The Trans Film Mentorship announced today that the first-ever Trans Filmmakers Summit x TIFF will be held Sunday, September 11th at 2PM ET following the Inside Out TIFF Queer Brunch at Malaparte’s Rooftop, TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St W, Toronto, Canada..  

The summit, an afternoon to reimagine trans storytelling as an opportunity for community-building and nurturing emerging trans talent, is open to all trans and non-binary creators, industry partners, and allies as a way to discover and celebrate trans barrier-breakers. Bilal Baig, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee and Luis De Filippis will participate in a Trans Creators Panel followed by a Trans Actors Panel with Carmen Madonia, Alina Khan and Miyoko Anderson who are all lead actors in TIFF ‘22 films.  

The Trans Film Mentorship will award the first annual Trans Barrier Breaker Award, honoring a trans leader who is actively challenging the limitations of the media industry and disrupting the system, paving the way for more and better trans representation and storytelling. This year the award will be given to TS Madison (Bros TIFF 2022American reality television personality, actress, and LGBT activist.

An opening address by the Trans Film Mentorship team will honor the trans films and talent at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, sharing highlights from the films and celebrating performances.

A panel to discuss building trans community on set will include Co-Creator and Star of Sphere Media’s CBC and HBO Max original series Sort Of Bilal Baig, Co-Director and Writer of the upcoming Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story Lucah Rosenberg-Lee as well as award-winning writer/director Luis De Filippis whose feature-film debut Something You Said Last Night will make its world premiere at TIFF on Saturday September 10th.

A panel of trans actors starring in films at TIFF 22 will lead a discussion on building trans inclusivity into the filmmaking process from casting through to working on set. The panel will feature Carmen Madonia (TIFF’ Rising Star and lead in Something You Said Last Night), Alina Khan (Joyland TIFF 22, Jury Prize – Un Certain Regard) and Miyoko Anderson (lead in TIFF selected film Soft).

During the summit, attendees can register for a complimentary workshop hosted by the Trans Film Mentorship where they can receive consultation and guidance  on how to use film and TV productions as opportunities for community-building and empowerment. In this workshop, the TFM will share the successes, common challenges, and identify the key components to ensuring successful on-set training.

When I approached making Something You Said Last Night I knew questioning the stories we tell about trans women wouldn’t be enough, rather I wanted to question “how” we told said stories.” Say Luis De Filippis, the founder of the Trans Film Mentorship,  “I wanted to ensure that other trans people were benefiting off the chance I had to tell my story in material and tangible ways. I’m so happy to see that with the support of our partners this seed of an idea has grown and continues to foster opportunities for the next generation of trans filmmakers. See you on the Tiff rooftop dolls.”

Inclusion on and behind the screen matters—and we have more work to do,” says Mathieu Chantelois, EVP of Marketing & Public Affairs, CMF. “We are proud to support the Trans Filmmakers Summit and the important work they are doing to advocate, educate, and celebrate those that have knocked down barriers for others. One of many steps we must take to rethink our industry and the stories we tell.”

About The Trans Film Mentorship

The Trans Film Mentorship (TFM) is an organization that runs hands-on career development programming for trans and nonbinary people with the aim of increasing the presence of trans filmmakers, key creatives, and crew on set. The program combines mindfulness-based career development workshops with skills training and work placement on the sets of films, tv shows, and documentaries.

TFM is led by Gabrielle Zilkha and Anna Daliza. Gabrielle is an award-winning filmmaker and educator, and Anna is a published writer, emerging artist, and educator. There are now ten graduates of the TFM training program, making strides in the industry, and more on the horizon.

The TFM’s founding partnership was with the TIFF 2022 selected feature-film SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT, produced by JA Productions Inc. and directed and written by Sundance award-winning director Luis De Filippis. The program has since partnered with the Peabody Award-winning Sphere Media, CBC/HBO Max show SORT OF, co-created by Bilal Baig. The TFM’s next project is the Jackie Shane Documentary, produced by Banger and executive produced by Elliot Page.

The Toronto International Film Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, the Canada Media Fund, xoTO Screen Industry Pathways initiative, CBC and Ontario Creates have confirmed support for the summit.

 

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.