Join us for Doc Honours, our annual gathering of Canada’s leading doc filmmakers, industry professionals, and community partners.
We will be honouring two outstanding members of the Canadian documentary community as we present the 2025 Rogers-DOC Luminary Award to Producer Justine Pimlott and the DOC Vanguard Award to Nicole Bazuin.
The evening will also feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and a live DJ set with Alister Johnson.
Click the link in our bio to register on Eventbrite!
Doors re-open at 6:00 PM | Meeting begins at 6:30 PM
Complimentary food for all guests
One drink ticket provided per DOC Northwest member
Review of committee reports and a 2024 year-in-review
Member discussion and feedback session on future plans
This evening is your chance to connect with peers, share your ideas, and help shape what’s next for our chapter.
Spaces are limited — please reserve your tickets online in advance.
A promo code is required to access the Masterclass + AGM ticket. Scroll down on the DOC Member Benefits page and find the code under ‘Other Professional Benefits.’
Join DOC Northwest for an evening of learning, networking, and community!
We’re kicking things off with a member-exclusive Masterclass with Sherrill Sirrs, CPA, CMA — “Ask Me Anything: Film Accounting.”
A promo code is required to access the Masterclass ticket. Scroll down on the DOC Member Benefits page and find the code under ‘Other Professional Benefits.’
Doors open at 4:00 PM, and the session begins at 4:30 PM. This interactive masterclass offers DOC Northwest members the rare opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of film finance with one of the industry’s most trusted experts. Expect to explore the ins and outs of film accounting, such as tax credit accounting (everyone’s favourite topic!) and come prepared with your burning questions.
Sherrill has generously offered to share her immense knowledge, insights, and a few behind-the-scenes stories from her decades in the business.
Thank you to Creative BC for contributing to this masterclass!
Spaces are limited, and advance registration is required.
Save the date. Block your calendar. Book your travel.
This is a free event for creatives from underrepresented communities, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ and/or a person with a disability.
DOC Institute’s EPIC Symposium and CBC and BIPOC TV & Film’s Creating Connections join forces to bring together the boldest creators, producers, and decision-makers in Canada’s film and media industry for three days of unstoppable energy, fresh ideas, and game-changing connections.
This is not just another industry event — it’s a gathering dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities, where a chanced connection could lead to opportunities and where big conversations turn into bold action.
Hard-hitting Panels: Tackling the urgent issues shaping our industry right now.
CBC Roundtables: An informal meetup with decision makers across CBC Entertains.
Producers’ Market: Creatives meet established production companies to discuss pitch ideas and to make key connections.
High-impact Networking Mixer: Designed to connect you with the people who can help make your next move your biggest yet.
And we’re turning up the impact with dynamic programming from our powerhouse partners — Black Screen Office, OYA Black Arts Coalition, Racial Equity Media Collective, and the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC Creators — bringing you sessions that inspire, challenge, and spark conversations and action.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with the brightest minds in the industry.
This is where the movement meets momentum. The future is calling. Be in the room where change happens!
Supported by Global Affairs Canada, Telefilm, the Indigenous Screen Office, and the Black Screen Office, this delegation brings together eight emerging and mid-career filmmakers from DOC chapters across the country. The cohort will travel to Amsterdam to present their documentary projects to international industry decision-makers as part of a special delegation showcase.
DOC DELEGATION
Siku Allooloo
Siku is an Inuk/Haitian/Taíno interdisciplinary artist, writer, and filmmaker from Denendeh (NWT), based now on Vancouver Island, BC. Her poetic, sensorial work weaves the intimate and intangible with archives and cultural materials to re-presence ancestral trajectories. Siku’s film and artwork have been featured at BlackStar Film Festival, the Whitney Museum of American Art, DOXA, WAG-Qaumajuq, The Flaherty, and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. Siku is a 2025 Sundance Documentary Film Fund Grantee, a Chicken & Egg (Egg)celerator Lab grantee and is currently leading the production of her first documentary feature, Indígena, as the writer, director and co-producer.
