FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, ON—May 10, 2023—Women in Film & Television Toronto (WIFT Toronto) held their 14th Annual Showcase last night at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Submitted by WIFT Toronto members, this year’s Showcase featured eight short films from both emerging, and seasoned Canadian women and non-binary filmmakers. The night began with a screening of each project followed by an awards ceremony in which the winners for Best Directing, Best Writing, Best of Showcase, and Audience Choice were announced.
The winner for “Best Directing” went to Cailleah Scott-Grimes for Overgrown. With this award, Scott-Grimes receives a cash prize of $2,000 from the Foundation for WIFT Toronto; a virtual meeting with DGC-Ontario Chair, Annie Bradley; and two Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto memberships.
Alexx Bryant won “Best Writing” for Reel Black: Our Film Stories. The short doc was written by Tristen Sutherland, Émeraude Domingos Mbuku, and Ayan Tani. With this award, Bryant receives a cash prize of $2,000 from the Foundation for WIFT Toronto; Final Draft writing software; a consultation with story editor and script analyst Jamie Gaetz; and the opportunity to sit in two CBC writing rooms.
Shehrezade Mian took home the honour of “Best of Showcase” for There Are No Children Here. With this prize, Mian receives $2,000 from the Foundation for WIFT Toronto; a $2,500 certificate for post-production work at Company 3 Toronto; and a meeting with Andrew Frank, Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions, Mongrel Media.
The final award presented last night was the Audience Choice, this ended up being a tie and went to Alexx Bryant for Reel Black: Our Film Stories and Shehrezade Mian for There Are No Children Here. With this prize, Bryant and Mian receive $2,000 from the Foundation for WIFT Toronto and a $2,500 certificate for equipment rental from Grande Camera.
The Best in Showcase, Best Directing, and Best Writing awards are determined by a volunteer jury composed of WIFT Toronto members. This year’s jury members were Bonnie Anderson, Carly DeNure, Joyce Cyr, Kai Little-White, Kat Anielak, Michelle D’Alessandro Hatt, Promise Holmes Skinner, Raj Dhillon, Shagun Kanwar, Shantha Roberts, and Sheronna Osbourne.
“Each project we feature pushes our organization’s vision forward, not only showcasing the immense talent of the creators, but also the diversity, strength, and flair that our members have to offer,” said Karen Bruce, Executive Director, WIFT Toronto. “On behalf of WIFT Toronto, I want to thank our sponsors, donors, partners, jury, guests, and of course this year’s brilliant filmmakers and winners for making this a fantastic night to remember.”
The WIFT Showcase has been a staple event in the WIFT Toronto calendar since 2010, screening over 100 projects to date. The Showcase has featured works from numerous award-winning and critically-acclaimed filmmakers such as, Jordan Canning (The Lake), Danishka Esterhazy (Astrid & Lilly Save the World), Jasmin Mozaffari (Firecrackers), and Lisa Rideout (Sex with Sue), among many others. In the last six years, with the help of the Foundation for WIFT Toronto, the WIFT Showcase has awarded more than $48,000 in cash prizes to winners.
The WIFT Showcase is supported by the following collaborators: presenting sponsor, TIFF; supporting sponsor, DGC Ontario; event partner, Company 3; and event supporters, CBC, Final Draft, the Foundation for WIFT Toronto, Grande Camera, Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, Jamie Gaetz, and Mongrel Media.
ABOUT WIFT TORONTO
Women in Film and Television Toronto is a member-based, not-for-profit organization made up of passionate individuals who are dedicated to the education, engagement, and empowerment of all individuals at every stage of their careers in the screen-based media industry. It is WIFT Toronto’s mission to build and advance the careers of their members by providing professional development, peer support, and mentorship in collaboration with industry partners.
For more information, please contact:
Simi Khosa
Communications & Social Media Coordinator
WIFT Toronto
647-895-3351
communications@wift.com
