CBFF ENCORE PRESENTATION: DIVERSITY ON & OFF-SCREEN
Co-presented by
A great panel of industry professionals will talk about the underrepresentation of Black talent on and off-screen. They will share their experiences regarding the issue and offer ideas and advice to help solve the problem. Our goal is to help increase the number of Black professionals working in television, and film sets - behind and in front of the camera. Narratives will remain the same if Black representation working in these industries does not increase. Our goal is to create change and to tackle racism, of course within the film and television industry in Canada, but also societally.
Moderator: Tomi Ajele - Editor-In-Chief at Afros in tha City
Tomi is Editor-In-Chief at Afros in Tha City – a media collective dedicated to amplifying Black voices in Mohkínstsis/Calgary. Tomi’s work has also been published in The Huffington Post, CBC, ByBlacks, Avenue Magazine, and Shameless Magazine.
Panelists
Jerome de Gourville (Rome IX): Producer-Director and Actor
Jerome de Gourville started out as a location sound operator and post-sound mixer, eventually trying his hand in other roles behind and in front of the camera. He was recently nominated for best overall sound in the 2020 Stinger Awards for his work on “The Narrator” directed by Darren Harmon and worked on the feature film “The Great Fear”, directed by Iain Laird. He wrote, directed and produced his debut short film “Within” working alongside Gerrick Winston as his co-producer and mentor. His diverse skills as a filmmaker as well as a musician have led him to work on projects for local Calgary artists such as Twizzie Ramos, A.Y.E., and under his music moniker Rome IX.
Mariah Braun: Filmmaker
Mariah is a filmmaker and marketing professional from northern Alberta. Mariah seeks to amplify the voices of underrepresented individuals and tell stories through a unique point of view. This has drawn her into short documentary filmmaking and producing commercial projects with an emotional tone. In 2019, Mariah was awarded a TELUS STORYHIVE grant to direct and produce her short film Life Without Diagnosis. Mariah is currently the Vice President of the Peace Region Independent Media Arts Association (PRIMAA) board. PRIMAA is a non-profit society that supports and helps develop film and digital media artists throughout Northern Alberta & BC. Recently, she was awarded her second STORYHIVE grant to produce her new short documentary film, Able, which is currently in production.
Omatta Udalor: Actor, Director, Filmmaker and Producer
Founder and Director of Handcuffs Entertainment Inc., Omatta Udalor's creative vision is to lead the charge in creating, telling and empowering black and diverse stories. With over 30 years as an actor, he brings years of experience in film, understanding the creative uniqueness and direction required in attaining these goals. He created and produced award-winning short films on the festival circuit such as Texted, The Trial of Miss Mudimbe, and A Path to Somewhere amongst a few others
Mwabeni Indire: Filmmaker
Mwabeni L. Indire is a Los Angeles filmmaker in Calgary. He founded Indire Entertainment Inc. and has produced videos for Sotheby's, Honda and BMW. Mwabeni is a Vancouver Film School graduate.
Sarah Uwadiae: Theatre Designer, Multi-disciplinary Creative
Sarah is a Nigerian art-maker based in Calgary, AB. She is a Multi-disciplinary creative with a passion for storytelling and artistic experimentation. She is an emerging filmmaker and a theatre designer. Some theatre design credits include: Actually (Alberta Theatre Projects); Sexy Laundry, A Christmas Story (Keyano Theatre); A Chitenge Story (Handsome Alice Theatre); Crave, Metamorphoses, Splendour (U of C Mainstage). She looks forward to a life of artistic creations and collaborations.
