Programming

Jason Gorber
Director of Film Programming
Jason Gorber is a film critic, journalist and programmer with over 30 years of experience, holding a Master’s Degree in Philosophy focussing on Film Theory and Criticism. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Chief Critic at ThatShelf.com, CBC Radio Metro Morning’s Film Correspondent, and regularly contributes to POV Magazine, Collider, A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and RogerEbert.com.
Jason is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Organization, Critics Choice, FIPRESCI, and OFCS. He has been a jury member at many festivals including Munich International Film Festival, Reykjavik International Film Festival, Calgary Underground Film Festival, RiverRun Film Festival, TIFF Canada’s Top 10, Reel Asian, Festival Regard and Fantasia’s New Flesh Award. Jason has appeared on broadcasters including CTV NewsChannel, CP24, France 24, and WGN, and his writing has appeared in Esquire, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, IndieWire and more.

Rachel West
Associate Programmer
Rachel West is a Senior Critic and Associate Editor at That Shelf with a B.A. (Honours) in Film Studies from Carleton University. She has interviewed everyone from Michael Fassbender to Miss Piggy and has reported live from TIFF, SXSW, Star Wars Celebration, San Diego Comic-Con, the SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, among other events. Her film writing and interviews have appeared in publications and outlets including Entertainment Tonight Canada, the Cineplex Pre-Show, Global News, Shaw Connect, The National Post, Toronto Film Scene, Cineplex Magazine, CAA Magazine, Mondo Magazine, Discover Toronto, The Weather Network, and more.

Pat Mullen
Associate Programmer
Pat Mullen is the publisher of POV Magazine, Canada’s destination for documentary culture. He has also contributed to outlets including Xtra, Sharp, Complex, The Canadian Encyclopedia, and That Shelf, and is the vice president of the Toronto Film Critics Association and international voter for the Golden Globe Awards. He is a graduate of Queen’s University’s Film and Media program and got his Master’s in Film Studies at Carleton University.
Advisory Board

Daniel Bekerman
One of Canada’s most prolific producers, Daniel Bekerman produced The Witch (Sundance and Indie Spirit winner), Falling (directed by Viggo Mortensen), Come To Daddy (starring Elijah Wood) and Percy Vs. Goliath (starring Christopher Walken) amongst many others. His company Scythia Films is also one of the country’s leading service production providers (How It Ends, Ready Or Not, The Craft, Firestarter)

Moira Holmes
President of Film Finances Canada, Moira Holmes has overseen the completion and delivery of countless films from Canada’s most celebrated producers and directors. Her previous 15 years experience as an independent producer on feature films, episodic television and documentaries garnered her many awards including Genie, Gemini, Cable Ace awards, among others.

Rachel Nelson
With over 25 years of experience across the industry, Rachel Nelson spearheads a diverse portfolio of Scripted and Unscripted content as Vice President of Original Programming at Corus Entertainment. In this role, Rachel leads strategies for commissioning, developing, and producing first class series for Corus’ slate of channels, and continuously demonstrates a devotion to empower and inspire world-class talent in an ever-evolving market.
Under Rachel’s leadership the Original Programming team oversees Canadian content for all of Corus’ original flagship channels including, but not limited to: Global, History, HGTV, Food Network, YTV, and Adult Swim. With a passion for character-first storytelling, Rachel has also grown content in the Corus Studios catalogue, which has garnered interest on an international level with more than two hundred hours of content sold thus far.
Over the years, Rachel has worked closely with the independent production community and possesses an exceptional ability to discover the next generation of content creators. She has led multiple teams in the Canadian content space and has partnered with independent producers from coast to coast. She has been a key leader in the production of many hit series in her career, with hundreds of hours of content created under her purview, and helped build the Canadian industry into the success it is today.
Surrounded by deep relationships in the media space, Rachel has left an indelible mark on dozens of award-winning, top-rated shows in Canada, the U.S., and abroad.

