Five participants are set to take part in the inaugural Disabled Producers Lab.

The online program, presented by the National Screen Institute and national not-for-profit organizations Women in View and the Disability Screen Office, is designed as a space for disabled Canadian producers marginalized by gender.

Three of the cohort are from Ontario: producer and director Violet Elliot (The Squeaky Wheel: Canada) from Toronto; filmmaker Shay Erlich (Pushmakers) from Milton; and writer and producer Sarah Barzak (Fractions & Ratios) from London.

Rounding out the cohort is film and theatre writer and director Milly Mumford (Gemini) from Vancouver; and Montreal-based writer, director and producer Deydra Baptiste.

Launched earlier this year, The program is co-led by Ophira Calof (TallBoyz), writer, actor and creative director for the Accessible Writers’ Lab, and writer and producer Michelle Asgarali (Breaking Character). The program’s partners are Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund.

The cohort will take part in two virtual sessions per week for 12 weeks. They will learn from industry experts about aspects of producing such as pitching and packaging, script to schedule planning, distribution, marketing as well as funding and legal. The program began on Nov. 18 and runs until Feb. 21.

The participants will also meet with industry experts and organizations to discuss career opportunities and accessibility considerations and possibilities. The discussions will be reported as a case study at the end of the program, with the goal of contributing to film accessibility practices across the industry.

The faculty for the lab includes program manager Amy Reitsma, peer support coordinator Dennie Park, case study report writer Tori Lacey and industry advisor Jan Miller.

“After a highly competitive application process, we are excited to be working with these five brilliant producers who each bring singular experiences and skill sets to the program,” said Calof and Asgarali in a statement. “We can’t wait to explore production accessibility together and continue to grow the disability screen community through this program.”

Image courtesy of the National Screen Institute; pictured (L-R): Shay Erlich, Violet Elliot, Sarah Barzak, Deydra Baptiste and Milly Mumford