Eight directors have been chosen for the 2025 spring/summer Women in the Directors Chair Career Advancement Module (WIDC CAM).

There are four directors from Ontario, two from British Columbia and one each from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador who are taking part in the program designed to give mid-career women and non-binary filmmakers focused on scripted development a career boost.

The Ontario-based members are Toronto-based Irish-Canadian Cici Clancy (The Randomer), Joy Webster (Menace), Canadian-Argentinian Rita Ferrando (Pleasure Garden) and Tara Aghdashloo (Empty Your Pockets), who is based in both London and Toronto.

The B.C. members of the cohort are both based in Vancouver: Aubrey Arnason (Baking Spirits Bright) and Katrina Reynolds (A Day In The (After) Life of Diane Staples).

Rounding out the group are Halifax-based Tara Thorne (Lakeview) and St. John’s-based Alexa Jane Jerrett (Bedlamer).

WIDC CAM is conducted online via Zoom. Initial WIDC CAM workshops began on Feb. 28 and run until March 9, followed by one session per week from March 10 to Sept. 30.

The program is presented in collaboration with Vancouver’s GEMFest and Toronto’s Female Eye Film Festival with financial support from Telefilm Canada.

This edition of WIDC CAM includes an equity, diversity and inclusion module led by scholar and filmmaker Dr. Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian from Simon Fraser University and Vision TV co-founder, Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell. It will also include round tables and instruction from digital marketing mentor, Annelise Larson, along with in-camera discussions with industry executives from Telefilm Canada, CBC, Bell Media and the Independent Production Fund.

The program is led by WIDC co-creator and producer Dr. Carol Whiteman, who also provides one-to-one career coaching for the eight directors over the six months.

Image courtesy of Women in the Directors Chair. Left to right (top): Alexa Jane Jerrett, Cici Clancy, Tara Thorne and Aubrey Arnason; (bottom): Katrina Reynolds, Rita Ferranda, Joy Webster and Tara Aghdashloo