Emily Renner Wallace started in the film industry with humble beginnings - in her hometown movie theatre in Calgary, Alberta. Since then she has worked her way up through various aspects of the industry gaining valuable experience and strong industry connections. At 24-years-old, Emily joined the Assistant Director Department with the Directors Guild of Canada. By 2016, at the age of 29, she was running the show as a first assistant director on projects such as TIN STAR and UNDERWORLD: BLOODWARS. Since, she has honed her skills working on films such as TOGO and ALPHA, as well on the series FARGO, WYNONNA EARP and FRAGGLE ROCK. When not working on large union sets, Emily shares her creativity with independent projects that excite her. Her directorial debut was the Alberta-made horror short film GOD LADY. The film played several festivals around the world and won Emily "Best First Time Director” at The Canadian Cinematography Awards. Her second project, the Alberta-made short comedy SCALEY, did the film festival circuit in 2022. She is currently in post-production for the new Amazon Prime series DINO DEX. Emily’s ultimate goal is to show the world that Alberta-made films can compete on an international level, all while spreading laughter and joy through her storytelling.

Emily Renner Wallace

Linda’s family fled apartheid in 1969, immigrating to rural Saskatchewan. Living in Calgary for 35 years, she’s worked in fashion, food and event planning, gaining practical skills for producing. Under the tutelage of director Robert Cuffley, Linda earned an AP credit on his feature, ROMI which was distributed and sold this year. She is currently collaborating on a new project with the same team. Linda has met filmmakers from all over by immersing herself in the industry. She’s learned that everybody works differently, no one knows everything and cool isn’t a thing.

Linda Nainaar

Dylan Pearce is a Canadian Screen Award nominee and Lumiere Award-winning director/producer for his feature 40 BELOW AND FALLING 3D. Dylan has worked in the industry for over 15 years and has directed eleven feature-length films which have had both theatrical and broadcast release (Amazon, A & E, Canal+, Hallmark, TF1, Corus, SuperChannel and W Network). Dylan was recently the creative director on LASTING IMPRESSIONS, a stereoscopic art show bringing to life some of the world's most famous works of impressionist art. Dylan is currently developing his next 3D feature film based around a video game set in the world of E-Sports.

Dylan Pearce

Chris Krieger is a television and film veteran with over 30 years of professional experience. He started his career in front of the camera, anchoring and reporting for TV stations across Western Canada. Chris co-founded the award winning Calgary based production firm Deluxe Design Group//DDG in 2008. He is the executive producer of the 2023 feature length documentary CLOSE THE DIVIDE.

Chris Krieger

Katie Wackett, a Calgary/Mohkinstsis-based filmmaker and cultural worker, holds a BA (Honors) from the University of Calgary and a Masters in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. With over a decade’s experience in Calgary's screen industry, she has supported the production of hundreds of independent films. Katie leads the adaptive film & media program for artists with disabilities at the National accessArts Centre and is a key staff member at the Calgary Underground Film Festival and Artifact Small Format Film Festival. She is currently working on her first documentary feature.

Katie Wackett

Since 2010, Jeffrey Winter has been co-executive director at The Film Collaborative, an LA-based independent film distribution company with specialties in human rights, social justice, environmental issues, and LGBT cinema. The Film Collaborative's projects include Shaunak Sen’s ALL THAT BREATHES (Academy Award nominee, Best Doc Feature, 2023), Maite Alberdi's THE ETERNAL MEMORY (Academy Award nominee, Best Doc Feature, 2024), Kirby Dick's THE INVISIBLE WAR (Academy Award nominee, Best Doc Feature, 2013), David France’s THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON and WELCOME TO CHECHNYA, Nanfu Wang's HOOLIGAN SPARROW, Andrew Haigh's WEEKEND, Rita Coburn Whack and Bob Hercules' MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE; Sam Feder’s DISCLOSURE, Jacqueline Olive’s ALWAYS IN SEASON, David Charles Rodrigues’ GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH, Ondi Timoner’s MAPPLETHORPE, Kirsten Johnson’s CAMERAPERSON, Louie Psihoyos' RACING EXTINCTION, Jeffrey Schwarz’s I AM DIVINE, VITO, and many more. Other career highlights include five years managing strategic investments and U.S. sales/acquisitions for the largest media conglomerate in Spain (under the banners Maxmedia, Sogepaq, Sogetel, and Sogecine); several years handling grassroots marketing for L.A.’s two largest film festivals (the Los Angeles Film Festival and AFI FEST); a long tenure handling non-theatrical/festival/educational screenings for Wolfe Releasing (the world’s largest catalogue of LGBT films); and 11 years as a panel programmer/programming consultant for the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier.

