
Meet the Creative Minds Shifting Cinema and Culture
This year, Industry Days embraces the theme “Create. Connect. Transform.” We focus on revolutionary filmmaking ways and universal connections, opening doors to lasting opportunities through curated conversations, masterclasses, case studies and networking sessions. More than ever, artists — and the stories they create — need space to grow. These sessions provide a unique opportunity for accredited filmmakers and industry professionals to connect behind the scenes and engage in mutual learning, recognizing cinema as a collective art form enriched by cultural diversity and shared vision.
How do I access VIFF Industry?
If you are an industry professional, you can register for an Artist & Industry Pass and get access to exclusive Industry panels and more.
Sessions

Co-Producing Across the Pacific
Bridging Canadian and Korean Stories
As part of our Spotlight on Korea, we will explore treaty mechanisms, financing strategies, and creative collaboration, guiding participants through the opportunities and challenges of co-productions between Canada and Korea. This event brings together Seo Woosik, CEO of Barunson C&C — the company behind Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite and other celebrated works, Sung Moon, Programmer at the Jeonju International Film Festival, and Rebecca Steele, producer of Riceboy Sleeps (TIFF 2022).
Featured Speakers: Seo Woosik, Sung Moon, Rebecca Steele
Moderator: Jonathan Akkawi
Supported by

New Documentary Frontiers
Tech, Poetics & Politics
Addressing urgent questions in documentary today, this panel explores how emerging technologies intersect with bold nonfiction storytelling. Timeea M. Ahmed (Khartoum) turns personal memory into collective acts of resistance and healing; Igor Bezinović (Fiume o Morte!) blends historical record with participatory re-enactments; and Nicole Bazuin (Modern Whore) challenges stereotypes and stigma around sex work through stylized, revelatory storytelling.
Featured Speakers: Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Igor Bezinovic, Nicole Bazuin
Moderator: Ruun Nuur
Supported by

The Future is Drawn
Independent Animation as Auteur Cinema
This panel explores how independent animators are redefining narrative, form, and authorship. India Barnardo (Cat and Moth) brings a 90+ international crew to life; Luciano A. Muñoz Sessarego draws on over a decade of experience at Sony, DNEG, and Bardel Entertainment; and Diana Thorneycroft (Father Alphonse and the Fight Between Carnival and Lent) blends photography, diorama, and sculpture to explore identity, sexuality, and Canadian cultural icons. Together, they discuss how bold visual storytelling and risk-taking are redefining what animated cinema can be.
Featured Speakers: India Barnardo, Luciano A. Muñoz, Diana Thorneycroft
Moderator: Morgana Duque

Embodied Futures
Acting, Identity and AI on Screen
This session explores how diverse acting traditions foster collaboration across borders and how artificial intelligence is reshaping performance, authorship, and embodiment on screen. The discussion features Matthew Rankin, director of Universal Language (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2024); Sophy Romvari, director of Blue Heron (Locarno 2025, Best Canadian Discovery at TIFF); and Asia Mattu, a three-time award-nominated voice actor best known for her role as Rugo in Disney Jr. and Disney+’s Gigantosaurus.
Featured Speakers: Matthew Rankin, Sophy Romvari, Asia Mattu
Moderator: Aryo Khakpour
Supported by

Decolonizing the Frame
New Voices, New Structures
This conversation centers on BIPOC creators and industry allies who are dismantling dominant film languages and rebuilding storytelling systems grounded in equity, imagination, and collective power. The event brings together Paige Bethmann, Haudenosaunee director of Remaining Native (SXSW 2025); Gail Maurice, Métis director of Blood Lines (TIFF 2025); and Clement Virgo, director of Steal Away (TIFF 2025). Together, they offer a vital conversation on trauma, resilience, and the reimagining of storytelling from Indigenous and BIPOC perspectives.
Featured Speakers: Paige Bethmann, Gail Maurice, Clement Virgo
Moderator: William Brown
Supported by

Crafting the Cut
Post-Production as Creative Authorship
This panel explores the creative power of sound, color, and VFX, and how AI is transforming workflows with innovation and sustainability. Speakers include Hugh Wielenga, two-time Emmy-nominated Sound Designer; Patrick Gong, Vancouver-based colourist with work on CBC, Telus, and global festivals; Edward J Douglas, VFX supervisor on independent and feature films including with Neon and A24; and Noah Rogers, Production Sustainability Manager and Chair of the DGC BC Sustainability Committee, who has led clean-tech initiatives with studios such as Disney and ABC.
Featured Speaker: Noah Rogers, Hugh Wielenga, Patrick Gong, Edward Douglas
Moderator: Kelsy Wittmann
Presented by

Building International Visibility
From Distribution to Audience Design
This panel explores strategies for building a film’s international visibility, from festival exposure and distribution to audience design and campaign development. It features Eloïse King, former Global Executive Producer at VICE, presenting her debut feature, The Shadow Scholars, (executive produced by Steve McQueen), Monika Łuczyk, PR and marketing specialist; and Hilary Hart, Co-President of Game Theory Films. Together, they will share insights on positioning films, building campaigns, and connecting with audiences worldwide.
Featured Speaker: Monika Łuczyk, Eloïse King, Hilary Hart
Moderator: Jonathan Akkawi

