Plus: Wattpad readies production for three original series in Indonesia and Shaftesbury supports a new creative writer residency at Victoria College.
The Edmonton-born writer/director has made a splash with his writing, advocacy and work towards upcoming project Fish Boy.
Black and people of colour (BPOC) producers and creators will now have access to $8 million in COVID support, up from the $4 million announced previously.
Bell Media, CBC, Corus Entertainment and Rogers Sports & Media are foundational partners on the hiring database from BIPOC TV & Film with commitments to use the resource for original productions.
The Indigenous Development Grants Program offers support for Indigenous individuals and majority Indigenous-owned companies, while the Partnership Program addresses the business continuity needs of Indigenous creators during the pandemic.
Plus, Just For Laughs moves online for its 38th year, BIPOC TV & Film launches a new short film initiative, and WFF sets the lineup for its Adventure Film series.
“We continue to listen to our industry partners as the organization moves forward in delivering our Equity and Representation Action Plan as part of its continuous evolution,” said the organization in a statement.
Bell Media president Randy Lennox and BIPOC TV & Film founder Nathalie Younglai discuss building an industry-wide resource for staffing domestic and service productions.
While Telefilm didn’t provide data on how funding was allocated to BIPOC and other underrepresented groups, it vowed to review its decision-making and financing models.
Founder Nathalie Younglai and communications and outreach lead Gillian Muller on their work to reduce barriers for BIPOC creatives and the impact of receiving support from the top.
The guild says it will approach the CMPA about changing the definition of story coordinator in its existing IPA weeks after a petition from BIPOC TV & Film was launched.
Both organizations released statements on the issue, which was first sparked by a petition launched by BIPOC TV & Film for story coordinators to receive guild status.