The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the lineup of participants for its 2023 Talent Development programs, including the Filmmaker Lab, Series Accelerator, and Rising Stars.

The Filmmaker Lab includes 10 Canadian and 10 international filmmakers, who, over a five-day fellowship, will interact with and learn from international mentors and guest speakers. The program is supported by Every Story and Share Her Journey donors, who provide additional financial support to the filmmakers “to help them fulfill their creative vision,” according to a news release.

The lineup of Canadian participants in the lab includes Luiza Cocora (If This Isn’t Love), Tyler Mckenzie Evans (Diaspora), Karimah Zakia Issa (Scaring Women At Night), Eric Janvier (Gods Acre), Matt Kazman (Donkey), Chandler Levack (I Like Movies), Eva Thomas (Red Lights), Kurt Walker (Hit 2 Pass), Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker Haya Waseem (Quickening), and Canadian-Egyptian filmmaker Aziz Zoromba (Simo).

Thomas has also been selected for the newly-established program Every Story Accelerator, which helps creators from diverse background advance their projects in post-production. She is pitching the project Seeds with Kaniehtiio Horn, who is featured in Thomas’ short film Redlights, which was selected in TIFF’s Short Cuts programme. Also selected for the accelerator are Karen Chapman and Enrique Miguel Baniqued with Village Keeper.

The Series Accelerator program, which is returning for the second year, provides eight emerging Canadian series-creator teams from under-represented communities to develop their pitches and business plan.

The participants and project for the program are: Heidi Lynch and Cosima Herter (A Confusion of Tongues); Lindsey Middleton and Katie Uhlmann (Cows Come Home); Maeve Kern and Preeti Torul (Demons); Thea Loo and Rosie Choo Pidcock (Esther & Sai); Kevin Dong and Fernanda D’oro Fontes (Exile); Asis Sethi and Maya Bastian (How to be Brown); Cory Bowles and Cazhhmere Downey (Out of Pocket); and Mackenzie Donaldson and Cheryl Meyer (Zero Repeat Forever).

Canadians in the the Rising Stars program, which features actors on the cusp of making a mark on the international stage, include Amrit Kaur (The Queen of My Dreams), Kudakwashe Rutendo (Backspot), Mark Clennon (I Don’t Know Who You Are), and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!). The Rising Stars cohort, who are all featured in films and series from TIFF 2023’s official selection, will have the opportunity to engage with industry professionals and mentors as part of the program.

TIFF also announced participants for the Chanel Women Writers’ Network Micro Talent Summit, a one-day intensive for women and non-binary alumni of TIFF’s Writers’ Studio, which includes Teyama Alkamli, Berkley Brady and Luis De Filippis.

TIFF’s Talent Development alumni include Sasha Leigh Henry, Zarrar Kahn, Fawzia Mirza, Molly McGlynn, D.W. Waterson, Meredith Hama-Brown, Jaione Camborda, Marni Van Dyk, Jasmin Mozaffari, and Atefeh Khademolreza, who will all have new projects in official selection of the festival this year.

TIFF’s chief programming officer, Anita Lee, said in a statement that the programs “reflect our commitment to empowering storytellers, pushing boundaries, and embracing the rich tapestry of perspectives that make our industry truly remarkable.”

Photo courtesy TIFF