Join our panel of filmmakers as they offer advice on how to refine your story and create solid conflict and intrigue in your pitch, what makes a good pitch stand out among many, and advice on how to make the strongest case for funding and resources available.
Moderator: Sherien Barsoum | Panelists: Adeline Bird, Alicia K. Harris, Lea Marin, Lu Asfaha and Paige Murray
Sherien Barsoum is a film director and producer based in Toronto. She is a founding member of the Racial Equity Media Collective, which uses research to advocate on behalf of racialized creators in Canada. Sherien directed and produced RIDE FOR PROMISE and PLAYER ZERO, winning the HotDocs Short Film Pitch and Best Canadian Documentary at NorthWest Fest.
Adeline Bird is an Afro-Objiwe filmmaker, broadcast producer, & author, who is a member of treaty four territory Rolling River First Nations, but resides and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Adeline is a graduate of the National Screening Institutes CBC New Indigenous Voices program where she made her directorial debut with her first shortfilm “Nappy Hair and Eagle Feather” which is featured on CBC Gem.
Alicia K. Harris is a filmmaker from Scarborough, ON. Her latest short film, PICK, won Best Live Action Short at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards, making her the first Black woman to win. Her films have been broadcast nationally on CBC, TVO, Bell Fibe TV, and at numerous festivals, including TIFF Next Wave and Miami Film Festival.
Lea Marin is an award-winning Toronto-based producer with more than 20 years experience. A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Producers’ Lab, Lea joined the National Film Board of Canada as a producer in 2006.
Lu Asfaha is an award winning filmmaker based in Toronto. Her films bend genres to explore themes of identity, belonging, and how things fall apart. In 2018 she released the short documentary “Freedom Summer” on CBC Gem, won the CineFAM script competition to make fantasy short “”Paladin”” and was part of the post production team on CSA-winning documentary “Mr. Jane and Finch.”
Paige Murray has worked at the CBC for nine years within the content areas. She is currently Executive in Charge of Production, YA Digital Originals, overseeing production and development of mid-length series for CBC Gem.
Paige is also the programmer for Canadian Reflections, the longest running Canadian short film showcase on national broadcast television. She oversees the film acquisition, programming and scheduling strategy of this weekly show.
Paige currently sits on the board of Breakthroughs Film Festival Board. Breakthroughs is the only festival in Canada devoted exclusively to showcasing short films made by emerging women, trans and non-binary directors.
