Film & Eco-Activist

Following their internationally-acclaimed trilogy with landscape photographer Edward Burtynsky (Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark, Anthropocene), Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier return with the David and Goliath story Into the Weeds, about a groundskeeper who took on a multinational agrochemical corporation after his terminal cancer diagnosis. In this session, they discuss the challenging terrain of the activist film. Following the screening of their film, there will be a case study with Jennifer Baichwal and special guests discussing the challenging terrain of eco-activism.

Female Genre Mash Up

In Night Raiders (2021) and Slash/Back (2022), writer-directors Danis Goulet and Nyla Innuksuk put an indelibly Indigenous, gender-disruptive spin on genre staples, the dystopian sci-fi fable, and the horror film. These exciting filmmakers share their experience of encroaching on established mainstream cinematic storytelling.

Crossing the Line

Elisabeth Moss, Jordan Peele, Viggo Mortensen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Taika Waititi, Halle Berry…  The list of actors who also direct grows longer every year. Two top actor-directors unpack the myriad challenges and unexpected pleasures of sliding into the director’s chair. (Speakers TBA)

Haunting Visions

We often talk about “the magic of the movies” in benevolent, almost utopian terms. But for brilliant filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and David Cronenberg, the cinema is a place of dark conjurings, where beauty rubs against the grotesque and disturbing imagery is forever implanted in the mind’s eye of the beholder. In this session, top production designers dissect and reconstruct the dark arts behind cinema’s most haunting visions. (Speakers TBA)

The Art of Sound

We all know film is a powerful visual medium, but overlook the contribution of sound design at your peril. As the industry aphorism has it, you haven’t really seen a movie until you’ve watched it with your eyes closed. In this panel, celebrated sound designer Jane Tattersall and Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Sheila Hockin reveal the secret transformative properties of their craft.

Creative Producing in a Destabilized Industry

Stories are woven into the fabric of our society.  But who decides which ones are worth telling? Creative producers discuss the challenge and rewards of fighting for their vision. Topics include: fostering creative collaboration; supporting new voices and original scenarios, and safeguarding artistic vision while working within the system.