This inaugural event is to promote collaboration, career development and advocating for racial equity in Canadian content and Production for the Latin Community.

Our event hopes to provide opportunity for new, emerging and established Latinos alike, by holding seminars, panel discussions, networking functions and culturally relevant events.

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.

An event focused on amplifying Latin voices in the film + TV and bringing the industry to our doorstep. Panel discussions on the experiences of the Latin Filmmaker, and what equity looks like for the Latin community.

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

SCHEDULE OF THE DAY

9:00 AM Registration

10:00 AM Opening Remarks

10:30 AM “Co-Pros With Latin America” Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

11:30 AM “The Experiences with Latin Canadian Filmmakers” Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

12:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM “What does equity look like for the Latin Canadian Community?” Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A

2:30 PM Roundtable Networking

4:00 PM Keynote Speaker TO BE ANNOUNCED

5:00 PM Mixer with drinks provided by Maestro Dobel Tequila

6:00 PM Salsa Lessons!

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Co-Pros With Latin America

  • Zaira Zarza

    Fimmaker

  • Luis Felipe Avellaneda

    PRO COLOMBIA

  • Margaret Lewis

    RBC

  • Tatiana Battaglia

    Producer, B2WIN FILMS INC

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • Zaira Zarza is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History and Film Studies at Université de Montréal. She is also a film curator and programmer with experience in film festivals such as TIFF and FICCI.

  • Luis Felipe Avellaneda ─born and raised in Bogota, Colombia─ is a seasoned professional in economics, finance, and international trade. In his current position at the Colombian Government Trade Commission Office to Canada based in Toronto, he provides strategic counsel to Colombian companies seeking to export to/expand into the Canadian market, as well as to Canadian enterprises seeking partnerships within Colombia’s manufacturing and interactive digital media sectors. With a keen interest in economic development, international joint ventures, and the intersection of technology, arts, and culture, he brings a multifaceted approach to his work promoting the best of Colombia in Canada.

  • With a long-standing passion for film and television, Margaret has a breadth of industry knowledge. Over the past three years Margaret has helped film and television producers and businesses overcome numerous barriers to bring their content to life – whether it is their first or fiftieth production, as Sr. Relationship Manager on RBC’s Commercial Banking Media & Entertainment team. Prior to RBC, Margaret worked at Corus Entertainment as Project Manager in Business Operations for Original Content and International Distribution, and has held various roles at TIFF, NBCUniversal, was CMPA Diversity Mentorship Trainee, and is an alumnus of the Reelworld Producer Program. She is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management MBA.

  • Specializing in documentary co-productions, international partnerships and business affairs, Tatiana is a Brazilian film producer with over 25 years of professional marketing, advertising, and film production experience. Co-founder and CEO of B2WIN FILMS INC. in Canada and Head of International Production & Business Affairs at GRIFA FILMES, Brazil, Tatiana's documentaries received many prizes worldwide. They were broadcasted on major global media such as NETFLIX, HBO, ARTE/ZDF, NHK, BBC, CBC, Discovery, NATGEO, Al Jazeera, Globo channels, Canal Brazil, Tv Cultura, CURTA!, Box TV, and Theaters. Among her latest co-productions, the 2022 Brazilian-French award-winning scientific documentary RIOS VOADORES/ LES RIVIÈRES VOLANTES to ARTE FRANCE and TV Cultura; and THE CLEANERS, a German-Brazilian original co-production qualified for Oscar's 2019 shortlist, after receiving numerous awards worldwide.

More to be announced.

The Experiences with Latin Canadian Filmmakers

  • Rennata Lopez

    Lopii Productions, Factual Children’s Content

  • Georgina Lopez

    Lopii Productions, Children’s Content

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • Born in Tucson Arizona, Rennata immigrated to Canada with her Mexican family as a child. She graduated with honours with a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Seneca College at York University. For more than a decade, Rennata worked as a freelancer within the unscripted side of television, specializing in casting and story producing. She eventually found her path in working in factual children's content and has been nominated for multiple Canadian Screen Awards and won an Emmy Award in 2018. Her true passion is working with children and helping them tell their own stories. She says that the best kind of magic happens when it isn’t written down.

  • Born in Tucson Arizona, Georgina immigrated to Canada with her Mexican family as a child. She became passionate about making films when she “borrowed” indefinitely her father's camcorder as a teen, and taught herself to edit using two VCRs. For more than a decade, Georgina has produced and/or production managed all types of television programs including lifestyle, scripted, and animation, with a passion and preference for working in kids’ television. She has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards and won two Canadian Screen Awards. Georgina is a member of the CMPA and serves on the Kids and Animation Committee. She is a National Screen Institute alumni and she received the Emerging Talent Award at the 2021 Youth Media Alliance Awards.

More to be announced.

What does equity look like for the Latin Canadian community

  • Francesca Accinelli

    MODERATOR
    Telefilm

  • Luisa Alvarez Restrepo

    ACTRA Toronto

  • Bruno Lyra

    Toronto Film School

  • Diego Briceno

    Canada Media Fund

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

  • 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.

  • 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).