Maya Annik Bedward
Maya Annik Bedward is a Jamaican-French Canadian filmmaker and founder of Third Culture Media. Her work has screened at major festivals including TIFF, Hot Docs, BlackStar, and the New Orleans Film Festival. She has directed episodes of the comedy-variety series LIDO TV (CBC Gem) and the limited docuseries BLK: An Origin Story (History Channel, Global TV). Her company’s latest production, Patty vs. Patty, won Best Short Documentary at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards and has over one million views on YouTube. Committed to building a more equitable and inclusive industry, she is a founding member of the Black Screen Office and a mentor with the LIFT Newcomer Filmmaker Program.
Aïcha Diop
Aïcha Diop is an award-winning filmmaker. Her debut documentary short, Nancy’s Workshop won the Audience Favourite Award at the 2020 Hot Docs International Canadian Film Festival and the “Regards d’Ici” prize at the 2021 Vues d’Afriques Film Festival. Her filmmaking style is intimate, immersive and lyrical. Her dream is to continue making documentaries that ambitiously weave together form and story, and that center the experience of Black folks. She holds a BA in English: Cultural Studies from McGill University and an MA in Media and Film Studies from The New School. Her Master’s Thesis explored perceptions of time and memory in cinema.
Damien Eagle Bear
Niitsitapi, amateur physicist, frybread-eating machine, Damien Eagle Bear is a multifaceted filmmaker from the Kainai First Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy.
Damien started with the short experimental documentary Napi, which asks the question, what will happen when the Blackfoot trickster gets behind the camera? The film premiered at the opening night of the 37th American Indian Film Festival in 2012, and since then, Damien has continued to expand his skillset from directing to producing, including premiering two films, q’sapi times and Big Momma at the Vancouver International Film Festival in the same year.
With his latest project, he returns to directing for the feature documentary #skoden, which delves into the origins of NDN countries’ most iconic meme to redefine the man at the center of it all.
Damien’s work explores the themes of belonging and Indigenous resiliency.
Teresa Earle
Teresa is a partner in Sagafish Media, a Yukon production company centred on screen storytelling in Canada’s North. She is a producer, writer and editor, and her filmography includes Mammoth Hunters, the award-winning Journeys to Adäka, Aurora Love and a co-production with the National Film Board, Voices Across the Water.
Andrée-Anne Frenette
A kind-hearted producer, Andrée-Anne Frenette has been an ally of Nikan Productions since the very beginning. Andrée-Anne’s mission is always to bring forward Indigenous perspectives on First Peoples’ issues. With degrees in filmmaking and journalism, Andrée-Anne produced the documentaries Innu Nikamu: Resist and Sing (2017, Iris Award for Best Documentary) and Call Me Human (2020), which won four Gemini awards in 2021, Best Canadian Documentary at VIFF and CIFF, and the Prix collégial du Cinéma québécois 2021. She recently produced the documentary series Dans un territoire près de chez nous (2022) and the documentary They Are Sacred (2025). As associate producer, she produced the documentary I am Magpie (2024) and the feature film Jules in the Land of Asha (2023).
Sandy Hunter
Sandy Hunter (he/ him) is a film & TV producer and executive with 26 years of experience in the industry. After attending Carleton University School of Journalism he worked as a film journalist before moving to producing and content positions with Alliance Atlantis, Res Media Group, co-founding Toronto production company Soft Citizen and producing the 2009 documentary Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands. He then joined Apple and rose to head of Apple TV Canada during his 12-year tenure. Since returning to producing in 2021 and launching Cazador Inc. and Cultivation Pictures, he has produced Drop the Needle (Prime Video), Wabanaki Modern (CBC), O’Don’s (Bell), Backyard History (Bell), Car Wash Wars (Bell) and the 2025 dramatic feature film, What We Dreamed of Then (Crave). Sandy has also produced four proof of concept demos for Dislodged, Crustaceous, Justus and Discount Wrestling, as well as directing and producing the short documentary Retrograde. Sandy is currently developing a slate of new film and television projects and producing the documentary feature Facing the Future: The Art and Life of Antony Clavet and two new series for Bell, the documentary series Brickin and the Prince Edward Island-set comedy series A Lick and a Prayer. Sandy is a board member of Media New Brunswick.
