Canada Media Fund (CMF) VP Joy Loewen and the Shaw Rocket Fund’s Agnes Augustin are among the six honourees selected for the 37th annual Crystal Awards from the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Toronto.

This year’s edition will take place on Nov. 21 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The awards have honoured more than 180 individuals since its inception in 1988.

Loewen, CMF’s VP of growth and inclusion, is being honoured with the Jury Award of Distinction. She was Playback‘s 2023 Changemaker of the Year, and is also the former CEO of the National Screen Institute.

The Outstanding Achievement in Business will be given to Shaw Rocket Fund president and CEO Agnes Augustin, who has been in the role since 2004. Prior to that, she held various positions in production and distribution including VP, of business affairs, head of production for Country Music Television and was an independent producer.

DiVittorio, who departed as Bell Media’s VP, programming, CTV and specialty earlier this year, will be recognized for mentorship. She is a 2015 recipient of the Women in Communications and Technology Mentor of the Year Award and is a member of Canadian Women in Communications and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Other honourees include Gurbani Marwah, executive director of theatrical releasing and film buying at Cineplex, who will receive the Innovation Trailblazer recognition. She serves on the boards of the Canadian Picture Pioneers, Crow’s Theatre, the Membership Committee and the Young Members for the National Association of Theatre Owners and Film Row.

Composer Lesley Barber will receive the Creative Excellence award. Barber has scored projects such as Kenneth Lonergan’s Oscar-nominated film, Manchester by The Sea, Mindy Kaling’s Four Weddings and a Funeral Hulu series and Alec Roth’s upcoming Billy Knight starring Al Pacino. She has also been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2016 and was recently re-elected to represent the Music Branch on its Board of Governors.

Adrienne Arsenault, CBC News chief correspondent and host of The National, is being recognized for international achievement. The Emmy Award-winning journalist began her career at the CBC in 1991 and has been a senior correspondent for The National since 1999.

“Our industry has been challenged significantly in the past few years, and we applaud and appreciate our sponsors, partners, industry colleagues and of course, our dedicated members who all play a significant role in maintaining a thriving industry in Canada,” said WIFT+ Toronto’s executive director Karen Bruce.

Honourees are nominated by WIFT+ Toronto members and then selected by a jury. This year’s jury was unscripted television producer and director Margot Daley; executive director of the Banff World Media Festival and Playback publisher Jenn Kuzymk; and entertainment lawyer Terry Markus.

Image courtesy of WIFT+ Toronto; pictured (L-R): Pat DiVittorio, Lesley Barber, Gurbani Marwah (top); Joy Loewen, Agnes Augustin, Adrienne Arsenault (bottom)