ENGLISH PANEL

Applying for funds and grants is an integral skill content creators must have. National and provincial initiatives are available to artists to work in every stage of their projects, from pre-development to marketing and even travels to festivals and events.

Over the years, Black and Racialized Artists from the Film and TV Industry have been sidelined in these initiatives. Some work has contributed towards improving our access, but it is still hard to break down the biased focus of some institutions.

To receive a grant, first, the candidates must understand the guidelines and requests and master the application forms, each funding body has different questions and directives on how to submit the applications. Although different, there are ways to ensure candidates deliver strong submissions.

PS: TO ATTEND THIS EVENT PLEASE REGISTER HERE.

PANEL MODERATOR

Tau S. BUI, General Manager, Machinerie des arts

Tau S. Bui has 20 years' experience in administration, ten of which were spent in the corporate world (AbitibiBowater, Bell Canada, SITQ/Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and KPMG). Bui joined the cultural milieu in 2012, when she joined the FTA team -- international festival of contemporary dance and theater -- where her development led her to become Director of Finance and Operations. In 2018, she became Director of Administration at Tangente Danse. Thanks to her passion for human resources, the organization decides to formalize an HR department. She also discovers strong skills in business strategy, and joins several boards of directors over the years. In 2021, she took over as General Manager of Diversité Artistique Montréal and continues to support DAM in its succession strategy.

Today, Tau is General Manager of La Machinerie des arts. She continues to be passionate about arts management in Montreal and Quebec, the creation of strong human links, and the role of DEI in enriched business practices.

PANEL SPEAKERS

Christine Rodriguez, Screenwriter & Filmmaker

Christine Rodriguez is a writer from Montréal who creates from a mixed-race, Afro-Trinidadian perspective as a means to explore identity and self-expression in an ever-changing multicultural world. She’s received two Rogers – Black Screen Office development grants. Her debut short film Fuego was an official selection at festivals in Toronto, the US and France, earning her a nomination for Filmmaker of the year by Gala Dynastie. She was part of the first cohort of the WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program to write a feature version of Fuego. An alumna of the Norman Jewison Writers’ Lab at the Canadian Film Centre, Christine also holds a Certificate of Professional Screenwriting from UCLA.

Hager Namly, Inclusion Initiatives Advisor & Content Analyst, Telefilm

Hager has close to ten years of experience as a coordinator at Item 7, as a sales advisor for TVA Films and it’s in 2020 that she joined Telefilm Canada as an inclusion initiatives advisor and content analyst. Her passion for cinematic arts led her to pursue her studies in Film and Media at Ahuntsic College, followed by a certificate in Film Studies at the Université de Montréal and a bachelor’s degree in Animation and Cultural Research at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Marketing at McGill University.

Kym Dominique-Ferguson, Spoken word artist, Artistic Director, Grant Writer & Author

Kym Dominique-Ferguson is a spoken word artist, a filmmaker, a performing artist and a writer. Upon graduating from Film Production at Concordia University, he turned to his poetry as a means of creation, founding his multidisciplinary arts company Madpoetix Productions. Dominique-Ferguson and his fellow collaborators recently published a play called "BLACKOUT: The Concordia Computer Riots" via Playwrights Canada Press and is currently working on his solo play "DEAR BLACK MAN" alongside his first novel "ANANCY: THE MAN, THE GOD, THE SPIDER". Over a decade of successful writing grants has led him to becoming a sought after Grant Writer for corporate, federal and provincial funding. You can find him talking live every Tuesday evening from 7-8.30pm on the radio show Soul Perspectives CKUT 90.3FM or www.ckut.ca. Follow him on social media @MrKDFerguson.

Patricia Chica, Award-winning Director & Producer, President of Flirt Films.

Patricia Chica has directed over 60 hours of content. She has over two decades of experience writing, directing, producing, and bringing to market award-winning films for her company Flirt Films and her international clients. Exceptionally skilled at supervising every aspect of the filmmaking process from conception to promotion. Creative producer, educator, mentor, and trilingual public speaker. As a Chi Energy educator, Chica is committed to bringing conscious practices to her work environments for an even more positive, diverse and inclusive culture. She strives to champion her team members through coaching, self-development, and continuous growth opportunities. She now divides her time between Los Angeles and Montreal. She just released her feature Montréal Girls. She is now developing a Queer/LatinX feature called Bougainvillea and a TV series called Soleil & Luna.

PS: TO ATTEND THIS EVENT PLEASE REGISTER HERE.