.” said director Gloria Ui Young Kim, one of the 2017 Five in Focus directors. “This invaluable spotlight helped me to advance my career in the most meaningful way.”

For year two, Women in View has partnered with Women in Film and Television- Atlantic and Telefilm Canada to turn the spotlight on five women directors from the Atlantic region.

“We have so many talented women in Atlantic Canada working outside the mainstream. It’s exciting to see our directors given the chance to step up and show the rest of Canada what they have to offer,” says Kimberlee McTaggart, WIFT-AT chair.

On August 11, 2018, at the Women in Animation Vancouver Summit, Women in View and Women in Animation Vancouver announced BC’s Five in Focus: Animation. The five selected for the program will represent the key creative positions in animation: screenwriter, director, producer, art director and animation director – positions in which women are underrepresented.  Over the course of a year, the participants developed and produced an animated short film which will premiere at Spark 2019. For more information: BC’s FIVE IN FOCUS: ANIMATION PRESS RELEASE

In November 2018, CFC Features adapted Five in Focus to select its next project.  Nominations were gathered from culturally and regionally diverse female creators across Canada, aiming to redress how underrepresented female filmmakers are in Canadian cinema, women of colour especially, and to better promote the work of Canadian female directors. The new approach was so successful that CFC Features chose two projects for support: BEANS, from co-writer/director Tracey Deer, which explores a twelve year-old Mohawk girl’s experience of the Oka Crisis in 1990; and SUMMER WITH HOPE, from writer/director Sadaf Foroughi, which traces an alliance between two adolescent swimmers in their small Iranian town.

Profile on Women in View & CFC Features partnership

 

BC’s Five in Focus: Animation Team Press Release

Five in Focus 2018 Atlantic Directors Press Release

 

Five in Focus 2017. Directors; Wendy Morgan, Sherren Lee, Gloria Kim, Jem Gerrard, Weyni Mengesha with Jury; Christina Piovesan (First Generation Films), Gosia Kamela (Bell), Jennifer Holness (Hungry Eyes Film & TV) and Sarah Adams (CBC).

Five in Focus 2017 Directors Press Release

 

‘Five in Focus’ 2017-2021 Participants

Marylou Mintram

Marylou Mintram is a proud nehetho (Cree) iskwew (woman) from Treaty Five Nishichawaysihk Cree Nation, currently working and living on the unceded Algonquin people’s territory in Ottawa. Graduate from Toronto Film School with continued studies at the University of Saskatchewan Aboriginal Justice and Criminology program, linking her passions behind her motive of creating Indigenous social impact. As a participant in the Canadian Media Producers Associations National Mentorship Program, she gained valuable insights from a seasoned Indigenous producer who she credits with shaping her career.

Marylou has twelve years of broad-based experience as a producer, writer and serving on nonprofit board governance, fundraising committees, supporting nonprofits with public relations and marketing, professional facilitation and project coordination. This experience and knowledge brought value to the planning, distribution and marketing campaigns undertaken with 7th Screen, where she lead manager for the Indigenous-led Distribution and Marketing company. Following this, she became the co-owner of Rainy Storm Productions with Ryan Cooper.

Marylou was also recently selected to participate in the Banff Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media 2nd Cohort Program. Lately, she has focused on writing, producing, developing scripted drama series, and doing graphic design for several shows.

Lindsay McIntyre

Lindsay McIntyre is a filmmaker and artist of Inuit and settler Scottish descent. Recent projects include an animated experimental documentary for WAG’s Quamajuq, a Telus Optik Local documentary Final Roll-Out: The Story of Film and a monumental projection-mapping installation on the Vancouver Art Gallery, If These Walls. She was named the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award recipient for Excellence in Media Arts by the Canada Council (2013), was honoured with the REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards (Hnatyshyn Foundation 2017), and her personal documentary Her Silent Life won Best Experimental Film at imagineNATIVE (2012). Having made many short experimental and documentary films, she is transitioning to the field of narrative to tell powerful and authentic stories beginning with her first feature The Words We Can’t Speak (in development). Lindsay is also a skilled cinematographer and has won awards for her production design and editing. Her short films and expanded cinema performances are often processed-based, and have screened around the world including at Ann Arbor, Pleasure Dome, Mono No Aware, Rotterdam, Analogica, WNDX, imagineNATIVE, Images, FNC, One Flaming Arrow and Black Maria and can be found in several permanent collections. She has an MFA in Film Production and a BFA in Painting and Drawing and is an Assistant Professor of Film + Screen Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples.

