SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH
2:00 - 4:00 PM
AT THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX
MALAPARTE LOUNGE
The first ever TRANS FILMMAKERS SUMMIT X TIFF is an afternoon to reimagine trans storytelling as an opportunity for community building and nurturing emerging trans talent.
Organized by the Trans Film Mentorship, the TFS is open by registration to all trans and non-binary creators, industry partners, and allies to discover and celebrate trans barrier-breakers.
Trans Filmmakers
Summit
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 independent filmmaker and media educator, and Anna is a published writer, emerging artist, and educator.
The TFM’s founding partnership was with the TIFF 2022 selected feature-film SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT, directed and written by Sundance award-winning director Luis De Filippis. The program has since partnered with the Peabody Award-winning HBO/CBC show SORT OF, created by Bilal Baig. The TFM’s next project is the Jackie Shane Documentary, produced by Banger and executive produced by Elliot Page.
There are now ten graduates of the TFM training program, making strides in the industry, and more on the horizon.
Discourse about representation and identity is largely centered on changing the stories we tell, but the other side of that discussion is how we tell those stories. The Trans Filmmakers Summit looks at trans storytelling as opportunity to ignite change:
How can we expand our understanding of storytellers to include those who help craft a director/writer/etc vision?
How can film and tv, one of the most collaborative art forms, be a transformative act of community development? What if sets weren’t only a place for creation but for empowerment, change and learning?
How can we train more people? How can we change how hierarchies work? How can we make sets more humane?
How can we disrupt, re-invent, re-imagine the ways film and tv stories are made to enable greater access and community-building? OR to tell better stories?
What are the pain points involved in change and how can we prepare for them?
SUMMIT OVERVIEW
The Trans Filmmakers Summit will feature two panels, a special guest award recipient, and networking opportunities.
Introduction by TFM
An opening address by the Trans Film Mentorship team will honor the trans films and talent at TIFF 2022, sharing highlights from the films and celebrating performances.
Panels
A filmmakers panel bringing together the creative teams of the past and future partnerships with the TFM to discuss building community on set will feature Luis De Filippis, writer-director of SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT, Bilal Baig, co-creator of and starring actor in SORT OF, and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, co-director of the upcoming Jackie Shane Documentary produced by Banger and executive produced by Elliot Page.
An actors panel to discuss the nuance of embodying trans characters on screen will feature TIFF selected film stars Carmen Madonia (Something You Said Last Night), Miyoko Anderson (Soft), and Alina Khan (Joyland).
Award
The Trans Film Mentorship will award the first annual Barrier Breaker Award, honoring a trans barrier-breaker whose work in the industry actively challenges and disrupts the system, paving the way for the future of trans representation and storytelling.
Workshop Offering
During the summit, attendees can register for a complimentary workshop hosted by the Trans Film Mentorship where they will learn 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.
Contact
Trans Film Mentorship
Website: transfilmmentorship.com
Contact: tfmentorship@gmail.com
Instagram: @tfmentorship
