Canada’s Walk of Fame has named five emerging directors for its annual Future Storytellers Program.

The program selects student filmmakers and tasks them to create 2.5-minute vignettes profiling Walk of Fame inductees.

Pairings include figure skater Kurt Browning and Nick Tablac; pop singer-songwriter Andy Kim with Arshia Projapati; Indigenous rights and water activist Autumn Peltier with Anne Hoang; Degrassi co-creator Linda Schuyler with Yagnam; and the Parachute Club’s vocalist and guitarist Lorraine Segato with Poppi Fella Pellegrino.

Presented by founding partners NBCUniversal and Seeing Red Media, production on this year’s vignettes began on July 10 and will continue through July 16 in Toronto. The five chosen filmmakers hail from Humber and Sheridan Colleges. The vignettes will be showcased in Cineplex pre-show entertainment, and at Canada’s Walk of Fame’s annual gala event held at the end of the year.

CMF puts out call for feedback on its EDIA strategy

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is calling on members of the domestic screen sector to provide feedback on its 2024-27 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) Strategy.

In-person feedback will be made possible via a series of forums in Canadian cities, starting with Toronto on July 17, followed by Vancouver on July 24 and Montreal on July 30. CMF will also host two virtual sessions for those unable to attend the forums, with the English-language session taking place on July 29 and French-language on July 31.

CMF received $40 million from the federal government to use over two years to support equity-deserving groups within the audiovisual sector, a renewal of the $60 million provided in 2021 for a three-year period. The funder will also be the recipient of additional funds starting on Sept. 1 through the base contributions decision set by the CRTC.

Joy Loewen, CMF’s VP of growth and inclusion, said the additional funds “will enable us to build on our past work and ensure the CMF can continue to embed EDIA principles in every aspect of our operations.”

CMF will be developing a separate Indigenous Strategy, according to a news release, with consultation plans to be announced at a later date.

On Screen Manitoba announces new co-chair

Following its annual general meeting in June, On Screen Manitoba announced new board co-chairs Jeff Peeler and Rob Rowan.

Peeler is an award-winning producer, who previously served as president of Frantic Films before departing in 2022. He currently runs the prodco Riparian Productions. Rowan is the business agent of IATSE Local 856 and the representative of IATSE Local 669.

The organization also added new board members Chris McIvor, Hannah Johnson and Jeff Eckstein.

This announcement saw the exit of past co-chairs, Brandice Vivier and Jennifer Beasley of Buffalo Gal Pictures, as well as board member Tamara Roshka. Both Beasley and Vivier remain directors on the board.

FilmPEI receives federal arts funding

The film industry association and media arts co-op FilmPEI received $20,000 in funding from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.

The funds are for facility and electrical upgrades and to purchase specialized equipment, including physical and digital storage space.

Sean Casey, Member of Parliament for Charlottetown, announced the funding on behalf of Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge.

2022 Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee Director X is being interviewed by Brandon Lewis (not shown), a student filmmaker selected to participate in the inaugural Canada’s Walk of Fame Future Storyteller Program, presented by founding partner NBCUniversal and Seeing Red Media. From L-R: Jazzer Pagdanganan (production Aassistant), 2022 Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee Director X and Naomi Baker (director of photography).