Participants

Mairzee Almas

North Vancouver, British Columbia
For the past seven years Mairzee Almas has worked as a first assistant director on feature films, television movies and episodic television. Episode 45, "Birds Have Been at Her" of DaVinici’s Inquest marked her directorial debut. She is a Vancouver Film School graduate who is continuously seeking out learning and training opportunities as a director.

Jennifer Calvert

London, England
An actress who began her career at the age of nine, Jennifer Calvert has performed across Canada from Neptune Theatre in Halifax to can-can dancing in the Yukon and performing in London’s West End. Calvert also appeared in the recurring role of Vivienne on The Chris Isaak Show in its first season. Her directorial debut, Sex Drive premiered at the 2001 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Anita Doran

Toronto, Ontario
Originally from the Soviet Union Anita Doron is a published author, mountain-climber and ex-army sergeant. Anita graduated with honours from the Ryerson Film Program in 2001, where she received the Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award two years in a row. Her first film Not a Fish Story was funded by Ontario Arts Council and NFB.

Patricia Harris Seeley

Redwood Meadows, AB
Patricia Harris Seeley is the writer/director of the award winning short film Farmer and has received several options, three Harold Greenberg Funds and the NSI Roundtable for her feature-length screenplays. Two of her theatre plays have won best actress awards under her direction at regional one-act festivals. Past president of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) - Alberta, Patricia currently sits on the board of directors for WIFT - International.

Zarqa Nawaz

Regina, Saskatoon
Born in Liverpool, England, Zarqa Nawaz completed her B.Sc. At the University of Toronto. After completing a BAA. In journalism from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, she worked for CBC radio as a writer/broadcaster and associate producer. Her first film, BBQ Muslims and Death Threat premiered at the 1996 and 1998 Toronto International Film Festivals. Zarqa resides in Regina, Saskatchewan with her husband and four children.

Shelley Niro

Brantford, Ontario
Shelley Niro is a member of the Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk from the Six Nations Reserve. She is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, has received her MFA from the University of Western Ontario and was recently admitted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Her art practice includes painting, photography, sculpture and film-making. Her latest installation: Skywoman is currently displayed at the First Peoples Hall at the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec.

Geneviéve Poulette

Montreal, Quebec
Geneviève Poulette received her bachelors in psychology then went on to study at l’Institut National de l’Image et du Son (INIS) and directed a short film called Jingle, which won numerous prizes and was selected in official competitions at international festivals. She currently directs for television (commercials and documentaries) and is working on a short film script.

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