Sept. 24 - 30, 2024


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2018 THE JURY

Narrative feature films

ROSEY UGO EDEH


Présidente du Jury

Rosey Ugo Edeh, a true renaissance woman. Rosey is a three time Olympian and the Canadian record holder in the 400m hurdles. As the intrepid journey woman that she is, Rosey took advantage of an opportunity to apply her athletic focus to a new career in broadcast journalism. As a journalist Rosey has interviewed thousands of fascinating folks such as; Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Drake and Spike Lee, to name a few. Rosey is also a filmmaker and multimedia content creator. As founder of Micha Muse Media, Rosey directed and produced the heartwarming documentary, Oliver Jones: Mind Hands Heart, which had its world premiere at the 2017 Montreal International Black Film Festival. What’s next for the curious artist/journalist? Look out for Rosey’s upcoming project which dives into the world of women and sport. Rosey is proud to preside over the 2018 MIBFF Narrative Features selection committee

 

RICHARD BURNETT

Dubbed “Mr. Montreal” by CBC Arts, born-and-bred Montrealer Richard “Bugs”Burnett is an arts and culture journalist and columnist for various media, including the daily Montreal Gazette, Fugues magazine and Tourisme Montréal. His groundbreaking column Three Dollar Bill was the first and only syndicated LGBTQ column in Canadian publishing history.  Bugs has interviewed everybody from Cher to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – and knows Montreal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.

 

 

 

NATALIE MCNEIL

Natalie McNeil is a manager with over 20 years of experience in education, the arts, culture, and cultural and creative industries. She founded her company in 2014 and meets the needs of a diverse client base including the International Festival of Films on Art and the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC). She has taught in various American universities in Paris and has been an instructor at INIS since 2011. She holds a Master of Cultural Project Management and Master of Film and Audiovisual Studies from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University – Paris III, and a Bachelor’s in Film Studies from Concordia University.

Documentary feature films

BRIAN BRONFMAN


Président du Jury
Brian Bronfman holds degrees in Philosophy (B.A., McGill), Law (LL.B. &
B.C.L., McGill), Natural Resource Planning (M.S., UVM), and Mediation
(Cert. Med., Woodbury). In 2006, he established the Brian Bronfman Family
Foundation, whose main focus is “peace in action.” Subsequently, he created the Peace Network for Social Harmony (with members from the worlds of business and philanthropy) and the Tools of Peace initiative
(for NGOs), using collaboration to build strength around positive, practical peace work, all in an effort to foster greater social harmony. Brian has served on numerous boards and committees. The list presently includes: the YMCA Peace Medals (co-President), the International Community Action Network (Advisory Board), the McGill School of Religious Studies (Advisory Board), and the Centre de services de justice réparatrice (Ambassador group). In 2009, he coordinated the Dalai Lama’s visit to Montreal. Professionally, he has taught conflict resolution, worked as a mediator, and founded the Social Mediation Division of Institut Pacifique. He now devotes 100% of his time to philanthropic endeavors. In 2010, he received the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution’s Award of Merit, and in 2012 he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in philanthropy.

ELY BONDER

A well-known Montreal community folk music animateur and social entrepreneur, Ely has for years sought to bring cultures together and make the world a better place. In the last few years, since his retirement from CTV MONTREAL, he has organized musical tributes for The Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions and the Syrian Refugee Sponsorship at Dorshei Emet, and launched two TV series on MAtv (Vidéotron). Most recently, he performed in and was musical director of Once There Was Melody at the Segal Centre. Ely is president of Canada Charity Partners (Partenaires Philanthropiques du Canada), which collaborates with Canadian and Israeli nonprofits to alleviate poverty and enhance community health. He believes high schoolers should engage with seniors by telling elders’ stories through digital media to relieve social isolation and encourage mentorship. This intercultural and intergenerational initiative is to be the first step toward creating a mentored and collaborative virtual TV studio for youth and community: Ely’s project to bring  broadcasters and the educational sector together for mutual benefit.

BALARAMA HOLNESS

Balarama Holness is a 2010 Grey Cup Champion with the Montreal Alouettes, a teacher with a Master of Education, and currently a law student at the University of McGill. Balarama’s passion and commitment to improving his community motivated him to start Sports and Studies in Action, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to youth education, health and
career development. In 2017 he ran for mayor of Montréal-Nord, bringing
issues related to representation, economic empowerment, education, and
health to the forefront of public discourse. In 2018 he initiated a petition to force the City of Montreal to hold a public consultation on racism and systemic discrimination

Short and Mid-Length Narrative/Documentary/Animated Films

KIM DOMINIQUE- FERGUSON


Président du Jury

Kym Dominique-Ferguson is a poet by birth, a theatre performer and filmmaker by training, and a producer by nurture. For over a decade he has serenaded Montreal and international audiences with  his blending of spoken word poetry and theatre. He successfully produced and performed his first one man show to a sold-out audience back in August of 2015: The Born Jamhaitianadian. Ferguson is also a radio show host on Soul Perspectives for the past 6 years which talks about the issues affecting the Black community here in Montreal, across Canada and internationally. He is currently in the development phase of his first theatre play: The #DearBlackMan Project, officially commissioned by Black Theatre Workshop.

 

CATHERINE BEAUCHAMPS

C’est en 2008 que Catherine Beauchamp crée le Tapis Rose de Catherine. Un webmagazine qui pose un regard sur le travail des actrices, des acteurs et des artisans qui façonnent le cinéma au Québec, en France et à l’international. En 2009, Catherine gagne un premier prix Gémeaux pour ses réalisations, puis l’Académie lui en décerne un deuxième en 2015. Chaque entrevue de Catherine est originale tout en portant sa signature
unique et son seau de féminité qui est la base même de son concept. Armée de son micro rose, sa marque de commerce, elle sillonne la ville afin d’être présente sur les différents tapis rouges, sur les plateaux de tournage ou encore pendant les évènements culturels et artistiques de l’heure. Depuis maintenant dix ans, le Tapis rose a eu rendez-vous avec 600 artistes et a produit plus de 650 reportages. Ce qui représente plus de 4 200 000 vues sur YouTube. Beaucoup d’autres activités animent cette insatiable de culture. D’ailleurs, son mandat de chroniqueuse culturelle au 98,5 FM est manifestement lié à son talent à débusquer la nouvelle et à la communiquer. Depuis maintenant 6 ans, Catherine crée et réalise du contenu numérique en vidéo légère pour différentes émissions de télévision, comme Un air de famille et Ruptures, diffusées à ICI Radio-Canada Télé, Trait d’humour à Unis TV ainsi que Blue Moon à TVA.

THIERRY LINDOR

Thierry Lindor is the president and founder of REMAX Griffintown, which has set itself apart through its energy, dynamism, and digital approach right from year one, during which, under his leadership, the real estate agency grew from 3 to 24 brokers. He also founded the very first Canadian TED Talk format with his business conference company Influence ORBIS. Influence positions itself as an entrepreneurial movement that brings together distinguished speakers, initially in different cities across Canada and eventually on an international scale. Influence Montreal 2017 was the first conference organized by the group and featured various presenters such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Danièle Henkel, Nicolas Duvernois, Kim Rusk, Étienne Boulay, and many others. The company’s vision is to export and promote entrepreneurial experience from Quebec and Canada in the same way that a Quebec visionary was able to export his native art and culture while redefining the circus experience on the international scene. As if that wasn’t enough, he founded the Prosperity Acquisition Fund with the goal of fighting gentrification in racialized neighbourhoods. The fund assists its members with down payments, enabling them to purchase residential and commercial property in neighbourhoods undergoing gentrification.