JJ Neepin

JJ (Jenna) Neepin is an Indigenous writer & director based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is a member of the Fox Lake Cree Nation. JJ has written, directed and produced several short films alongside her sister/partner/producer; Justina Neepin with their company JJNeepinFilms INC.

JJ has also directed for several documentary television productions including:

  • APTN’s TAKEN (Seasons 2-4) about Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls.
  • APTN’s ghost series THE OTHER SIDE Season 5
  • APTN’s Indigenous Music Doc Series, AMPLIFY Season 1

JJ has been an Associate Producer on the CBC series TRICKSTER – Season 1. She also produced the behind-the-scenes videos. She’s received the following awards and fellowships:

  • Selected as one of the 2021 Berlinale Film Festival Talent Lab Participants
  • Winner of the 2019 Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC)/CBC Films Talent Development Award for her supernatural, crime drama feature script LUMINOUS.
  • Selected as 1 of 8 Directors for the Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC) Story & Leadership Program 2018-2019.
  • One of 6 Female Directors for the Inaugural Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s 2017/2018 Directors Program for Women.

When JJ is not on set, she is writing scripts, reading about true crime, scrolling through Tiktok or binge-watching Netflix shows.

Eva Thomas

Eva Thomas is a producer, writer and story editor.  Eva graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Communication and Broadcasting.  After university, she attended the Webber Douglas Dramatic Arts Academy in London, England and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Eva earned a Masters of Arts degree in American Indian Studies from UCLA; she is also a graduate of the ABC-Disney Summer Film & Television Workshop at Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe and the ABC-Disney Television Writers Program.

She participated in the inaugural imagineNATIVE & Harold Greenberg Fund (HGF) Indigenous Story Editing Mentorship.  As a story editor/mentor, Eva has worked with writers in the imagineNATIVE Screenwriting Intensive, the Magee TV Diverse Screenwriters Mentorship Program, and the Women in Film and Television-Vancouver’s Tricksters & Writers Program.

Eva was selected for the 2018 LA SKINS Native American Feature Film Lab in LA, the 2019 Telefilm Talent-to-Watch Program and the 2020 Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices Initiative. Eva along with Darren Anthony were selected for the 2020 NSI Totally Television Program for the project Dwayne Has Issues.

 Eva is a member of Walpole Island First Nation; she is also Tohono O’odham, Cherokee and Scottish.

Roxann Whitebean

Roxann Whitebean was born and raised within the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke and comes from the Wolf Clan. She made her directorial debut in 2014 with Legend of the Storm. In 2016, she opened an Indie production company called Whitebean Media Arts and has produced various works for CBC. In 2017, she wrote and directed 14 episodes of a children’s series called Raven’s Quest for TVO Kids that is now entering its third season.  She was a nominee for the Hot Doc’s, Lindalee Tracey, emerging artist award and a recipient of the Reveal Indigenous Arts Award as well as a profiled artist in the 2017 fall issue of Playback Magazine titled ‘Talent on the Rise.’ She is currently working as a writer & director on Nish Media’s television series, SKINdigenous, and has directed her first feature documentary, The Haudenosaunee Canoe Journey, which will air on APTN in February, 2021.

Amanda Konkin, Producer (Animation)

Amanda Konkin has a masters degree from the University of British Columbia, and after a decade producing in theatre and digital media she transitioned into Film and Television in 2013. In the spring of 2015, Amanda co- produced a Leo-Nominated TV series for OUTtv called The Switch (2016), the world’s first transgender sitcom. She also produced the short films Dude, Where’s My Ferret? (2015) and Singer Sisters (2016), as well as the Storyhive award winning webseries pilot Silk (2015). In 2013, she created and produced a webseries amassing over 2 hours of episodic content called Blank Verse, about WIlliam Shakespeare as a modern day university student.

