Leading up to the event, Forum RIDM will provide pitch training to each project’s representatives and provide personalized guidance for their online presentations. It will be an excellent opportunity for the producers and filmmakers to present an excerpt, give a presentation and launch their films on the international market.

Born in 1981, in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Félix Dufour-Laperrière is a director, screenwriter and producer. His work, which shows a constant tension between narrative and formal exploration, maintains a close connection with the visual and contemporary arts. His films, including the documentary Transatlantic (2014), have been screened in numerous major national and international festivals, museums, and events, where they have won several awards. He is now starting the production of his third animated feature film, Death Does Not Exist.

Jacquelyn Mills’ work explores the healing and transformative qualities of the natural world. Her current feature- length documentary Geographies of Solitude is supported by Sundance Documentary Fund. This film was created with a scope of immersive and innovative eco-friendly filmmaking techniques. Her first documentary In the Waves premiered at Visions du Réel, was awarded Grand Jury Prize (NHIFF), Best Medium-Length Documentary (RIDM), Best Documentary and Best Edit (FIN), and released at TIFF’s Lightbox Series.

After studying cultural production at UQAM and finishing a specialized graduate diploma in management at HEC, Rosalie Chicoine Perreault begins her career in cinema by accumulating various experiences in production. In 2019, she starts working at Metafilms as a producers’ assistant. As of last year, she began developing projects as an emerging producer and now count 7 films to her credits.

Fazila Amiri is an Afghan-Canadian director and producer based in Toronto. She holds an MFA degree in Film Production from York University (2019) and a BFA in Film Studies from NSCAD University (2012). As an independent filmmaker, her short films The Red Bicycle (2020), Unknown Artist (2018), and The Photograph (2017) have been shown in the 2020 Canadian Film Fest, 2018 Hot Docs International Canadian Documentary Festival, and Atlantic Film Festival. Currently, Fazila is in post-production of her feature documentary film Songs She Sings In Shadows through the Telefilm Canada's Talent to Watch program.

Lesley Johnson is a producer based in Toronto whose work focuses on intimate stories that connect personal transformation with environment and culture. She holds an MFA in Film Production from York University, is an alumnus of RIDM’s Talent Lab, Breakthrough Program and Sundance's Documentary Collab program. As a producer, her projects have appeared on CBC, APTN, and been selected for TIFF and Canada’s Top Ten. Her films have won awards and screened at international festivals.

Heather Hatch is a mixed-race filmmaker whose focus is on writing and directing films that explore female and Indigenous stories. Her first documentary, Woman Who Returns, explores themes of re-matriation and identity - premiering at the Edmonton International Film Festival and seven international festivals.. Heather is the first recipient from the Gil Cardinal Legacy Fund and was a top six selection to the Whistler Film Festival's 2018 Indigenous Accelerator film program for her short film, Wrecked. She was accepted to the 2019 Hot Docs Accelerator and the Netflix Diversity Banff Fellowship for the feature length documentary, Wochiigii lo, End of the Peace.

Ava Karvonen is the founder of Reel Girls Media and has been internationally recognized for 35 years with over 100 films screened worldwide and more than 50 awards and nominations to her credit. So far, her society has produced 7 series. She recently produced the critically acclaimed documentary, Finding Bobbi, a story of a woman who returns to stage 20 years after last performing as a man. She directed seasons 1 & 2 of Chaos and Courage for APTN, the CBC special, Keeping Canada Alive, Homefront (with media embedded in Afghanistan) and Seeds of Change (taking her to China). Ava has mentored 35 filmmakers with the National Screen Institute.

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