Congratulations to the DGC Ontario Members named to The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Most Powerful Women in Canadian Entertainment list! From accomplished trailblazers to new and emerging voices, this list showcases an extraordinary group of women who are making remarkable contributions to the entertainment industry in Canada. We couldn’t be prouder to count so many of our Members amongst their ranks.
Get to know these extraordinary women by checking out some of our past features on The Wider Lens.
ANNIE BRADLEY: DIRECTOR & DGC ONTARIO CHAIR
In addition to being a Director, Writer, and DGC Ontario Chair, Annie Bradley also hosts our Wider Lens podcast. Catch up on previous episodes, where Annie chats with a variety of filmmakers and other creative professionals about the film and television production community in Ontario. We also interviewed Annie about working on the CW series In The Dark to discuss her creative and collaborative process.
SARAH POLLEY: DIRECTOR
After beginning her career starring in Road to Avonlea and other acclaimed films and series, Sarah Polley became one of Canada’s most prolific Directors and Writers, winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award in 2022 for Women Talking. In 2021, Sarah joined DGC National and Director and Writer Thom Fitzgerald for a Masterclass on her journey from Actor to Director, adapting literature for the screen and finding creative role models.
KARI SKOGLAND: DIRECTOR
‘Currently making waves all over the airwaves directing hit series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and The Handmaid’s Tale, we spoke to Kari in 2020 about how working on the legendary Canadian series Queer As Folk shaped her career and others in the Ontario production industry.
DEEPA MEHTA: DIRECTOR
Director Deepa Mehta’s Funny Boy was Canada’s official submission for the 2021 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Ahead of the film’s release, we caught up with Deepa, a Governor General Performing Arts Award recipient, to discuss adapting Shyam Selvadurai’s book, working with Ava DuVernay, and what she hopes viewers will take away from the film.
DANIS GOULET: DIRECTOR
Danis Goulet’s feature film Night Raiders, a dystopian sci-fi that weaves in metaphors on residential schools and resilience, premiered at Berlinale in 2021 to critical acclaim. To celebrate National Indigenous History Month 2022, we sat down with Directors Danis Goulet and Nyla Innuksuk to discuss how more Indigenous filmmakers telling their stories than ever before, especially in the genre film space.
Rising Canadian Talents
JESSICA CHEUNG: PRODUCTION MANAGER
Production Manager Jessica Cheung has spent the last few years working on some of the biggest films in Canada, including Sarah Polley’s Academy Award-winning Women Talking. Jessica sat down with fellow PMs Moe Rai and Kim Yu in a special conversation for Wider Lens about their careers, what makes a great PM, and the importance of communication and collaboration.
SASHA LEIGH HENRY: DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
We spoke to Director and Producer Sasha Leigh Henry on the eve of TIFF 2023 to chat about the series she co-created for Crave with Director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Bria Mack Gets a Life, which premiered at the fest. Sasha was named as part of Playback’s 10 to Watch list in 2022 and is also the Program Manager for the DGC Ontario Short Film Fund.
ZOSIA MACKENZIE: PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Production Designer Zosia Mackenzie and her partner in life and creativity, Art Director John O’Regan, have made a name for themselves by designing some of the buzziest films for companies like A24, including the TIFF hit Dream Scenario starring Nicholas Cage. In an exclusive interview with special guest Dream Scenario Director Kristoffer Borgli, Zosia and John delve into their creative process, the balance between personal and professional life, and the extraordinary wellspring of inspiration drawn from the everyday.
The honorees of The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Most Powerful Women in Canadian Entertainment list, May 27, 2024