Amanda is currently a Production Manager in animation at Rainmaker Studios, a Division of WOW! Unlimited Media Inc. She previously worked as the Associate Production Manager on the Netflix original series Reboot: The Guardian Code (March 2018) and as a production coordinator on Surfs Up 2: Wavemania (Sony, 2017).

Stephanie Blakey, Director (Animation)

Stephanie Blakey is an award-winning, Vancouver-based animation director and storyboard artist. She received her Master’s Degree in Directing Animation from the National Film and Television School in England and her Bachelor’s Degree in Animation from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Canada. Additional training took her to La Poudrière in France, and the Animation Lab at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in Scotland. Her animated short, “The Last Resort,” has played in over two dozen festivals, winning several awards including the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival and a Best of the Fest Selection from Palm Springs International Shortfest. An animated intro for the online Vice series, “Brits”, which she wrote, directed, animated, and scored, won the Graphite Pencil Award in the Design & Art Direction New Blood Awards. Another short film of hers, “Love-o-Rama”, was selected and screened as part of the NFTS Stars of Tomorrow Event. She currently works as a storyboard artist at Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver.

Jen Davreux, Writer (Animation)

Jen Davreux is a storyboard supervisor, independent comic artist and writer. Originally from a small town in the Okanagan, she developed a passion for drawing and storytelling at a young age, later moving out to Vancouver to pursue a career in animation. Her first self-published comic Astronaut + Alien debuted at VanCAF in 2015, and she currently co-writes an ongoing webcomic titled Go, Titan X!. She has been working in the story department of various animated shows for the past 5 years and looks forward to taking on new creative challenges.

Kaitlin Sutherland, Animation Director (Animation)

Kaitlin Sutherland’s life changed for the better when she discovered people could make animation for a living. Inspired by the limitless possibilities of the art form and its endless storytelling opportunities, Kaitlin dove in headfirst and thrived at the animation program at the prestigious Sheridan College. Animating on her first short film, with a group of her peers, “Natalie,” was selected to be screened on all Air Canada flights in 2014 via the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival and her personal short film, “The Tale,” went on to be a finalist at the Davis International Film Festival.

Thanks to her passion for animation and eye quality, Kaitlin quickly rose through the ranks in her professional career from layout artist to animation supervisor- a welcome challenge where she is currently excelling and constantly learning. Despite the time needed for her day job, Kaitlin’s passion extends well beyond that: she animates in her own time, participating in successful collaborative online projects as well as creating her own self-directed pieces. When she’s not thinking up unique stories or effortlessly designing a multitude of characters, Kaitlin can be found snuggling up with a tea and getting lost in the vibrant worlds and stories made possible through animation in Vancouver, B.C.

Maisha Moore, Art Director (Animation)

Maisha Moore is a production designer and illustrator living in lush Vancouver BC. Influenced by a childhood full of story books and a family tree of artists, Maisha was inspired to pursue a career in the arts. After graduating from Capilano University, Maisha settled into Vancouver’s vibrant animation industry, where, over the course of the last decade, she has worked on a multitude of projects, both episodic and feature. Her skills and passions cross over a breadth of production departments. Currently, Maisha is working at Cinesite Vancouver on The Addams Family feature as a lead in the production’s design team. Outside of her day job, Maisha collects oddities and travels to national parks.

Martine Blue (Atlantic)

Martine Blue is a multi-award-winning writer, director, editor and producer based in Newfoundland and Labrador whose accolades include Best Canadian Film at the Female Eye Film Festival, Best Debut Feature at the Arizona International Film Festival, and three Audience Choice Awards. She wrote, directed and edited the award-winning feature, Hunting Pignut. She is the webisode writer/director for the TV show Hors Circuits 2; and recently directed part of the NL/NS feature, Hopeless Romantic. Martine is currently developing a YA fantasy TV series and two feature films.

