Yazmeen Kanji is an award winning Muslim Indo-Caribbean filmmaker and cultural consultant, Hot Docs Accelerator Fellow, the Advocacy and Outreach Lead at BIPOC TV & Film and the founder of Films With A Cause - a consulting startup for cultural specificity and authentic representation of historically marginalized communities in film and TV productions.

Her first documentary, From Syria To Hope (2019), was awarded Best Short Doc at the 2019 Toronto Short Film Festival. Yazmeen directed With Love From Munera (2020), which premiered at the 2020 Inside Out Film Festival, and is now streaming on the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox site. She was also a cohort member of Inspirit’s 2022 Narrative Change Lab alongside other Muslim creatives, strategizing authentic representation methods for portrayals of Muslim communities.

Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival

As Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival and Publisher of Playback, Jenn Kuzmyk oversees all aspects of the renowned international event and Canada’s premier national media industry publication. Together with an amazing team, Jenn originated and leads two of Canada’s largest inclusion and diversity programs serving the media sector: The Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative and the BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media.

Previously as Director of International Distribution at Proper Television, Jenn led program sales in key territories in North America and Europe, headed up the company’s OTT strategy and worked with independent producers, financing projects for the international market.

As VP, Development at Cream Productions, Jenn created, developed and co executive produced television series for top channels worldwide, including Emmy nominated series Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, and hit international TV format Know-It-All, among many other titles.

Jenn currently sits on the Women in Film and Television Toronto Foundation (WIFT-T) Board of Directors as Vice Chair, on the Future of Film Showcase Advisory Board and has served as adjunct professor at Toronto’s York University, designing and teaching a 4th year course on the business of film, television and digital media.

Founder, Sisterhood Media

Rodney Diverlus [they/them] is Haitian-Canadian artivist, producer, and organizational change professional. 

Rodney is a co-founder and a Director for Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism, an artivist-run multidisciplinary centre for social and community change. 

Rodney is co-owner and Producer with Above the Palace, a media production company that works in Film, TV, and multidisciplinary live performance. They are premiering "aftercare" in 2023, and is in development of Come by Seldom (Feature), and here/after (Digital Series).

They are a multi-hyphenate artist and artivist who has worked extensively in theatre, dance, and film. They have worked as a choreographer, dancer, and actor throughout North America. Canada’s most preeminent institutions, including Stratford Festival, Canadian Opera Company, Art Gallery of Ontario, MOCA, Toronto Dance Theatre, Tapestry Opera, Canadian Stage, Luminato Festival, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, to name a few. 

They are author and co-editor of national bestseller Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada, one of the Hill Times’ Best Books of 2020. Their writing has appeared in national and regional publications including Toronto Star, CBC, Globe & Mail, Guardian Australia, THIS magazine, Huffington Post Canada, Now Magazine, Canadian Theatre Review, Dance Current, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. They are a contributor to numerous anthologies including Artistic Citizenship: Artistry, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Praxis. 

Executive Director, Departure Festival + Conference

Previously Departure’s Senior Director of Brand, Marketing & Communications, where he oversaw the full rebrand and repositioning of Canadian Music Week, Jason now leads the organization’s next chapter of growth. He guides strategic and operational evolution, aligning its programming, stakeholders, and creative vision to deliver an experience rooted in innovation, inclusivity, and artistic excellence.

Prior to Departure, he served as Director of Content at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), driving digital transformation and content monetization while architecting historic, industry-first platform partnerships with TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Letterboxd, and Twitter. His background in the arts also includes leading audience growth and digital strategy for Soulpepper Theatre Company across its year-round repertory season and 2017 Off-Broadway residency at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City.

Named to The Peak’s 2025 Emerging Leaders in Media & Entertainment, Jason serves on the Marketing Committee for the Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival and the Advisory Board for the Future of Film Showcase (FOFS). He is a voting member of both the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and remains a dedicated advocate for sustainable representation in the arts.

Gavin Seal is a Writers Guild of Canada prize-winning writer, Golden Sheaf award-winning director, and award-winning entrepreneur (Slaight Business Plan competition). Gavin is the founder of Intersectionnel Films (intersectionnelfilms.com), a creative studio making films that start conversations and creating technology that empowers artists navigating Canada's uniquely Kaska-esque B2G (business to government) system. These innovative platforms include Win Film Grants (winfilmgrants.ca), Short Film DCP (shortfilmdcp.com) and the YouTube channel (howtomakemovies.ca).

Laura Nicolucci is a partnerships leader at TikTok, working at the intersection of culture, entertainment, music, sports and technology. With more than 12 years of experience across media, entertainment, marketing, and digital platforms, she specializes in building strategic partnerships and creative initiatives that bring brands, audiences, and cultural moments together.

Laura has worked with leading global brands and organizations, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Netflix, The Walt Disney Company, and Bell Media Studios, helping industry leaders build audiences, deepen community engagement, and create meaningful connections through culture and content. She has led partnerships across some of North America’s biggest cultural moments, collaborating with brands and rights-holders to bring ambitious ideas to life.

Laura serves on the Advisory Board for the Future of Film Showcase and the Program Advisory Council for Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Creative Industries. She is also a voting member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and was named a 2026 Emerging Leader in Sports & Entertainment by The Peak. Prior to joining TikTok, Laura built her career in Canadian media and broadcast, leading award-winning marketing campaigns for major television series and live events.

Her work is driven by a passion for the role culture, creativity, and community play in shaping how audiences discover and connect with brands, stories and experiences.