GIFF GLOBAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT
Join us for a variety of workshops, in-conversations, and masterclasses on the film industry and the art of filmmaking. Bring your questions for our expert speakers and panelists during these engaging discussions!
All Industry Sessions are held in the Lakeview Hotel - Banquet Room C
Introduction to Interim Production Financing
Join us for an insightful session on interim production financing with RBC, tailored to support emerging producers in financing their projects. Discover how financial institutions can provide crucial financial support during the production phase, as well as how to navigate key risks such as budget overruns and production delays. Learn about the key information required to support your project, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the financing process and how to effectively manage financial needs throughout production.
2PM - 3PM • Wednesday, July 23
Adam Shalaby, Relationship Manager at RBC who specializes in supporting clients within the film and media industry. Adam brings over 16 years of financial services experience and is passionate about supporting emerging and established producers. Adam thrives on expanding his expertise to support his client’s success.
Coffee with the National Screen Institute
10AM - 11AM • Thursday, July 24
The National Screen Institute (NSI) trains storytellers, from emerging to established, in writing, directing, producing, and digital media. Join NSI’s Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill, program manager and Indigenous filmmaker, Chris Vajcner, director of partner support with 22 years at NSI, and Abiola Agbayewa, communications and outreach manager, as they answer your questions, share program insights, and offer a sneak peek at upcoming opportunities.
Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill
Sarah is manager of programs and development at the National Screen Institute, leading several programs including CBC New Indigenous Voices. She is also the mentor for the winner of the RBC $15,000 Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition at GIFF. Sarah is a multi-talented Indigenous woman, born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory, (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and registered to Long Plain First Nation. She is a filmmaker with extensive experience who is dedicated to her craft and has made multiple short films that have screened at North American festivals.Sarah-Simpson-Yellowquill.jpg
Chris Vajcner
As director of partner support, Chris builds and maintains relationships with government and industry supporters and oversees the fulfillment of deliverables for partners and the National Screen Institute. She's been with the organization for 22 years in a variety of roles, and is known as the "NSI app" for her encyclopedic memory of all things National Screen Institute.
Abiola Agbayewa
As communications and outreach manager, Abiola connects with potential program applicants, participants, alumni and equity-deserving communities while promoting the organization’s impact to partners, media and industry organizations. Outside of work, Abiola is a writer of poetry, fiction, and a children’s book, and draws on her psychology background to build meaningful relationships through storytelling.
Building a First Feature: STRONG SON
Join filmmaker Ian Bawa at the Gimli International Film Festival as he shares the journey of writing, producing, and directing his debut feature film, Strong Son. Ian will screen past acclaimed shorts Strong Son (2020) and The Best (2024), offering insight into his creative process and evolution as a storyteller. Attendees will also get an exclusive sneak peek at his highly anticipated feature, Strong Son.
2PM - 3PM • Thursday, July 24
Ian Bawa is a Winnipeg-based filmmaker known for his visually rich, emotionally grounded storytelling. His short films Strong Son (2020), My Son Went Quiet (2024), and The Best (2024) have screened internationally and earned critical acclaim. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg, Ian blends personal narrative with bold cinematic style. His work often explores identity, family, and the quiet complexities of everyday life. Ian is currently completing his first feature film, STRONG SON.
Masterclass with Noam Gonick
Presented by DOC Manitoba
4PM - 5PM • Thursday, July 24
Noam Gonick makes iconoclastic connections with his work: classical ballet/cruising forests; queer athletes meet Russian activists at the Sochi Olympics; utopian hippie cults and ancient devotees to Hermes gather on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Indigenous gangs, labour rebel rousers, stockbrokers melting down, the semaphore of prison architecture... are all interwoven into his long-form narratives, feature documentaries, and contemporary art/new media pieces. Gonick’s work is in the collection of MoMA, shown at London's Serpentine Gallery, premiered at Venice, Berlin, TIFF and Sundance, and recently opened Hot Docs with the NFB documentary: Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance.
The master class will illuminate Gonick‘s adventures navigating the edge between fact and fiction in traditional documentary, scripted drama and docu-soap TV. We will also look at his use of film and video to capture reality for a contemporary art context.
Noam Gonick makes iconoclastic connections with his work: classical ballet/cruising forests, queer athletes meet Russian activists at the Sochi Olympics; Utopian hippie cults and ancient devotees to Hermes gather on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Indigenous gangs, labour rebel rousers, stockbrokers melting down, the semaphore of prison architecture... are all interwoven into his long-form narratives, feature documentaries and contemporary art/new media pieces. Gonick’s work is in the collection of MoMA, shown at London's Serpentine Gallery, premiered at Venice, Berlin, TIFF and Sundance, and recently opened Hot Docs with the NFB documentary: “Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance”.
Séries Courtes: Opportunités et stratégies de financement
Presented by the Independent Production Fund (IPF)
12PM - 1PM • Friday, July 25
Note: this is a French/English session.
Joignez-vous à Catherine Moreau, directrice déléguée du bureau montréalais du Fonds indépendant de production (FIP), pour une présentation sur les opportunités de financement offertes aux projets de séries courtes. Découvrez comment fonctionne l’écosystème de financement, comment structurer efficacement votre montage financier, et repartez avec des conseils concrets pour maximiser vos chances de succès lors du dépôt de votre demande.
Catherine Moreau apporte plus de 15 ans d'expérience dans le secteur de l'audiovisuel et des médias, avec une feuille de route couvrant les émissions scénarisées, les documentaires, les variétés et la télévision jeunesse, à la fois en production et en développement de contenu. En 2021, elle a rejoint le Fonds indépendant de production (FIP) en tant que directrice adjointe du bureau de Montréal, où elle gère les programmes en langue française et défend les intérêts des francophones à l'échelle nationale.