Stephanie Clattenburg (Atlantic)

Stephanie Clattenburg is a writer-director with over 12 years experience in film and television. Her first feature length film, PLAY YOUR GENDER was awarded the ‘Edith Lando Peace Prize, from The Reel 2 Real Film Festival in Vancouver and Best Music/Art Documentary at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Her latest short film, PLAY REWIND PLAY, which she wrote, directed and co-produced, had its world premiere at the Roswell Film Festival in New Mexico in April 2017 where it was nominated for Best Short Film; and took home the Audience Choice Award at the Parrsboro Film Festival.

Koumbie (Atlantic)

Koumbie is an actor, writer, and director, proudly based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In front of the camera, she has had reoccurring roles on YTV’s Aquateam, CBC’s Mr. D, and season 3 of Thom Fitzgerald’s Sex & Violence. Koumbie has directed a number of award winning and nominated projects including Short Film Face Off winner, Hustle & Heart, the 1k wave feature film, Ariyah & Tristan’s Inevitable Break-up, and an episode of Studio Black S2 which will air in 2017.

Gia Milani (Atlantic)

New Brunswick-based writer, director, producer, Gia Milani’s 2013 debut feature, All the Wrong Reasons, film won several awards including the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Prize at TIFF (10k prize), the Script Accessible Award at Slamdance, and the Viewer’s Choice Award at the Silver Wave Film Festival. Her short film, A Dark Radius, won the CBC 3-2-1 $25,000 Award. Gia mentors up-and-coming filmmakers and has executive produced several shorts and a feature film for new talent. Gia’s latest screenplay, Strathcona, was shortlisted        in 2017 for the TIFF/CBC Diverse Screenwriter’s Grant.

Harmony Wagner (Atlantic)

Harmony Wagner is a PEI-based writer, director and producer where she runs Periscope Pictures. Her award-winning first short film Vast played at the Shorts Gala at Atlantic Film Festival and was broadcast on CBC. Harmony’s second short, Queen of the Crows, screened at the Cannes Film Festival in Telefilm Canada’s short program. In 2015, she co-wrote, directed and produced the Telefilm Microbudget feature comedy Kooperman. She was awarded the 1K Award for her second feature Singing to Myself. Her IPF pre-school webseries Bunnybop! was nominated for Best International Pilot – Children and Youth at the Banff World Media Festival.

Weyni Mengesha

Weyni Mengesha

Weyni Mengesha built her award-winning storytelling career in theaters across Canada. She recently made her U.S. directorial debut with Bars and Measures at the Boston Court in Los Angeles where she currently resides part time. She will be making her NYC theatre debut this spring at the Rattlestick Theatre and then following that her Off-Broadway debut with Kim’s Convenience which she has directed across Canada. Recent theatre directing work includes the Canadian premiere of Father Comes Home from the Wars by Suzan-Lori Parks and Breath Of Kings, an original adaptation of the Herniad Cycle at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Toronto Critics award-winning productions include Lungs and The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs with Tarragon Theatre. Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts awards and nominations include Butcher (Why Not Theatre/MIRVISH), A Raisin in the Sun (Soulpepper Theatre), and the acclaimed ’da Kink in My Hair (Mirvish Productions). Weyni started in film as an assistant director and floor director for 13 episodes of LORD HAVE MERCY (leda serene films/vision). She directed the pilot and last episode of the award winning web series LA’d. Her first 20 min short Hero.Traitor.Patriot premiered at Raindance Festival in London and went on to play in festivals around the world. She currently has a documentary in development and short film which she has co-written.

Weyni received her BFA in Directing at York University and then spent two years training in classical theatre at the Soulpepper Academy. Find her online at weynimengesha.com.

