Works-in-Progress

Evelyn Rack is a film editor working across fiction and documentary. Most recently, she edited Sound of Falling (2026), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, received the Jury Prize, and was selected as Germany’s official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. Her work also includes I Spy With My Little Eye, Ararat, We Might as Well Be Dead, WO/MEN, and Drifter, which premiered at major international festivals. Rack is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, serves regularly on festival juries, and is based in Germany, where she holds a master’s degree in editing from the Film University Babelsberg.

Max Collister is an award-winning film marketer, producer, and distribution specialist currently serving as Theatrical Marketing Manager for MUBI in Canada. A Western University media graduate, Max previously co-managed VOD licensing at Juice Worldwide and led marketing for global IMAX releases at SK Films. His experience spans theatrical advertising at Cineplex Media, international festival pitching, and producing, including 12 episodes of Bell Fibe TV’s The Community Players.

Michael Robson is the Vice President, Theatrical Sales at Elevation Pictures. In this role he oversees the planning and launch strategy for all feature films, working alongside Canadian producers and key international distribution partners such as Neon, A24 and Black Bear to bring incredible films to Canadian audiences in theatres across the country. A veteran in the industry Robson has experience across a variety of roles including content creation and acquisition, marketing, distribution, international sales and business development.

Chilean-French consultant, programmer, and critic. She has been a member of the Locarno Film Festival’s feature film selection committee since 2021. She collaborates with film funds, labs, residencies, and industry events, assessing projects and mentoring filmmakers at every stage, from early development to script advising, editing consultation, and pitch training. She also works with festivals, moderating Q&As and press conferences. As a freelance writer, she has contributed to numerous publications for more than 20 years.

Sonja Baksa is a film programmer and curator. She has been with the VIFF programming team since 2018, currently leading the curation of the competitive Vanguard section and focusing on narrative feature selections from France, South, Southeastern and Eastern Europe, among other regions. She also works as the International Programmer for Short Cuts at the Toronto International Film Festival. Baksa holds an MSc in Film, Exhibition and Curation from the University of Edinburgh; and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Zagreb. Her niche interests in arts and the occult in cinema have extended into academic research, curatorial projects, and written pieces for various publications.