ROUNDTABLES

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PANELS

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NETWORKING

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FOOD + DRINK

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ROUNDTABLES • PANELS • NETWORKING • FOOD + DRINK •

ROUNDTABLES. PANELS. NETWORKING. FOOD + DRINK.

The inaugural Latin Forum was able to bring the Film + TV industry to the Latin community. For our second year we want to bring the Canadian media industry to the Latin community.

Focusing on amplifying Latin voices in media and bringing the industry to our doorstep. Panel discussions on how to reach a Latin American audience, creating in the new age, and working across sectors.

Breakout roundtable meetings for attendees to have small group discussions with major organizations and companies across the industry including CBC, Telefilm, Neshama Entertainment, Ontario Creates, Toronto Arts Council, and more.

       FIRESIDE CHAT       

Speakers to be confirmed - Stay tuned!

SCHEDULE OF THE DAY

9:00 AM Registration

10:00 AM Opening Remarks

10:30 AM “How Latin Canadian Creatives Can Reach A Latin American Audience'“ Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

11:30 AM “Creating In The New Age” Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM “Working Across Sectors” Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

2:30 PM Roundtable Networking

4:00 PM Fireside Chat with Special TBA Guest

5:00 PM Networking Mixer

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

HOW LATIN CANADIAN CREATIVES

CAN REACH A LATIN AMERICAN AUDIENCE

  • Diana Sanchez

    MODERATOR
    Executive Director

    Hot Docs

  • Leandro Matos

    Screenwriter

  • José Rosales

    Toronto Metropolitan University

  • Andrea Giusti

    Andrea Giusti

    Producer

  • Andrea Martinez Crowther

    Director

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • Diana Sanchez has over 25 years experience in the International and Canadian film industry. She has held positions at many international film festivals, including TIFF, both as Senior Director of Film, and as an International Programmer. Diana has worked in many film and cultural organizations, including the Madrid Film Archive, Rotterdam Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, Los Angeles Latino Film Festival (LALIFF) and the IFF Panama where she was the Founding Artistic Director. A life-long learner and educator, Diana has an MA in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto where she teaches undergraduates. Her most recent series, Vertiginous Visions: Cinematic Encounters With Rapid Change (co-programmed with Jennifer Baichwal) is currently playing at the MAST Foundation in Bologna.

  • Leandro Matos is a Brazilian screenwriter with several credits in film and television. He worked with major names in the industry, such as 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, Comedy Central, and Netflix, writing in 15 tv series and 5 feature films. 

    His latest feature, Desapega!, was one of the top 10 box office hits of 2023 and was nominated as Comedy of the Year at the 2024 Brazilian Academy Awards. Leandro recently won the 2024 Brazilian Writers Guild Award for Best Writing on a Kids/Teen series for his work in Aruna’s Magic, a Disney Plus original series. His first Canadian feature, Lemonade, is currently in early financing stage, and he is developing a new series with an Emmy nominated producer of What We Do in the Shadows.

    His other credits in cinema include 20th Century Studios’ My Perfect Family,In Therapy 2, Apaixonados – O Filme, and Love.com, available on Netflix worldwide. Among his TV writing credits are All the Same…Or Not, also for Disney Plus, the Brazilian version of Drunk History for Comedy Central and Netflix’s Samantha!. He began his writing career in the comedy series Cilada, one of the most popular shows on Brazilian television at the time. He created the comedy series Os Figuras and De Cabelo em Pé, and the head writer of If I Were You the Series, a big success at Fox. During his career, he managed to work in all stages of production, from financing to casting, production, post and even marketing. 

    Besides his writing career, Leandro has been a working in film festivals and industry related events for the last 17 years. He produces the Brazil Film Fest Toronto and is a curator for the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival. He is also a programmer at Access Canada Media, helping to invite and bring to Canada speakers from all around the world to many events, such as Content Canada, Primetime and the Black Screen Office Symposium. 

    Leandro immigrated to Canada in 2018 looking to have a chance in his career, focusing on character-driven stories. He is a member of the Writers Guild of Canada, the Canadian Academy and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

  • José Rosales is an educator, media producer, and consultant with a double master’s in Media Production and Business Administration from TMU. He created the documentary and community platform Hablemos de Cine, El Salvador, and has managed high-value portfolios for global brands like Udemy, Five9, and Red Cross Canada. As a lecturer in TMU’s Master of Media Production program, José mentors emerging creatives, guiding them from concept development to pitch-ready projects. His queer-centric short films—recognized by TIFF TOP TEN and other major festivals—have screened across Canada, Central America, and the U.S., demonstrating his ability to craft impactful, global narratives.a

  • Andrea Giusti is a producer with over 18 years of experience, having released 20 shows across various formats, including feature films, drama series, unscripted series, and documentaries. She has collaborated with major players like Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Discovery, YTO Original, and Globo. Her productions have won awards at Sundance, MIPTV, and MIPCOM.