Gloria Ui Young Kim

Gloria Ui Young Kim

Born in Seoul, Korea, writer/director Gloria Ui Young Kim comes from a long line of media makers. With a degree in English Lit at U of T, she worked at numerous magazines, most notably Maclean’s. She’s an alumni of the Canadian Film Centre’s Director’s Lab, and TIFF Talent Lab. Her short film, ROCK GARDEN: A LOVE STORY (CBC, BRAVO, IFC), described by Atom Egoyan as “absolutely beautiful” and “perverse,” has won numerous awards including the Global Audience Award for Best Anarchy Film: Slamdance 2008 and the CBC Canadian Reflections Award. THE AUCTION (CBC, IFC), premiered at the 2010 Sprockets TIFF, and won Best Short Film among others and is now part of the John VanDuzer Film Collection at TIFF BellLightbox. She wrote, directed, produced FLAMENCO, for CBC, 2015 (Reel Asian’s Pitch Competition Winner; Canada Council and Toronto Arts Council Recipient) and is screening at Dance Camera West-­‐LA, San Francisco Dance Film Fest, Open Art Short Film Fest, Toronto Korean Film Festival, Ukrainian International Film Festival and more. She has won numerous Golds for her commissioned work at the Cannes Lions, Bessies, the Marketing Awards, One Club, ADCC, etc. WHY DO I DANCE… has had almost a million views on Youtube since its launch in 2012. She has been a shadowing-­‐director on Back Alley Production’s Global series, Bomb Girls and on CBC’s Kim’s Convenience. Gloria is now working on two features: DECEPTION, a thriller about a therapist whose mysterious past becomes intertwined with her present-­‐day stalker a WIFTV Genre Competition Winner; and DEBRA AND MONA, a redemption story about a naïve Korean stripper and her at-­‐odds 9 year old daughter, for which she’s just received the WIDC Feature Film Award, was in the 2nd round of competition at Sundance Screenwriting Lab 2015; the 2015 Spotlight on Screenwriters; and the 2013 Telefilm Canada New Voices Award. She has also been chosen for the 2016 Women in the Director’s Chair-­‐Career Advancement Module and Story and Leadership program, as well as the 2016 CBC Diverse Creators Workshop and was in the inaugural NSI Shaw Media Diverse TV Director’s Program. She directs for the Canadian Film Centre on an ongoing basis, is on the Charles Street Video Board as well as the WIFT-­‐T Engagement Committee. She works as a director/writer/producer for Fifth Story.

Jem Garrard

Jem Garrard

Jem Garrard is a four time Leo award winning filmmaker with experience filming across the globe. After graduating from a four year film production degree in London, UK, she has spent the past seven years directing music videos, documentaries, commercials, short films and TV in Vancouver, BC.

She has made official music videos for Ringo Starr, Linkin Park, Young Galaxy, Bend Sinister and dozens of Canadian artists. Her first feature documentary, Guns to Mics, that she codirected and shot in Sierra Leone, West Africa, has just been released and is working the international festival circuit.

In 2015 Jem directed the groundbreaking first season of OutTV’s sitcom The Switch. The first show of it’s kind in which trans roles are played by trans actors, is now available on REVRY. In May 2014, Jem won four Leo awards for a musical documentary TV series she directs, shoots and edits called Playground.

In February 2015, Jem was one of six winners of the prestigious Crazy8s film competition, and in eight days she shot and edited her short film, The Wolf Who Came to Dinner, which went on to win Best Short from numerous festivals across North America, Europe and Asia, including best screenplay at the Whistler International Film Festival.

She recently directed the TV movie A Murderer Upstairs for the Lifetime channel. In February 2016 her short film Unit Bryan was picked up by Telus Optik TV to become a televised series. The sci-fi/comedy, Android Employed, will be released as Telus’s first original scripted series. Jem wrote and directed all four episodes. She completed principal photography in January 2017. The show is scheduled to be released in July 2017.

In October 2016, Jem directed two episode’s of Disney’s action sci-fi series Mech X-4. She was invited back to direct two more episodes in January 2017.

Jem has just completed her first feature screenplay, a controversial sci-fi/drama about parental testing through AI. She hopes to film it this summer.

Sherren Lee

Sherren Lee

Sherren Lee is a director born in Taiwan, bred in Montreal and currently based in Toronto. She graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University in 2007 and is a 2014 alumna of the Directors’ Lab at Norman Jewison’s Canadian FilmCentre.

In August 2016, Sherren directed an episode of Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Dino Dana, as part of the Women in View 2x More initiative.

