Canadian producer and filmmaker Avi Federgreen has expanded the producing and acquisitions teams at his production and distribution banners ahead of the start of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Federgreen announced Thursday (Sept. 7) that Emily Foster (pictured left) has been named head of production and full-time producer at Toronto-headquartered Federgreen Entertainment, while Lauren Thomas (pictured middle) has joined the team as a Vancouver-based producer, focusing on building up the company’s work with LGBTQIA2S+ filmmakers on the west coast.

Foster previously served as an assistant at Federgreen’s distribution company Indiecan Entertainment, and has built up production credits on projects such as the Bell Fibe TV series County Blooms and PB with J, Neshama Entertainment’s MOW A Family Secret, and Insight Productions’ Intervention Canada. She was also a producer on Federgreen’s feature Home Free, which went to camera earlier this year.

Thomas is director of sales and acquisitions at Vancouver-based prodco, distributor and sales outfit Odin’s Eye Entertainment, and has represented films such as the thriller The Infernal Machine and horror film The Furies.

Meanwhile, Christian Burgess (pictured right) has been hired as head of acquisitions at Red Water Entertainment, the genre division of distributor Indiecan.

Burgess is a programmer at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and cut his teeth in the video and DVD business in the ’90s. He has also racked up a number of producing credits over the years, including 2015’s The Demolisher.

“My goal is to build up not only myself, but my companies with people I care deeply about, whose opinions matter to me, and who I know can help make a difference in the ever changing landscape of this industry,” said Federgreen in a statement.