Tagreed Saadeh
Taghreed Saadeh is a Palestinian-Canadian, award-winning producer with over 15 years of experience in documentary filmmaking. A graduate of George Brown College, she is the founder of Ram Film Production INC. in Edmonton, Canada, creating films focused on Arab narratives and social justice.
Saadeh has served on juries for festivals including the Edmonton Short Film Festival, the Alberta International Women’s Film Festival, and as Head Jury at the Al Awda International Film Festival in Gaza. She also mentors and consults on projects exploring Arab histories and experiences globally and is an alumna of BIPOC Access Producers, presented by EAVE and the National Screen Institute in partnership with the Canada Media Fund.
Supported by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program
Julian will present the results from DOC’s cross-Canada consultations, documented in the What We Heard: Community Consultations Report 2025. The report gathers the perspectives of documentary makers from across Canada, collected through our recent nationwide consultations with support from the Canada Media Fund. We’ll share key takeaways, including ongoing challenges and the support needed to strengthen the sector.
The presentation will be followed by a conversation moderated by documentary filmmaker Teresa MacInnes.
On Monday September 8, we’ll be sharing key takeaways from our latest publication, which captures the insights of documentary makers from across Canada as gathered during our recent nationwide consultations, supported by the Canada Media Fund. What We Heard highlights regional successes, challenges, and the support needed to strengthen the sector.
Following the preview presentation, we’ve teamed up with NICE to celebrate! Their annual Indie Cinema Mixer, now in its fourth year, brings together independent film exhibitors, filmmakers, and industry allies, and this year will welcome the documentary community to the party. DOC members are invited to connect, share ideas, and celebrate Canadian documentary filmmaking within a vibrant industry gathering!
Enjoy complimentary* drinks, snacks and great conversation while connecting with independent film exhibitors, filmmakers and industry peers. Celebrate the launch of What We Heard alongside new initiatives from NICE including the Canadian Theatrical Marketplace and the NICE Indie Cinema Passport.
🗓 Monday, September 8
🕓🧾 4:15pm – 5:15pm EDT: What We Heard Report Preview Presentation
*Drink tickets will be distributed to DOC members and to official DOC partners only, on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive in time for the report preview presentation to make sure you get yours!
These vital grassroots discussions were made possible through the generous support of the Canada Media Fund.
This opportunity is fully funded and open to emerging and mid-career DOC members who are producers or producer-directors creating documentary content. Travel will take place between November 15–20, 2025, and selected participants are expected to present their projects to international industry decision-makers at a special delegation showcase coordinated by the IDFA Industry team.
What’s Included:
Roundtrip airfare, accommodation, accreditation, and per diem
Presentation of your project at a curated delegation showcase
One-on-one meetings with decision makers following presentations
Pre-departure consultation sessions
Access to IDFA Forum for eligible participants
Online prep webinar with IDFA Industry team
✅ Eligibility Criteria
We encourage applications from emerging and mid-career creators who have had limited opportunities to attend major documentary markets. This opportunity will not prioritize those who are recent or regular attendees at IDFA or other major markets.
We also encourage applications from priority communities: Priority communities are defined as: Producers who identify as one or more intersections of Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, living with a disability, Francophone outside Quebec, or living in a rural or remote region of Canada (remote being defined as a primary residence at least 150 km from cities with populations over 500,000).
Essential YOU ARE:
A DOC member in good standing
A producer who creates documentary content (producer-directors are eligible)
Available to travel between November 15 and 20, 2025
Preferential Preference will be given to submissions from applicants who meet the eligibility criteria to access the IDFA Forum. To access the Forum, applicants must:
Operate a registered independent production company
Have produced at least one feature-length documentary that has:
Premiered at a recognized festival,
OR been broadcast on a major network or streaming platform,
OR received theatrical distribution
PLEASE NOTE: Applicants from priority communities, as defined above, who do not meet this criteria may still be eligible for a Forum day-pass and are encouraged to apply.