Her short film Benjamin was an official selection at several festivals including TIFF 2015, AFF 2015, WIFT-T Showcase 2016 (Best Screenplay Award), Yorkton Film Festival 2016 (Golden Sheaf Award Winner), and Palm Springs International ShortFest 2016. In February 2014, Lee launched Someone Not There, an award-winning web series.

She is currently working towards her first feature film, With Might and Grace, developing Little Things, a television series based on her short Benjamin, and Caregivers, a 10- episode dramatic web series.

This winter, Sherren will be directing on Odd Squad and shooting her next short film, The Things You Think I’m Thinking, a drama starring Prince Amponsah.

Wendy Morgan

Wendy Morgan

Wendy is the eldest daughter of six children born to Chilean parents in Edmonton Alberta. She studied Art History at McGill University in Montreal and began her career in Vancouver in 2001 directing music videos. Almost immediately, Wendy won seven Much Music Video Awards including that for Best Director, two years in a row.

In 2006, Wendy jumpstarted her career in commercials with a one year stint at MTV Canada. While at MTV she wrote and directed several award winning campaigns.

In 2008, Wendy’s video for Gnarls Barkley’s Going On, shot on location in Kingston, Jamaica, was nominated for both a UK Video Award and for Video of the Year at the Juno Awards. In 2010, her highly acclaimed video for Janelle Monáe’s Tightrope earned an MTV nomination for Best Choreography and was named the #1 Video of 2010 by NME magazine.

Her 2012 video “Happy” for Paris producers C2C topped end of year lists for its unique choreography and mystical style. To date, the “Happy” video has over 14m views. The video received multiple MVPA and UKMVA nominations. The clip was also selected for BUG, the British Film Institute’s series of groundbreaking work.

In 2015, the Paris Opera debuted their online platform the “3rd Stage” with Wendy’s dance film “etoiles, I see you” shot inside the Paris Opera, Palais Garnier, with American dance legend Lil Buck. In 2016, her video for the Kills, “Doing it Death”, shot in Los Angeles was nominated in the “Best Rock Video” category at this years UK VMA’s.

Wendy also directs commercials internationally, working for clients such as Volkswagen, IKEA, Cover Girl, Ford, Roche Bobois, and JC Penny. She works with Untitled Films (Canada), Believe Media (USA), Slowdance Productions (France) and Propaganda Producciones (Spain).

Most recently, Wendy entered the narrative world with a bang, directing the eight episodes in the first two seasons of The Family Channel’s exciting new project, Backstage.

Coming up, Wendy is set to direct the feature film, Sugar Daddy, with Producers Lauren Grant and Lori Lozinski.

Mom to Giancarlo and Noemie, Wendy is a true working mom and is most excited about furthering her career in the narrative and long from world.

‘Five in Focus’ 2017 Jury

Christina Piovesan

Christina Piovesan

Founder & Principal, First Generation Films

Christina Piovesan is the founder and principle of First Generation Films, a production company that creates award-winning premium content across platforms. FGF is dedicated to working with the most innovative storytellers from around the world. Past films include the Cannes winner “Amreeka” directed by Cherien Dabis (“Empire”); “The Whistleblower” starring Rachel Weisz and Vanessa Redgrave; “LIFE” directed by Anton Corbijn starring Dane DeHaan and Robert Pattison; “Regression” directed by Academy Award winning director Alejandro Amenabar starring Ethan Hawke. Most recently FGF produced acclaimed actress Chloë Sevigny’s directorial debut “Kitty”, which closed Critics Week at Cannes and will premiere as part of Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology. Christina is in post-production on a film called “Paper Year” written and directed by Rebecca Addelman and starring Eve Hewson.

Christina graduated with a BA from McGill University and an MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California. She started her career at the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles. She is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America.