Matt Orenstein
Matt Orenstein is Vice President of Acquisitions and Strategy at Vortex Media. Previously, Matt was the co-founder of the Canadian film distribution company, ABMO Films, which released films including Academy Award-nominated First Reformed and Suspiria. Matt also worked at eOne as part of the US acquisitions group and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University with an MS in Media Management.

Annie Bradley
Raised in the arresting landscapes of Muskoka, Emmy-nominated Director Annie Bradley, is known for her striking cinematic work and fierce storytelling and was recently included in The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Canadian Women In Entertainment Power List. She is a member of both the DGC and the DGA, an alumna of the Sundance Film Festival, TIFF, the CFC Directors Lab, the TIFF Talent Lab and is currently serving her third term as the Chair of DGC Ontario.
While developing a diverse slate of content via her company, The Heat Mansion, Annie has built a dynamic resume of international directing and writing credits for Channel 4, Hulu, Sky TV, Crave, CBS, CBC, Amazon, CW, Hallmark, Apple TV, Lifetime, TF1, Netflix and served as a Co-Exec Producer and Producing Director on the final season of CW’s In The Dark.

John Rakich
John has numerous credits in feature films and television projects such as Shadowhunters, SEE, and The Changeling. An active LMGI member since 2015, John has served on the Board of Directors since 2018, including the past three years as President.
John is also a long-time member of the Directors Guild of Canada in the Ontario District Council and a former board member. He is dedicated to elevating the craft of location management and scouting as an art form and is committed to advancing LMGI’s global mission, supporting members and partners, and promoting location management worldwide.

Stephanie Azam
Stephanie Azam is Director of Content for Disney Streaming, Canada. She served for 13 years as National Feature Film Executive at Telefilm Canada overseeing production financing for English Canada. Her distribution roles include Vice President of Development and Acquisitions at Canada’s MK2|MILE END and Director of Theatrical Marketing at Zeitgeist Films in New York.

Tamara Podemski
Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi multi-disciplinary artist Tamara Podemski has been amplifying under-represented and marginalized voices on stage, screen and the recording studio for over thirty years. Best known for her roles in DANCE ME OUTSIDE, THE REZ, READY OR NOT, OUTER RANGE and RESERVATION DOGS, she is the recipient of the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Acting & IFC Spirit Award nomination (FOUR SHEETS TO THE WIND), imagiNative & American Indian Film Festival Awards for Best Music Video (MEEGWETCH), two ACTRA Awards & Canadian Screen Award (CORONER). She is also a CSA-nominated writer for FUTURE HISTORY (CBC) and INDSPIRE AWARDS (CBC).
In 2024, Tamara launched Blackbird Productions and premiered their mid-length feature THE LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN, which she produced and co-wrote. With the support of Telefilm and the Indigenous Screen Office, Blackbird has two features, two TV series and one web-series in development.

Patti Kendall
Patti Kendall has been at the forefront of marketing the Blue Mountain Village since its inception through Intrawest. As the Director of Events and Marketing for the Blue Mountain Village Association, her experience in destination marketing is unmatched. Andrew digs into the fundamentals of tourism, marketing and event production as they discuss the events and experiences that the Village has produced over the last 20 years. From Salsa at Blue to Guitar Trail, AGORA: Path of Light to the Apple Pie Trail, Patti is the creative mind behind them all. This episode teaches us the importance of starting any marketing efforts with authentic product development; learn more about how she’s helped make Blue Mountain Village a destination of choice around the world.

Marni Moreau
Co-Founder of the BMFMF
After working in advertising and marketing at CHUM Television, CTV, and Rogers Sportsnet, Marni Moreau happily returned to South Georgian Bay to promote CMH Heli Skiing and the Ikon Pass to ski enthusiasts, and to develop Blue Mountain as a location for film and production projects. Marni is the Co-Founder of BMFF.