  • Diego is an accomplished Creative Producer and EDI Strategist from Montréal, boasting extensive experience in content development and crafting initiatives across media markets in Canada, Europe, and Latin America. His portfolio includes the production and direction of eight documentaries, a television series, an interactive project, and a short fiction film, all of which have been showcased on television or at national and international festivals. At the helm of Cuiba Media, Diego oversees the development of cross-media projects, with a keen emphasis on environmental, historical, and social issues. As a co-founder of Makila, a media incubation platform, and the Cuban Hat Project—a renowned pitching contest featured at various industry markets—he has made significant contributions to the media landscape. Additionally, Diego contributes as a board member of the Alter-cine Foundation, supporting filmmakers in the global South. Currently, he is the Senior Manager, Data Equity Research & Reporting at the Canada Media Fund.

  • For over 20 years, Ms. Accinelli has been a champion of Canadian talent and Canadian content. She is known for her attentive and transparent management style, and for her ability to build trusting relationships and partnerships. In her many roles at Telefilm, Ms. Accinelli has developed unique expertise in television, film, digital media, promotion and communications, with both English- and French-speaking markets.

More to be announced.

ROUNDTABLE NETWORKING

ABOUT THE HOSTS

  • Micah Kernan is the Development Manager for both Drama and Comedy. She coordinates the management, tracking and distribution of projects. She supports the team by evaluating pitches and being the point of contact for creators to connect with CBC. Micah is the current Programmer for Canada’s longest running short film showcase, Canadian Reflections. At the CBC, inclusion and representation are a priority. This means Micah works to reflect all of the regions and the country’s multifaceted nature, while programming for Canadian Reflections.

  • Anna Newallo has three decades of experience in the Film and TV industry. As a Program Consultant at Ontario Creates, her portfolio contains a wide range of programs and initiatives including the Film Fund (Production and Development), Marketing and Distribution Initiative and Industry Development Program. 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.

  • Lauren MacKinlay - is an award-winning producer based in Toronto, currently operating as a Creative Producer with Neshama Entertainment. She recently served as an Executive Producer on season one of Neshama’s one-hour drama The Way Home (Hallmark), which concluded its run as the #1 most watched program on entertainment cable in the United States. Other credits include Transplant (CTV/NBC), Bad Blood (Netflix), 19–2 (CTV), and This Life (CBC).

    For Neshama, Lauren is working across scripted development and production in Canada, the US and internationally, and is currently developing a robust slate of film and television projects. In September 2022, she was one of ten women named on the Canadian Power List of Women in Film.

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

  • Niall’s career has seen him work with international film organisations such as the British Film Institute, Irish Film Institute, Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs. He is currently Head of Programming and Acquisitions for Toronto-based streaming platform, and production company, HighballTV.

  • Program Manager, Visual & Media Arts

  • Alexis Grieve is an Emmy award-nominated producer who joined Sinking Ship Entertainment in 2016 after spending 5 years developing and producing indie films, including When Jews Were Funny (Winner - Best Canadian Feature TIFF 2013). A producer on multiple projects in the children’s television space including Dino Dana The Movie (Amazon/TVO), Endlings (Hulu/CBC), Ghostwriter (Apple), and Lockdown (YouTube Originals). Alexis oversees development for the company, and manages large scale partnerships with organizations like The Jane Goodall Institute, The International Fund for Animal Welfare, and The Planetary Society.

  • Magali Simard is the Director of Industry Relations at Cinespace Studios Toronto, Ontario’s largest production hub. She oversees industry relations, government affairs, Toronto studio expansions, brand deployment and has launched CineCares, Cinespace’s workforce training program. She is a Board Member of FilmOntario, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and the City of Toronto’s Film Advisory Board.

    She is the former Film Sector Development Officer for the City of Toronto and was a lead curator at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She is a recurrent guest speaker and columnist in Canadian media and at industry events.

  • Liv Nasner is the Manager of Partnerships & Marketing for Canada's leading distributor Elevation Pictures, known for releasing the record-breaking Civil War, BlackBerry, Immaculate and upcoming films, Sing Sing and The Crow. She specializes in creator marketing, national partnerships and leads event and premiere activations all while dedicating hours to reading scripts, as a member of the acquisitions team. Prior to Elevation she worked in communications at TIFF and she began her career at TARO PR an entertainment promotions and publicity agency. With a deep love of film, her goal is to always help audiences discover their new favourite film.

  • Evan Attard is the Director of Digital Strategy and Acquisitions at levelFILM, handling SVOD sales and digital distribution on titles such as Scarborough, The Assistant, The Miracle Club, and Mafia Mamma. With a background in entertainment analytics, he brings a keen awareness of industry and audience trends to levelFILM's acquisitions process and his work with partners such as Netflix, Paramount+, Crave, Mubi, and CBC. Evan has previously worked in business development at levelFILM, as a consultant at Nike, and has founded multiple companies within the creative industries.

  • 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

EVENT DETAILS

Early Bird Pricing Until June 2

*For student prices and group sales of 10 or more tickets,
please contact: lcnetworkingevent@gmail.com

Interested in becoming a sponsor or partner with The Latin Forum? Email lcnetworkingevent@gmail.com