    Specializing in co-productions and international partnerships, Andrea has worked on co-productions with Brazil, including “Garcia” (Colombia), “Post Mortem” (Chile), and “Hijos de la Ruta” (Mexico). She is currently involved in a development co-production with France and Uruguay or Canada. Andrea regularly attends major international film festivals and co-production markets, fostering long-term media partnerships. Additionally, she served as a jury member for Panamá’s Concurso Fondo Cine 2019.

  • Andrea Martinez Crowther is a Mexican-Canadian filmmaker with three feature films under her belt and one in post-production. Her first, Cosas insignificantes, had as EP Guillermo Del Toro and its world premiere in San Sebastian. Her third film, Observar las aves won People’s Choice at the Los Cabos Film Festival and recently had its Canadian Premiere at the Paradise Cinema on Bloor. Her most recent, Tare, stars renowned Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta. In 2022, Andrea moved to Toronto where she’s currently developing the Mexico-Canada coproduction, Labranza. She’s a member of the DGC, an alumna of The Writers Lab-Canada and Women in the Director’s Chair.

CREATING IN THE NEW AGE

  • Ava Torres

    MODERATOR

    Creative Executive

    Canted Pictures

  • Andres Salazar

    Underknown

    Showrunner

  • Bruno Lyra

    Toronto Film School

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • Ava Torres is a creative executive with over 10 years experience in the film and television industry, specializing in series development, acquisitions, and content strategy. Ava brings a unique perspective to the industry having lived and worked across four different countries including Spain, Argentina, the US and Canada which informs her deep understanding of both the international market and its audience. Most recently, she was Executive in Charge of Development, Drama at CBC for the hit series WILD CARDS (CW, CBC). Before her time in scripted, she also worked in acquisitions at CBC where her team brought large hits such as NORMAL PEOPLE, PEN15, and WAR OF THE WORLDS to Canadian audiences. Her strengths encompass script and talent development, identifying market trends, and steering projects from development through to production.

  • Andres Salazar is a documentary writer and producer with credits on TV series such as Strange Creatures and Animal Senses, which he created. He has also worked on feature documentaries like Sharkwater Extinction and Strange Creatures of the Arctic. Currently, Andres is the showrunner of the digital documentary series Animalogic, where he explores wildlife, conservation, and the natural world. With a passion for uncovering nature’s hidden stories, his work blends captivating storytelling with scientific accuracy, bringing audiences closer to the wonders of our planet.

  • Bruno Lyra - "Originally from Brazil, Bruno S. Lyra was a corporate tax lawyer, having become the youngest partner in the history of his 70-year firm. However, in 2017, Bruno decided to walk away from his legal career to pursue his lifelong passion for film. 

    Since making the switch, Lyra has devoted his time to three activities: a) he teaches film-related courses at Toronto Film School and Yorkville University, in addition to lecturing at other institutions (recent engagements include serving as panelist for Mensa Canada); b) he produces (credits include the award-winning feature The Sounding, which sold to HBO in 17 territories) and consults for a variety of productions; and c) he’s a screenwriter (highlights include a deal with Blue Ant Media for a hour-long drama he created, a feature film script selected for development financing by Telefilm, in addition to a deal on his bilingual hour-long drama The International School)." 

More to be announced.

WORKING ACROSS SECTORS

  • Eduardo Vaisman

    Audio Director

    Ubisoft

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • Eduardo Vaisman is an Argentine-Canadian audio professional with 30 years' experience. He started his audio career in the film industry, where he has credits in over 60 feature films from six different countries. Eduardo audio expertise encompasses roles from dialogue editor to re-recording mixer. In 2010, Eduardo made the leap to the game industry, joining the team at Ubisoft Toronto. Since then, Eduardo has shipped 5 AAA titles including Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist, Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6. Currently he is the Audio Director for the Splinter Cell remake.

More to be announced.