Jeffrey Winter

Lauren was born and raised in Calgary and is the creative executive at Orogen Entertainment, a media finance company. She sources and acquires the financing rights for film and TV projects for Orogen, and works directly with Orogen’s JV, NEXT Productions on slate development to bring in-house projects to screen. Lauren is also the story consultant for Calgary-based video game company Fortress Games. Some of Lauren’s executive producer credits include THE APPRENTICE (Cannes 2024), RUMOURS (Cannes 2024) and BOOKWORM (Fantasia 2024) - which she is so proud are all Special Presentations at CIFF this year!

Lauren Case

Morgan Evans is a WGA-Award nominated writer and director known for penning the Warner Bros. animated film MERRY LITTLE BATMAN (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) as well as his directorial debut, the ensemble comedy feature MICRO BUDGET, which is currently making the rounds at festivals. His television credits include Cartoon Network's TEEN TITANS GO!, YouTube Premium's LIZA ON DEMAND, the Netflix original series THE FIX and the Jim Henson Company’s EARTH TO NED. .

Morgan Evans

Vienna is a sound designer at Propeller Studios in Calgary and has worked on many projects in various roles, including sound supervisor. With a lifetime of passion for storytelling and film, they graduated from the SAIT Film and Television program. They immediately began working as a script supervisor on various independent projects, including the short film FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, before moving into post-production. They've been a sound designer for several years and have worked as the sound supervisor on many award-nominated and award-winning projects. They also served as the lead sound designer on the upcoming AMPIA-nominated works FAULTLINE and SUNBURNT UNICORN.

Vienna Kunnas

As the managing director of the Racial Equity Media Collective, Julian leads the organization’s research and advocacy initiatives, which aim to remove structural barriers faced by BIPOC creators. Previously, he served as the senior industry manager at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival. In that capacity, he supported the administration of the Hot Docs portfolio of funds. Julian also oversaw the Festival’s Distribution Rendezvous pitch program and the Doc Shop sales platform. In addition, he is the founder of For Viola, the Hot Docs Cinema’s BIPOC-focused community screening series, named in honour of Viola Desmond. Prior to joining Hot Docs, Julian was an associate programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival and a distribution consultant with the Documentary Organization of Canada. Julian is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and brings a commitment to social justice to all his professional endeavours.

Julian Carrington

Touted by the CBC as a "filmmaker to watch”, Simon Ennis is the award-winning writer/director of the feature films THE HOBBY (CIFF 2024), LUNARCY!, and YOU MIGHT AS WELL LIVE, the television documentaries MAN VS. MACHINE and THIS IS POP (Netflix), and numerous short films. His work has screened at some of the top international film festivals including TIFF, SXSW, IDFA, Slamdance, True/False, and Fantasia, and has been praised by the New York Times, Variety, and the Toronto Star. Simon tells stories with humour and heart, often focusing on dreamers and eccentrics… like himself.

