Aeyliya Husain is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on issues of representation, women, and photography. She has exhibited at festivals both nationally and internationally including, Tribeca Film Festival, where her film ‘Shooting War’ was nominated for best short documentary. This film examined the Iraq War through the lens of a photojournalist, revealing the stories behind the images and the story of the war itself. ‘The World at Ten’, follows the story of two ten- year-old inner-city children as they navigate the world around them. Her film ‘Daughters of the Revolution’, tells the story of Iranian activist lawyer and her fight for women’s rights in Iran. These films have also screened at San Francisco Docfest; Glasgow Short Film Festival and São Paulo Film Festival and have been broadcast on CBC, BBC, RSI (Swiss Public TV) and France 4. Her most recent film ‘The Fifth Region’ had it’s premiere at the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival (October 2018) and aired on The Documentary Channel, SBS Australia, amongst others.
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Allana Miller is a Vancouver based writer/director/producer, born in Georgia, USA and raised in Canada.
Allana recently wrapped writing/producing/directing her mockumentary comedy short film “It’s Just Yoga” which she plans on developing into a TV Pilot. She is currently seeking production funding for her dramatic short film “Disordered”, which she developed in Crazy 8s Top 12, 2024. Allana will be spending summer 2024 in the VFS Screenwriting Fundamentals Program and developing her first web series in the CaribbeanTales Incubator Program.
Allana aims to create layered, Black female leads and tell stories from the perspective of her own experiences, led with humor, which speaks to how she views life.
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Amreen Ghouse is a versatile South Asian filmmaker with an 8-year career spanning in films, advertising, and television. Amreen’s trajectory began in Mumbai, where she immersed herself in the Mumbai film industry as an assistant director. Transitioning seamlessly into advertising, Amreen became an integral part of Think Brown Media Inc. prominent advertising production house in the GTA. Starting as an assistant director, she ascended to the role of director, showcasing her creativity in crafting compelling ad films for major brands such as Coke, Canada Dry, and Nestle. Her ability to weave narratives that seamlessly integrated Canadian and South Asian cultural perspectives earned her acclaim and recognition within the industry.
Amreen’s directorial talents expanded beyond advertising, evident in her captivating short films, including “Brook,” “Haris,” “A Photograph,” and the award-winning “Who’s Next?,” which earned her the prestigious Film For Peace Award and Best Short Film at the CineFam Festival in 2022. Her commitment to socially relevant storytelling became a defining feature of her work, resonating with audiences globally.
In addition to her accomplishments in short films, Amreen’s influence extended to television, where she served as an executive producer for a Bollywood show on Zee TV Canada. Her collaboration with “Let the Quran Speak” as a producer added another dimension to her diverse portfolio. This popular Canadian talk show, with over 20 years on the air, reflects her commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue and understanding. Venturing into documentary filmmaking, Amreen directed “Hijab Unveiled,” a festival favorite that delves into thought-provoking themes. Her latest project, the upcoming documentary series titled “Everyday Muslim Heroes,” further underscores her commitment to shedding light on the contributions of diverse Muslims in the Greater Toronto Area. This short series aims to highlight the positive impact of Muslims in society, showcasing their invaluable roles and contributions.
Amreen stands as a testament to creativity, resilience, and a commitment to diverse storytelling. From her beginnings in films to her directorial endeavors in advertising and television, she continues to push boundaries and explore new horizons in telling important stories and beyond.
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Ana de Lara is a Filipina-Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer who has earned over 30 accolades for her films and screenplays in North America and Europe. She was the lead producer for the Telefilm Talent to Watch feature ALL-IN MADONNA and the feature mockumentary OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS, which earned her nominations for the 2021 CMPA Emerging Producer Award and 2021 and 2019 BC Leo Award for Best Picture.
Ana has written, directed, and produced a number of eclectic short films, showcasing her skill for telling impactful stories in a variety of genres, most notably, GOOD GIRLS DON’T, NEAR SILENCE, IN CONTROL and FIRST WINTER LAST.
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Playback Magazine’s 10 to Watch, Asis Sethi is a Canadian filmmaker who graduated from Humber College where she currently teaches. Her career in broadcasting spans over 15 years as producer and host on lifestyle shows. Her REMI Award winning short on menstruation, ‘A Bloody Mess’, was screened at 30 film festivals. Her 16-episode documentary series on Sikh shrines in India, ‘Darshan Dekh Jeeva’, was funded by Rogers Documentary Fund. She directed a documentary on post 9/11 effects on turban wearers which premiered on OMNI Television. Her short film on postpartum depression titled ‘Rock the Cradle’ was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and is currently in post production. Asis has been chosen for Caribbean Tales and CineFam’s program Limitless where she will be making the proof of concept for her feature film ‘Slam Dunk, Sehaj!’.
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Brenda Okorogba is a Learning Experience Designer, Resource Mobilization Advisor, and Community Builder focused on advancing collective liberation and prosperity. With over a decade of expertise, she has partnered with diverse stakeholders to create targeted learning solutions, community-driven initiatives, and social change through strategic program development, gender-responsive financing, and capacity building. Serving as a Board and Advisory Committee member for numerous Canadian nonprofits, Brenda provides innovative, practical insights that drive their growth and social impact.