ROUNDTABLE NETWORKING

  • Underknown

ABOUT THE HOSTS

  • : Sonja Smith is a Voiceover Casting Specialist at Backstage and joined the team remotely from Canada in August 2020. Sonja started her career as a voice actor and quickly realized her passion lies within the world of online casting. Sonja has been working in the voiceover industry for 11+ years and has assisted with casting a wide range of creative projects including national commercials, corporate communications and film + TV animation.

  • Andres Salazar is a documentary writer and producer with credits on TV series such as Strange Creatures and Animal Senses, which he created. He has also worked on feature documentaries like Sharkwater Extinction and Strange Creatures of the Arctic. Currently, Andres is the showrunner of the digital documentary series Animalogic, where he explores wildlife, conservation, and the natural world. With a passion for uncovering nature’s hidden stories, his work blends captivating storytelling with scientific accuracy, bringing audiences closer to the wonders of our planet.

  • Jayden Walters is an Associate Partner Manager at Acast Canada, where she assists podcasters with audience growth and development opportunities, and editorial content strategy. Prior to Acast, she worked as an Associate Content Producer at business media company Morning Brew, focusing on podcasting and short form video. Jayden holds a degree in Media Management from The New School.

  • As Executive in Charge of Unscripted Development Yasmine works with independent producers to develop factual and documentary programming for CBC. She also serves as a production executive on Bollywed & Locals Welcome. Prior to joining the CBC she worked within Canada’s independent production sector for 20 years.

  • Anna Newallo has three decades of experience in the Film and TV industry. As a Program Consultant at Ontario Creates, her portfolio includes the IP Fund (Feature Film Production) and Marketing and Distribution Initiative. As a producer, her award-winning independent films have played major international festivals, and as a writer, her short stories have appeared in numerous publications and her debut novel was released spring 2024. Prior to joining Ontario Creates, she worked on projects for The Disney Channel, CTV, Discovery Channel, CBC, TMN (now Crave), CityTV and BRAVO.

  • Justine is currently the Director of Culture and Strategic Planning for CBC Unscripted.  She is responsible for leading the equity and inclusion work within her department from data collection to initiatives that focus on increasing representation within the unscripted community. Some of the programs she has led include The Insiders’ Guide to Science and Nature Filmmaking, AccessCBC and Creating Connections, a collaboration with BIPOC TV & Film.

  • Vinuja Shanthasoruban is a Tamil-Canadian producer, and actor from Scarborough who is passionate about uplifting underrepresented voices and increasing their access to the entertainment industry. As a Director of Development at Neshama, she's responsible for sourcing, developing and pitching concepts for Neshama's growing slate of projects. Vinuja is also an alumni of the Reelworld Producer Program and has worked on projects such as True Dating Stories (CBC) and Someone Lives Here (Hot Docs).

  • Mark is the Associate Manager and Climate Lens Facilitator at the Independent Production Fund.

  • Program Manager, Visual & Media Arts

  • Jake Burling is a production executive at Elevation Pictures, Canada's largest indie distributor and producer of creator-driven, commercially-minded content.

  • Shenaz Baksh is the director of Screen Industry Training Hub (SITHub), a creative screen industry training company and Epic Games Unreal Authorized Training Partner based in Toronto. SITHub offers leading-edge training solutions in Filmmaking, Television Production, Video Game Production and Extended Reality for professional and community organizations, companies and educational institutions. Annually, their team designs and delivers 200+ workshops, community projects and micro-credentials that impact thousands of local and international artists. SITHub focuses on innovative tools and technologies, collaborates with partners to promote inclusive opportunities and prioritizes cultivation of the next leading storytellers. Selected organizations include Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), IM4 Media Lab, New Media Manitoba (NMM), OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC), Directors Guild of Canada – Ontario (DGC), Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE), Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). With over two decades in film and television production and screen industries education, Shenaz's leadership champions access and skill development for underrepresented communities, fosters organizational growth and supports industry workforce development. Email: info@sithub.ca and Web: www.sithub.ca

  • Luisa is a Colombian-born film executive, diversity advocate, and filmmaker. She is currently the Manager: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at ACTRA Toronto. Her previous work includes TIFF and Warner Bros. where she advocated for and created programs to support diversity and inclusion in the industry.

  • Barbara Gilbert is the Acting Media Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council. Previously, Barbara was Artistic and Executive Director of Le Labo, Toronto's Francophone Media Arts Centre.

  • Lori Chodos has worked at Telefilm Canada on the Canada Media Fund Program Administration

    team since 2018. Prior to that she worked in documentary and narrative production in Toronto,

    New York and Lima, Peru.