Simon Ennis

Filmmaker Michelle Morgan is a first-generation Canadian of Chilean descent. Known for portraying “Lou” on the long-running one-hour CBC drama HEARTLAND, she has over 20 years of experience acting in film and television. Michelle has directed over six hours of prime-time television, as well as award-winning short films and digital series. In 2018, Michelle was selected to join the Women in the Director’s Chair Story and Leadership Program. Her first short film, MI MADRE, MY FATHER, was selected by Telefilm for the curated “Not Short on Talent at Cannes” edition at the short film market. Michelle also directed the CBC digital series HUDSON, a spin-off of the long running HEARTLAND series. Her second short film, SAVE YOURSELF, is a romantic comedy set on the beaches of Tofino, BC.

Michelle Morgan

Kristen is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and actor residing in Calgary. Kristen has written, directed, and produced ten short films that have won awards and played at film festivals around the world including CUFF, CIFF and EIFF. Kristen enjoys mixing film genres like drama, comedy, horror, and sci-fi.

Kristen Anderson-Sauve

Jason has been writing for film and theatre in Canada for over 25 years. He’s written three feature films alongside frequent collaborator, Robert Cuffley: TURNING PAIGE, WALK ALL OVER ME, and CHOKESLAM, the latter of which was part of the Canadian Film Centre’s Comedy Exchange Program. CHOKESLAM received four Rosie Awards, including Best Screenplay. In addition to story-editing many Alberta-based film and television projects, Jason is an instructor in the Film and Video Department at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He has previously facilitated screenwriting workshops with organizations such as Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio, Alexandra Writers Centre Society, NUTV, and the Calgary Society Of Independent Filmmakers. He also does creative analysis for Shaw Rocketfund on a contract basis. As a stand-up comedian and actor, he’s played various creeps and weirdos in many series and films including THE ABANDONS, WYONNA EARP, THE ORDER, DEAD AGAIN IN TOMBSTONE, and YOUNG DRUNK PUNK.

Jason Long

You’ve seen him on 90s television and heard him in hundreds of cartoons, video games, and more. With a nearly 40-year career, with credits including BOY MEETS WORLD, SPIRITED AWAY, STEP BY STEP and A GOOFY MOVIE, Jason Marsden is affectionately known as “that guy from that show."

Jason Marsden

With more than 25 years of production experience, Laura O’Grady brings a steady and creative hand to all projects. From national broadcasts to documentaries, Laura O’Grady has directed, produced, and written hundreds of hours of content. She still gets excited by every unique puzzle that comes with television and media production.

Laura O'Grady

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Dylan Rhys Howard is an independent producer/director whose work has been described by the National Screen Institute as “fresh, nuanced storytelling and imagery that is evocative in its simplicity and intimacy.” In 2018, his short film PEAK OIL was selected to be a part of Telefilm Canada’s "Not Short On Talent" program and screened at the Marché Du Film Court at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. PEAK OIL also received an Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association award for Best Narrative Short and the A&E Short Filmmakers award for Best Film at the National Screen Institute. His debut broadcast documentary, DIGGING IN THE DIRT, a one-hour documentary about depression and suicide in Alberta’s oil and gas sector, co-directed with Omar Mouallem, premiered on CBC in September 2019 and was featured in Hot Docs’ Spotlight Alberta series in early 2021. His latest documentary, BOYS WILL BE... THEMSELVES premiered on CBC Gem in October 2022. THE LEBANESE BURGER MAFIA (CIFF 2023), a feature-length documentary produced by Howard and directed by Mouallem, had its world premiere at Hot Docs in 2023 where it was immediately picked up for distribution by levelFilm. Concurrently, the slow-burn independent drama HANDS THAT BIND, directed by Kyle Armstrong, associate produced by Howard, and starring Paul Sparks, Susan Kent, and Bruce Dern, also landed in Canadian theatres via Mongrel Media. Dylan Rhys Howard's debut feature film as writer/director, EUDAIMONIA (CIFF 2024), has been picked up for distribution by IndieCan Entertainment’s brand new subsidiary Pride Pictures and is currently playing in film festivals around the world.

Dylan Rhys Howard