As the Founder of Momentswithbren Consulting, Brenda empowers her clients to achieve accelerated success through customized training programs, strategic advisory services, and outcome-driven programming. Her efforts have helped organizations and individuals secure grants, better jobs, and access life-changing opportunities, with her impact reaching over $5 billion in scholarships and grants globally.
Brenda’s international experience spans Africa, North, and Central America, and she embraces innovation, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making. She has successfully led economic empowerment, financial inclusion, and community mobilization initiatives in Ghana and Eswatini, funded by Global Affairs Canada, furthering Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy while championing human rights, gender equality, and social justice in sectors like land rights, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods.
Her work has garnered numerous recognitions, including the 2024 Inclusion Champions Award, 2023 DMZ Women of the Year Award, 2022 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women, and many more. Recently, she directed a Netflix-funded short film as part of the Being Black in Canada program, showcasing her creative talents and commitment to amplifying diverse voices. In her downtime, Brenda enjoys experimenting in the kitchen (she’s known for her beans and plantain), traveling, or sending friends hilarious memes to brighten their day.
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Choltu is a director, cultural worker and writer. Choltu’s passion for culture, community and media infused with her love for history, Afro and Afro-Diasporic heritage and storytelling is what informs her chosen art form and expression of film-making with a focus on the stories of the Black experience both in Toronto and throughout the African- Diaspora. Choltu is also the founder of the online platform Toronto Black Archives.
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Daisy is a Toronto based writer and producer. She always had a passion for media but her interest in film was piqued while taking part in the U for Change film cohort. After interning in the film and broadcasting world while working in the market research analysis and publishing industries she channeled the skills acquired into establishing Afrotinis at Sunset, a multi-media platform that explores the stories, history and cultural nuances that form the rich and diverse tapestry of the black experience. In her spare time Daisy enjoys photography, comedy and listening to dramatic cinematic music while doing mundane things.
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M. Émeraude Domingos-Mbuku is an award-winning storyteller, producer and film programmer whose practice weaves together her identity as the daughter of Congolese refugees and a first-generation Canadian woman. Black African womanhood and feminism in the North American visual direct the focus of her work, but an interest in hyper-femininity and how society views Black women feeds the aesthetic. Émeraude is a 2018 CineFam Feature Film Incubator fellow, a 2022 OYA Media Group Emerging Filmmakers fellow, and part of the 2024 class of the CaribbeanTales Black Incubator and Studio Access Project. Her work has been screened on CBC Gem, at Breakthroughs Film Festival, Regent Park Film Festival, CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, and St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival.
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Fennella Bruce is a veteran television producer and writer, she is now at the helm of FKB Media Solutions – a media consulting business and FKB Media Productions Inc. – a livestream, television and film company. Having worked in the field of journalism for over 20 years, Fennella has produced both of Canada’s national morning shows – Your Morning and Canada. She has been the senior writer or producer at numerous major market television stations including CTV News Channel, CTV National, CP24, CityTv, Toronto 1 and BET. Fennella received her Graduate Degree in Journalism from Ryerson University and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. For six years, she taught Media Theory at Centennial College. Fennella is the Vice-President of the Board of Dr. Roz’s Healing Place, Vice-President of Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T) Foundation Board, a member of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and a recipient of the 2020 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award.
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Graysen is the founder and producer of two production companies. She has a decade of experience working below the line as a Location Manager, Art Director, Picture Editor Assistant and researcher. She is a co-producer of the award-winning short film Hair or No Hair and currently has three shorts in post-production. She is developing an 8-part series and a long-form scripted TV series. She has sat as the DGC BC DEI Committee co-chair and currently sits on the DGC National BIPOC Committee. She is the founder of the Sangster’s Foundation, which aims to provide film grants to BIPOC creators.
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Born and raised in Toronto, Hilda Ohemaa Afrakoma is a Canadian-Ghanaian filmmaker and aesthete who has worked with top commercial and film production companies, including the prestigious film and digital media producer’s National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Afrakoma has written, directed, and produced three short films “1st KINGS” winning Audience Choice at the Canadian Screen Awards qualifying festival Emerging Lens. To date, she has had two television series in development and continues to fuse her cultures and love of art to create thought-provoking female-centered content.
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Jaskaran Gill (she/her) is a filmmaker from Tkaronto/Toronto. Growing up around hundreds of nationalities, ethnicities, cultures, religions, and races, Jaskaran is driven to see her city’s vibrant diversity reflected on the big and small screen. Founder of The Last Bite Films, she works to achieve this by committing to anti-racism and decolonization, which is at the core of the stories she tells. Moreover, The Last Bite Films aims to be part of a movement that many BIPOC creators have started, and that is to tell complex and nuanced stories our communities are deserving of. As a producer, one of Jaskaran’s goals is to elevate the collaborators she works with, especially making a point to prioritize hiring BIPOC artists, both on screen and behind the camera. Her work has been screened in film festivals in Africa, Canada, Europe, and the United States, proving the universality of the stories she tells. She will be directing her debut short film Sorry, It’s a Girl this September.
