By 
By Abel Mavura in Paris,
“Women [and non-binary filmmakers] of colour continue to be woefully under-represented and underpaid in the North American film industry — including Canada. Our aim is to create a pipeline of programs that will ensure representation in the media industries, facilitating a paradigm shift,” says Frances Anne Solomon, CineFAM founder, award-winning filmmaker, and Academy member.
The CineFAM Film Festival will hold its media launch on August 31 at 7 PM to announce its 2021 program. The festival celebrates its fifth milestone year. The number five represents curiosity, freedom, and change. This year’s festival theme, “5 Years of Limitless Imagination,” embodies this.
The reveal includes a list of this year’s notable women and non-binary filmmakers of colour, as well as a panel discussion featuring new and returning filmmakers. Attendees will also get a brief glimpse into Roxanne Stewart-Johnson’s film, “A Psychiatric Refugee,” making its Canadian premiere.
Festival highlights include…
CineFAM’s opening night, themed “The Beauty of Film,” will be held on Saturday, October 23, hosted by Tenika Davis, model and actress (Jumping The Broom, Wrong Turn, Jupiter’s Legacy). Following that is a mixer hosted by talk show host Karen Carrington, featuring entertainment by the dynamic improv comedy duo Coko & Daphney. CineFAM’s award ceremony, themed “Understand History, Innovate Future,” takes place on October 24.
Leading up to the festival is the CineFAM ShopTalk / Behind the Lens panel series, happening every Wednesday at 7 PM EST, starting September 15 and running until October 13. The five panel topics, in order of airing, are Cinematography, Innovation/Setting New Standards, Asian Representation, Storytelling/Writing, and Love Through Our Lens.
It is free to attend CineFAM’s film festival and the ShopTalk/Behind the Lens panels, which will be aired on CaribbeanTales-TV and Facebook. Register at CineFAM.ca for an all-access festival pass and to find out more details.
CineFAM was established to support bold, original stories by women and non-binary creators of colour around the globe. Since 2016, CineFAM has celebrated this mission by bringing an innovative and exciting film festival, offering a short film challenge for emerging filmmakers, and partnering with the Durban Filmmart to develop South African/Canadian co-productions led by African women. Always moving forward, 2019 saw the launch of CineFAM’s first Feature Film Incubator for Canadian women and non-binary directors of colour.
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