📅 Key Dates
Application opens: August 1, 2025
Deadline to apply: August 15, 2025
Participants notified: September 5, 2025
The application form will contain 40 questions. Please plan accordingly to complete it carefully. A three-person jury will assess applications.
Please note: only selected applicants will be contacted directly. We encourage all applicants to stay connected with DOC for future opportunities and initiatives.
This delegation is supported by a contribution from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.
DOC is proud to be a Community Partner for the Toronto Arab Film Festival’s closing night screening of Coexistence, My Ass!
Closing the Festival this year is Amber Fares’ sharp-witted documentary, Coexistence, My Ass! Shot over five tumultuous years, Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker Amber Fares follows Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi as she uses satire to challenge the myth of coexistence, blending activism, humor, and personal reflection in her journey from peacebuilder to performer.
🎬 Amber Fares USA, France | 2025 | 95 min | English, Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi
💬 Q&A with filmmaker Amber Fares, moderated by Pacinthe Mattar.
A three-part virtual workshop series on documentary filmmaking.
DOC Institute presents the Documentary Filmmaker Lab. Join us for a virtual 3-part workshop series led by award-winning documentary writer and director Rama Rau. This series will be relevant whether you’re new to doc filmmaking or already have some experience. The series will also be of interest to those who have previously participated in our Essentials Bootcamp series as we take you deeper into the nuances of documentary filmmaking.
The series is open to participants across Canada. Each session will have a Q&A period where you can ask your questions.
Feel that warm breeze? It’s time for the spring edition of DOC Drinks, and DOC Québec invites you to celebrate with us!
Join us for a special screening of ON THE ROOFTOPS OF HAVANA In the presence of director Pedro Ruiz and producer Arantza Maldonado
🗓 Thursday, May 29 🕢 Screening at 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7:00 PM) 📍 ARRQ – 5154 rue Saint-Hubert, métro Laurier (Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec)
🍷 Wine, beer, snacks, and a special Cuban cocktail inspired by the film! 💸 Voluntary cash contribution 👥 Friends and family welcome – bring a guest!
Come raise a glass, meet fellow doc lovers, and talk cinema with us!
🎬 ON THE ROOFTOPS OF HAVANA
A film by Pedro Ruiz Documentary | 80 min | 2019 | Original Spanish with French subtitles
Above the crumbling streets of Havana lies a hidden rooftop world — a patchwork village suspended over the city. Amid a severe housing crisis, residents like Roberto, Lala, Arturo, and others have created a life in the sky. From their rooftop perches, they reflect on a society undergoing profound change after more than 60 years of revolution.
🏆 Grand Prize – Best Documentary, Rhode Island International Film Festival 🏆 Best Cinematography – Documentary, Canadian Film Awards
DOC’s AGM will take place following the Panel Discussion + Kitchen Table Open Forum. Connect with DOC’s new National Board, hear updates from the six regional Chapters, review the Executive Director’s report, and take part in key discussions about the Organization.
The AGM will be a hybrid event, so if you are unable to attend in person, you can join via Zoom. The link will be provided once you RSVP for the AGM.
DOC’s Kitchen Table Talks is back—this time as a panel discussion! The topic of this year’s session will be Too Hot to Handle: Pathways to Alternative Distribution. The session will feature a one-hour moderated discussion, followed by an open-format conversation for members.
The panelists include:
Cornelia Principe, Documentary Producer
Anthony Truong Swan, Impact Director, Story Money Impact
Leena Manimekalai, Filmmaker
Samantha Curley, Documentary Film Producer (joining via Zoom)
Scroll down to learn more about each panelist!
The panel discussion will be moderated by Julian Carrington, Managing Director of the Racial Equity Media Collective.
Kick off Hot Docs with a DOC member meet-up! Drop by to connect with fellow DOC members, catch up over drinks, and ease into the festival with some friendly faces.
No need to register. Click on the application icon to add the event to the calendar so you don’t forget!
