All Saints CSS hosts first ever BIPOC Panel of Filmmakers in Partnership with Reel Canada

Posted On Monday December 19, 2022
All Saints BIPOC Filmmakers Partnership with Reel Canada
Students and staff standing with Reel Canada representatives in the school
On December 13, 2023, All Saints Catholic Secondary School hosted the first ever Panel Discussion on BIPOC Representation in the Canadian Film Industry in partnership with Reel Canada. 
 
All Saints Catholic Secondary School students hosted award winning director, writer and producer Jennifer Holness who spoke about her project Subjects of Desire, Black women and Beauty. Mohawk director & cinematographer Jonathan Elliot spoke about how his award-winning contemporary stories of Indigenous cultures are complex narratives, and up and coming Muslim Indo-Caribbean filmmaker Yazmeen Kanji spoke about her experience as a TIFF Next Wave filmmaker.
 
The panel explored Canadian representation on screen, as well as experiences behind the camera, both in key creative roles and crew positions. The interactive session was filmed by a professional tv production crew comprised of industry specialists from different parts of Ontario such as North Bay, Ottawa and Toronto. It was Reel Canada's first live event since the beginning of the pandemic.
 
Reel Canada will be distributing the show across Canada in 2023. Five Titan students were also selected to be interviewed separately about their futures as racialized creative content makers.
 
The panel was the idea of AMP Media Arts Teacher Jennifer O'Leary after she had a conversation with some of her racialized Titan Film Club members. Jennifer O'Leary pitched her idea to bring a BIPOC panel to Whitby and Reel Canada Management liked the idea so much that they agreed to work with All Saints over the last four months to create this invaluable experience for students in Durham. 
 
Antonio Morra's Grade 12 Leadership students began planning for the event in September and the day of filming went off without a hitch which was a testament to the Titan Leadership students' talents and abilities to work collaboratively under pressure. The Reel Canada crew and management continually commented on how welcomed they felt and how well organized and impressed they were when interacting with the Leadership students.
 
Mr. Morra and Ms. O'Leary look forward to sharing the final cut of the event with all Durham Catholic learners in 2023!