The Canadian Film Centre held its annual fundraiser on Sept. 7 and included a tribute to the late Paul Bronfman.
The 10th edition of the annual program runs from Sept. 2 to Feb. 27, 2026.
The gala honoured Jennifer Podemski, Rick Mercer and Don McKellar with the inaugural Norman Jewison Founder’s Council Award.
Launching in the fall, the initiative pairs racialized and equity-deserving talent with a showrunner mentor to develop their skills and original comedy pilots.
CBC, Bell Media and the Canada Media Fund are among the more than 75 signatories supporting values around equity and inclusion.
Jennifer Podemski, Don McKellar and Rick Mercer will be the first recipients of the Norman Jewison Founder’s Council Award at this year’s CFC Gala.
The annual program offers training for emerging to mid-level Canadian directors, writers, producers and editors.
The CBC, BIPOC TV & Film and Canadian Film Centre program began in 2022 at the Banff World Media Festival.
The latest appointees hail from Cinespace, Prime Video and Toronto city council.
The announcement comes one year after the beloved director and producer’s death.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was among the speakers at the annual Canadian Film Centre BBQ during TIFF.
The six-month program begins at the CFC campus in Toronto on Sept. 3 and runs until Feb. 28, 2025.