Panel Discussion

Jennifer Holness

Jennifer is an award-winning director, writer, and producer, as well as president at Hungry Eyes Media. She is a founding member and chair of the Black Screen Office, and sits on the boards of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and is co-chair of the industry committee of Ontario Creates, among others. Her credits in various creative positions include the award-winning films Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, Stateless, and Home Again, as well as directing Subjects of Desire.

Jonathan Elliott

Jonathan is a Mohawk filmmaker from the Six Nations Reserve. His credits as a director and cinematographer include Wild Archaeology, Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry it On, Beautiful Scars, Tsi Teyoto:te (Even in the Silence), Along the Water’s Edge, and Her Water Drum. His projects have been broadcast on TV internationally and at over 100 film festivals worldwide. Jonathan’s award-winning body of work focuses on telling contemporary Indigenous stories that explore individuals’ complex relationships to their cultural identity, families, and communities.

Yazmeen Kanji

Yazmeen is an award winning Muslim Indo-Caribbean filmmaker, the advocacy and outreach lead at BIPOC TV & Film, as well as the founder of Films With A Cause – a consulting startup for authentic storytelling practices. She is a TIFF Next Wave filmmaker, a Hot Docs Accelerator Fellow, and has worked on the CBC series The Porter and Zarqa. Yazmeen has worked across the industry as a production assistant, coordinator, story editor, producer, and social media manager. Having directed several short films, she is now developing her feature debut.

Ravi Srinivasan

Moderator

Born and raised in Sarnia, ON, Ravi was deeply proud of his Indian and Filipino cultural roots. He was the founder and executive director of the South Western International Film Festival. He also served as a Senior Manager of Festival Programming for the Toronto International Film Festival, and a programmer for Hot Docs. Ravi was an integral member of the REEL CANADA team for many years, including as the Senior Programmer for National Canadian Film Day. Ravi passed away unexpectedly in 2023, and is deeply missed.