Making Documentaries with the NFB // 1:1 Meetings with NFB Executive Producer
2PM - 4:30PM • Friday, July 25
Join us for a presentation by Chanda Chevannes, Executive Producer at the National Film Board of Canada. During this informative session, Chanda will share information about how the NFB produces documentary films and what kinds of projects the NFB is currently hoping to create. After the session, join Chanda for an informal 1-1 meetings.
Chanda Chevannes is the Executive Producer of the National Film Board of Canada’s Central Documentary Unit, collaborating with filmmakers and independent producers in Nunavut, Manitoba, and Ontario.
The Reflective Lens: Filmmaking as a Tool
for Self-Awareness
11AM - 1PM • Saturday, July 26
Bevan Klassen is a Registered Art Therapist, an independent filmmaker, and a leader in using video making to support individuals with mental health challenges. Inspired by the healing he found in making his own films, Bevan has used video making to support private clients and individuals through organizations like the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ndinawe and CancerCare Manitoba.
Personal filmmaking is an inspiring and powerful way to explore your inner world through the lens of a camera. In this workshop, you will begin to understand how lived experiences can be shaped into meaningful visual narratives to foster a more compassionate inner voice. You will experience personal filmmaking through the creation of our own group video on the theme of ‘finding calm’. Workshop tickets can be purchased in advance for $20
Masterclass with Matthew Rankin
2PM - 3PM • Saturday, July 26
Presented by Manitoba Film and Music
Join acclaimed filmmaker Matthew Rankin for an intimate masterclass exploring his uniquely imaginative approach to cinema. Known for blending experimental techniques with historical satire, Rankin will share insights into his creative process, visual storytelling, and the making of his celebrated films. This session offers a rare opportunity to learn from one of Manitoba’s most visionary directors.
Matthew Rankin was born in Winnipeg and studied history at McGill and Université Laval. He is the director of some 40 short films and two features which have been variously presented at Sundance, SXSW, Annecy, TIFF, the Berlinale, Cannes Critics Week and Directors Fortnight and on the Criterion Channel. His first feature, The Twentieth Century, was awarded the FIPRESCI prize of the international film critics at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival and the 2019 Best First Canadian Feature Award at TIFF. Universal Language, winner of the inaugural People’s Choice Award presented by the Chantal Akerman Foundation at the 2024 Cannes Directors Fortnight, is Matthew’s second feature. He lives in Montréal.
Backstage Folks: Archival Restoration Masterclass
4PM - 5PM • Saturday, July 26
A behind the scenes conversation with filmmaker Kevin Nikkel and sound producer Andy Rudolph on the challenges of making the feature documentary When We Became Folk Fest; the story of a failed attempt at making a festival documentary and how the archival footage and sound reels from the first years of the Winnipeg Folk Festival were meticulously restored and brought back to life nearly 50 years later.
Andy Rudolph is a freelance sound designer whose work spans nearly all facets of audio creation: post-production, mixing composition, production, performance, installation, field recording, hardware/software development and many points in between.
Kevin Nikkel is an independent filmmaker and writer based in Winnipeg, author of Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and co-director with Dave Barber of the film When We Became Folk Fest.
FTM Presents REEL Careers in Film
11AM - 12:30PM • Sunday, July 26
This panel will explore career pathways within the film industry, featuring film professionals from various backgrounds. They will share valuable insights into their journeys, the challenges they faced, and the evolving dynamics of the film sector. The session will wrap up with a Q&A segment for further engagement.
Tamara Roshka is a second-generation Indo-Canadian cinematographer and multidisciplinary artist based in Winnipeg. With over two decades of experience behind the camera, she has worked across both union and independent productions, bringing a sharp eye for composition and a grounded, intuitive approach to storytelling. Her work spans documentary, television, and narrative formats, often exploring themes of identity, transformation, and the quiet, poetic moments found in everyday life.
Tamara is a passionate advocate for gender equity in the film industry. She co-teaches an annual cinematography lab with Film Training Manitoba, creating safe, empowering spaces for women and gender-diverse filmmakers. Her fine arts background includes painting and ceramics, informing a visual practice that weaves storytelling across multiple mediums.
Toby Zheng is a production sound mixer and sound recordist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) in London, Ontario before returning home to Winnipeg to pursue a career in sound. Toby has worked on non-union projects including documentaries, television and commercials, while also maintaining membership in the sound department of IATSE Local 856. She enjoys both watching and working on comedic projects and enjoys the challenge of achieving quality sound.
Laura DeLuca is a Winnipeg-born costume designer with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling through style. Having worked in every role from the ground up, Laura brings a rare, full-spectrum understanding of the costume design process. This hands-on experience has shaped her collaborative spirit and sharpened her eye for detail, making her a thoughtful and visionary leader.
Today, as head costume designer, Laura is known for creating bold, memorable looks that breathe life into characters and enhance the worlds they inhabit. With each project, she brings a blend of intuition, innovation, and cinematic style — designing with the belief that costumes should not just dress a character, but define them.
Emily Labby is a filmmaker and emerging producer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.. She graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a degree in Film Studies and has since worked on a range of projects, including short films, music videos, and feature-length productions. She currently serves as the Training and Partnerships Manager at Film Training Manitoba, where she supports skills development and industry growth. When she's not helping other creatives bring their projects to life, Emily enjoys experimenting with Super 8 and 35mm analog photography.
Emily Labby will be moderating the session.
ACTRA x WGC Live Read
1:30PM - 3:00PM • Sunday, July 27
A special Live Read brought to you by ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) followed by a writers Q&A brought to you by WGC (Writers Guild of Canada).