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Jennifer Kawaja is the President of English Scripted at Sphere Media Toronto (formerly Sienna Films) and also serves as Executive Producer/Producer. Her credits as Executive Producer at Sphere/Sienna includes television series Primetime Emmy award nominated The Porter, Peabody award winner Sort Of, Trickster, Cardinal, Ransom, and Combat Hospital as well as several movies for television, mini-series and documentaries under the Sienna Films banner. Jennifer has produced feature films including Happy Place, Sweetness in the Belly, How She Move, Touch of Pink, Marion Bridge, Saint Monica and New Waterford Girl. Before joining Sienna, Kawaja produced and directed independent projects for film and television both scripted and unscripted. She has been involved throughout her career in many initiatives relating to diversity and inclusion in the media industry in Canada. She has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and then went on to study Film and Communications at Concordia University in Montreal.
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Writer, producer, director of immersive experiences for kids full of fun, purpose, and heart. Kai’s career spans development to distribution on features, TV, shorts, and music videos. Kai’s work plays with intersectionality and universality with sprinklings of humour and themes around wellness. Kai is a graduate of CFC’s Producer’s Lab and Centennial’s Children’s Media program. Kai associate produced and wrote on CBC Kids in-house content like “Gary’s Magic Fort” and “Studio K”. In 2022, Kai won the YMA-TAAFI John Rooney Creator Fund.
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Kamal Amanda is a dedicated performer and aspiring screenwriter based in Toronto. Her journey in the arts began in Kingston Jamaica, where she discovered a love for performance through choir and dance. Since then, Kamal has pursued singing and acting with vigor, training at renowned studios in Toronto and working closely with vocal and performance coaches to hone her craft.
Driven by a passion for storytelling, Kamal attended the Black Women Film Canada TIFF 2023, where she immersed herself in workshops and connected with industry professionals who provided invaluable guidance and inspiration. As a TIFF cohort member, she delved into screenwriting, crafting two short films and currently developing a new television series.
Kamal’s aspirations extend beyond acting; she aims to make her mark as a director, leveraging her experiences and skills to bring compelling narratives to life on screen. With a deep-seated commitment to her artistic growth and community engagement, Kamal Amanda is poised to make significant strides in the entertainment industry, fueled by her creativity, determination, and unwavering passion for storytelling.
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Kamal Amanda is a dedicated performer and aspiring screenwriter based in Toronto. Her journey in the arts began in Kingston Jamaica, where she discovered a love for performance through choir and dance. Since then, Kamal has pursued singing and acting with vigor, training at renowned studios in Toronto and working closely with vocal and performance coaches to hone her craft.
Driven by a passion for storytelling, Kamal attended the Black Women Film Canada TIFF 2023, where she immersed herself in workshops and connected with industry professionals who provided invaluable guidance and inspiration. As a TIFF cohort member, she delved into screenwriting, crafting two short films and currently developing a new television series.
Kamal’s aspirations extend beyond acting; she aims to make her mark as a director, leveraging her experiences and skills to bring compelling narratives to life on screen. With a deep-seated commitment to her artistic growth and community engagement, Kamal Amanda is poised to make significant strides in the entertainment industry, fueled by her creativity, determination, and unwavering passion for storytelling.
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As an active speaker, panelist and facilitator, are also part of their purpose! Published by Kya Publishing since 2014 with four books published currently. Co-Founder of The International Writers Workshop, Find Your Voice and Warrior Women Winning workshops with Toronto Urban Book Expo. Find Your Voice is currently being facilitated in the correctional institution Grand Valley Institution for women as a literature program for the women currently incarcerated . Founder of W.A.R productions as a Producer and Director with 5 music videos to date. Current Board Member on the Board of Directors at RittenHouse and Elizabeth Fry Toronto. Prison Health research advisory committee with Mc master university. Canadian coalition for children with incarcerated parents advisory committee with university of Ottawa.
In 2023 I released my first song Drowning, a song about suffering with addiction and mental health featuring Kalyssa. My second single was released in 2023 as well called I can’t breathe a song about suffocating from mental health, addiction and suicide.
As a person with lived experience of mental health, addiction, homelessness, incarceration and trauma, I use my work as a form of therapy, expression and to raise awareness and give a voice to anyone who has or living with these social issues.
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Kathryn Fasegha is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for storytelling rooted in faith and Afro-centric narratives.
Kathryn’s debut feature film, “Treacherous Heart,” captivated audiences upon its premiere at Cineplex Chinook Centre, Calgary, in 2012. and has graced screens at various cinemas and venues across Canada. Notably, the film received nominations in multiple categories at the Nollywood and African Film Critics’ Awards (NAFCA) in 2012, ultimately clinching the esteemed “Best Drama in Diaspora” accolade.
Building upon her early success, Kathryn’s second feature film, “2 Weeks in Lagos,” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019. The film continued to garner acclaim, with a West African release in February 2021, followed by its debut on Netflix in July of the same year. Noteworthy recognition includes a nomination for the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2020 in the category of “Best Film by an African Living Abroad.”