a sometimes overlooked credit amongst all of Phyllis Yaffe’s achievements is that she is the founding chairperson of the Harold Greenberg Fund (formerly the Foundation to Underwrite New Drama for Pay Television). The fund’s current chair of four-and-a-half years, Wendy MacKeigan, says she was immediately impressed by Yaffe when the two first met. MacKeigan was with the new entity known as the Ontario Film Development Corporation and Yaffe was with fund.

‘I knew of Phyllis through various women’s organizations,’ say MacKeigan. ‘[She] was an active member of the community. My first impression of Phyllis was that she was intelligent, personable, together, and a leader who was very committed to film and women’s film.

‘As the founding chair [of fund], she had to take Harold Greenberg’s vision and make it a reality,’ says MacKeigan. ‘She had to select a board of directors, develop the programs, and develop those programs in synch with the other existing programs and really create something. For the most part, those programs still fundamentally exist today.’

MacKeigan adds Yaffe’s attitude helped guide the direction of the fund, paving the way for MacKeigan and board members throughout the years.

‘She brought to the fund a philosophy and approach that was very open, friendly and involved without interfering in any way,’ says MacKeigan. ‘That’s what Phyllis represents then and today, which is why she has been so successful.

‘Phyllis is to be very much admired for the work she did at the Harold Greenberg Fund and the current board and myself are very grateful for that.’

Yaffe sat as chairperson for the Harold Greenberg fund for more than seven years.