The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) have named Amelia Moses as the recipient of the 2024 Jean-Marc Vallée bursary.

The $5,000 bursary for Quebec-based filmmakers also comes with a pass to BANFF, travel funds and curated development opportunities for BANFF, the DGC and bursary sponsor Warner Bros. Discovery Canada.

Moses is a writer, director and producer, who released her debut feature Bleed With Me on Shudder in 2021. She recently directed the Tubi original thriller Guess Who, produced by Incendo. She is also a producer under her banner Havoc Films.

The annual bursary was launched in 2022 in memory of Vallée, the famed Quebec filmmaker behind the films C.R.A.Z.Y. and Dallas Buyers Club, and the HBO series Big Little Lies, who died in 2021.

“Jean-Marc Vallée had a truly authentic voice in our industry,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, BANFF executive director and VP, publisher of Playback, in a statement. “He was committed to supporting his beloved film community in Montréal, by generously giving of his time and financial assistance to emerging talent.”

Added DGC president Warren P. Sonoda: “Jean-Marc matched his dedication to film and to the film community with a gracious and unwavering commitment to supporting and mentoring emerging filmmakers. We could not ask for a more fitting tribute to his memory than backing talented artists like Amelia.”

The inaugural recipient was Slaxx filmmaker Elza Kephart, who said her time at last year’s BANFF “broadened my understanding of the TV world, while at the same time expanding my network,” calling it a “who’s who of the globe’s most influential television players.”

Image courtesy of BANFF