Virtual Production Futures
Big Worlds, Smaller Footprint
Bringing worlds to life once meant big sets, big travel, and big budgets. Today, virtual production makes it possible to create stunning, sustainable, and forward-thinking stories — no matter the size of the production.
Featured Speakers: Zach Lipovsky, Nessa Aref, Karen Lam
Moderator: Katharine Pavoni
Supported by
Tech Showcase

FilmTrade
Tap to Watch
How can you better leverage in-person events like film festivals to build awareness for your film and a lasting connection with your core audience? What does merch have to do with streaming & distribution? See demos and take part in the discussion at this session — followed by a networking mixer.
Featured Speakers: FilmTrade team & Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)
Workshops
Film Business: From Treaties to Audiences
Session 1: Coproduction Essentials for Ambitious Producers
Navigate treaty frameworks, optimize funding stacks across multiple territories, and structure agreements that protect IP while accessing global markets and financing.
Featured Speaker: Mark Edwards, Edwards Creative Law
Session 2: Anatomy of Audience Design
With Anatomy of a Fall as a case study, this marketing class shows how to build stronger international positioning, sharpen communication, and design campaigns that resonate with target audiences.
Featured Speaker: Monika Łuczyk, PR & Marketing Manager
Session 3: Go Global: Unlocking Co-Production & Streaming Opportunities for Canadian Producers
How can racialized Canadian producers access capital, policy, and creative partnerships in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong? This session unpacks IPACA’s new market intelligence report and charts real-world co-production pathways.
Featured Speaker: Barbara Lee, Writer & Filmmaker
Indie Animation: Unlocking the Visual Language
Session 1: A Single-handed Animation Journey
From writing and storyboarding to animating, background painting, and compositing, the director of The Worlds Divide — which premiered at Annecy in 2024 — reveals what it takes to make a solo animated feature film.
Featured Speaker: Denver Jackson, Cloudrise Pictures
Session 2: From Sketch to Screen
Using When the Starving Return with Inkwo as a case study, Amanda Strong examines how storytelling, technique, and strategy shape an animation’s journey from creation to international circulation.
Featured Speaker: Amanda Strong, Director
Moderator: Rosie Johnnie-Mills
Story as Resistance: Creative Innovation in Nonfiction
Session 1: Rewriting Reality: Pushing Documentary Boundaries
With a focus on experimentation and hybrid forms, this session highlights how Khartoum weaves together the stories of five Sudanese citizens through animated dreams, street revolutions, and war, demonstrating how documentary storytelling can innovate, amplify underrepresented voices, and position creative resistance as a driving force in contemporary practice.
Featured Speaker: Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Director
Moderator: Kevin Eastwood
Supported by
Session 2: Nonfiction in the Marketplace
Focusing on the circulation of nonfiction, this session explores how festival and strategic theatrical releases can extend a film’s reach and impact, while examining audience engagement and positioning tactics that respond to the political and social urgency of the work.
Featured Speakers: Ruun Nuur, Programmer; Hilary Hart, Game Theory Films
Supported by
Please sign up for the workshops through Swapcard (Limited Capacity)
Creative Business Hub
The Creative Business Hub is a strategic platform designed to facilitate international collaboration by connecting projects and professionals with potential co-producers, financiers, and partners worldwide, while also highlighting local talent and encouraging the exchange of services and expertise. Each year, the Creative Business Hub will spotlight a specific country, with programming tailored accordingly.
As part of this year’s Spotlight on Korea, we will host two case studies and 1:1 sessions between the Korean and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) delegations, fostering new relationships and paving the way for future collaborations.
Session 1
Case Study: How to Work with the Korean Film Industry
Speaker: Sung Moon
1 to 1 meetings
Session 2
Case Study: Coproducing with Korea
Speaker: Seo Woosik
1 to 1 meetings
By invitation only
Featured Guests

Amanda Strong

Asia Mattu

Barbara Lee

Clement Virgo

Denver Jackson

Diana Thorneycroft

Edward Douglas

Eloïse King

Gail Maurice

Hilary Hart

Hugh Wielenga

Igor Bezinovic

India Barnardo

Karen Lam

Luciano A. Muñoz

Mark Edwards

Matthew Rankin

Monika Łuczyk

Nessa Aref

Nicole Bazuin

Noah Rogers

Paige Bethmann

Patrick Gong

Rebecca Steele

Ruun Nuur

SEO Woosik

Sophy Romvari

Sung Moon

Timeea Mohamed Ahmed
Timeea Mohamed Ahmed is a Canada based award-winning Sudanese director, editor and producer working across documentary, experimental films, and digital media. Best known for Khartoum (2025), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received multiple Awards at the 75 Berlinale Film Festival. His other notable works include Is It War? (2025) and Saddari (2023) . In addition to film, Timeea is actively engaged in advocacy and commercial media production.

Zach Lipovsky
An Emmy-nominated director, Zach Lipovsky started his career on Spielberg’s filmmaking competition, ON THE LOT, where he placed 5th out of 12,000 directors. Zach has gone on to direct and produce films and TV shows for Lionsgate, Legendary, and Disney. His latest theatrical feature Freaks premiered at TIFF ’18 and stars Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern. Zach currently has projects set up with Disney+, Universal, EOne, Spyglass Media, Kennedy/Marshall, and Monecito.