CineFam celebrates Student Mentorship & Training Program
Toronto, On – CineFam, with the help of a grant from the Toronto Arts Council led a unique mentorship and training program with an exceptional team of students from the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) The Creative School. CineFAM, the Haitian-Creole word meaning ‘films by women’ is a part of the CaribbeanTales Media Group, founded by Award Winning filmmaker and Academy member Frances-Anne Solomon. Established in 2016, CineFam has worked with women and non-binary creators of color to support their bold and original stories.
“Mentorship & training programs move our goal forward.” said Frances-Anne Solomon “It’s important to continually find new ways and understanding to mentor, train, and support women of colour filmmakers to enter the job market.”
Women of colour are under-represented in the screen-based industries. A recent report by Women in View that included over 5000 writing, directing and cinematography contracts issued in publicly funded Canadian TV and film projects between 2017 and 2019 revealed that Black women and women of colour are woefully under-represented and consistently under-funded and underpaid.
The special twelve-week mentor and training course was led by CineFAM content manager, Courtney Panchan. The program concentrated on solutions for improving the visibility of WOC and non-binary creators in the Canadian film industry. The course progressed with virtual meetings from September to December 2022. The process had students work alongside their Mentor, using class resources to design a prototype which they felt posed an answer to challenges that CineFAM was facing. The program concluded with a special evening on December 2nd that showcased the results of this new and creative course.
“It was an amazing experience working alongside creatives from diverse programs, backgrounds, and experiences in order to collectively create greatness. Working with CineFAM was a pleasure and I wish for more people to know about their fantasticplatform. Being a female creator who identifies as a person of colour, it is amazing to see people like me represented and heard. If the opportunity arises, I’d love to work with CineFAM again! ” — Fion Hoi Participant.)
“We were grateful for the opportunity to work with a wonderful team of young people. The information and insight gained through this process will be beneficial for CineFAM for years to come,” said Courtney Panchan, CineFam Manager.
