Update on CFC’s Commitment to Change and Anti-Racism (Oct. 1, 2020)

Posted: Oct 1, 2020

News

We wanted to share with all of you that at the CFC’s Annual General Meeting of our Board of Directors on October 1, 2020, we welcomed eight new directors to the Board, while recognizing the invaluable contributions of 10 outgoing board members.

Our new board members include CFC alumni:

  • Clement Virgo, Director; Co-Founder, Conquering Lion Pictures
  • Dr. Shirley Cheechoo C.M., Chancellor, Brock University; Founder and Artistic Director, Weengushk Film Institute; Artist, Actor, Film Director
  • Tassie Cameron; Co-Founder, Cameron Pictures; Showrunner, Executive Producer

Along with the following industry leaders:

  • Neishaw Ali, Partner, President and Executive Producer, SPINVFX
  • Raja Khanna, CEO & Co-Founder, Dark Slope
  • Anne Loi, Executive Vice President, M&A and Chief Commercial Officer, WildBrain
  • Stéphane Cardin, Director, Public Policy, Canada, Netflix
  • Ana Serrano, President & Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University

These changes to our Board will not only strengthen the leadership of our organization, but they are just one of many steps towards ensuring the CFC better reflects the diverse voices within our industry.

Our inaugural Alumni Advisory Group is also coming together, and we look forward to working closely with them on strategic priorities and action plans this fall, deepening the work we’re doing to address systemic racism across our many offerings.

We will also be announcing a number of new initiatives this fall that will increase our support for BIPOC creators and build on our community partnerships, including a new multi-year Bursary Fund.

While we are gradually returning to work at CFC’s offices, we are adjusting some of our in-person program timelines and reviewing all of our organizational policies, to create safer and more inclusive experiences for all who come through our doors, and, of course, to factor in new COVID procedures and policies.

This October, CFC and Canesugar Mediaworks will launch CFC BLOCKO!, a seven-part series and a call to action piece from acclaimed creator Charles Officer (Akilla’s Escape). The short documentary series features personal conversations with Black CFC alumni who span generations but share a common language – speaking truth to power.

We hope you will join us for these critical conversations. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive reminders when new episodes are released.

Sincerely,
The CFC Team

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