Gosia Kamela

Gosia Kamela

Production Executive, Drama & Feature Film
Independent Production, Bell Media

As Production Executive, Drama & Feature Film, Independent Production for Bell Media, Gosia Kamela is on the team that oversees the development and production of original drama series across Bell Media’s family of channels, including: CTV, Space, Bravo, and TMN/HBO Canada. She is also on the team that pre-licenses Canadian feature films for The Movie Network. Currently, the Executive on the critically acclaimed Orphan Black for Space and CTV’s new limited series The Disappearance.  Previously, she was the Executive on Degrassi: The Next Generation for MTV Canada, Bravo’s 19-2, and CTV’s Flashpoint. She is a long-standing juror for the  Bravo FACT and FACTUAL production fund. Prior to joining Bell Media, Gosia was a Producer at True West Films (It’s All Gone Pete Tong, Everything’s Gone Green).

Jennifer Holness

Jennifer Holness

President of Hungry Eyes Film & Television, Writer/Producer

Jennifer Holness is an award-winning writer and producer of scripted and factual TV and films.

Jen recently co-created the TV drama series Shoot The Messenger for CBC about cops and journalists that goes to air summer 2016. She co-wrote and produced the two-part CBC miniseries, Guns, staring Elisha Cuthbert and Colm Feore that won five Canadian Screen Awards, including a shared best writing award for Jen. She also co-created, wrote and produced the thirteen-part comedy series She’s The Mayor for Vision TV.

Jen is developing/producing the feature documentary, Hispaniola, on the roots of genocide with the Sundance award-winning team Michele Stephens and Joe Brewster (American Promise) and the National Film Board of Canada. She has also produced numerous documentaries, including; Speakers For The Dead (CBC), Badge of Pride (CBC & PBS), Brick By Brick (Omni), Yin Yin Jade Love (TVO), and Dolores: The Art of Art Modeling (Bravo!).

Jen’s feature film producing credits include Home Again with co-writer and director Sudz Sutherland. The film stars Tatyana Ali, Lyriq Bent and CCH Pounder and won the prestigious PAFF–BAFTA Festival Choice Award. The film was also nominated for two Canadian Screen Academy Awards and a Director’s Guild of Canada nod for Best Directing.

Jen also produced and co-wrote the story for the feature Love, Sex and Eating the Bones that won 9 festival awards including the Best First Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for a trifecta of Genies – Best Feature, Best Writing and Best Directing.

She is currently developing several feature projects, including the action comedy, Operation Red Dog, which she also co-wrote. ORD is a part of the CFC-Telefilm Comedy Exchange and is slated for production in 2017.

Jen is also working on several digital projects including adapting her highly rated, award-winning app The Music Biz into an animated series called Monstah Music Biz.

Jennifer is a member of several Boards including at the Regent Park Film Festival, Innoversity Creative Summit and the CMPA’s Prime Time Board. She spends her down-time keeping up with her three spectacular girls!

Louise Clark

Louise Clark

President/ Executive Producer, Lark Productions

President of Lark Productions, Louise got her start at the National Film Board of Canada. Her career as a producer and broadcast executive spans television drama and comedy, feature films, movies‐of-the‐week, and documentaries.

While working for Canada’s top network CTV, Louise developed and oversaw production on five seasons of the number one comedy CORNER GAS, and three seasons of the critically acclaimed ROBSON ARMS. She also oversaw production on FLASHPOINT, THE LISTENER, and set‐up DEFYING GRAVITY – three ground-breaking Canada/US co-ventures.

Louise now oversees all projects at Lark Productions and Executive Produced four seasons of CTV’s original drama MOTIVE (ABC and USA), critically acclaimed documentary series and ratings success, EMERGENCY ROOM: LIFE & DEATH AT VGH for Knowledge Network, and the hit format series REAL HOUSEWIVES OF VANCOUVER.

Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams

Executive in Charge of Production, Drama, for CBC Television.

As Executive in Charge of Production, Drama, for CBC Television, Sarah Adams is on the team that oversees production and development of original drama including one-hour series, limited series and miniseries. She is the executive for CBC on ‘This Life’ (Season II) and ‘X Company’ (Season III) as well as series in development. Sarah has also served as production executive on previous seasons of the continuing series, ‘Murdoch Mysteries’. Prior to joining CBC in 2012, Sarah was Head of Development at Breakthrough Films & Television for ten years where she oversaw the development of their television series. Along with other members of the drama team, Sarah regularly takes pitches from independent producers and creators looking to work with CBC.

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