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CHEERS & CHATS
Cheers & Chats #1 - Producers Therapy: 20 years of Holding it All Together
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Bringing together leading producers from across CFF’s 20-year history, this candid conversation explores what it really takes to build films – and careers – year after year.
From scrappy early financing and grassroots distribution to today’s complex landscape of international co-productions, streamers, shifting tax credits, distribution models, and constant disruption – how has the producer’s role changed? What hasn't?
Beyond budgets and deal structures, this group of seasoned producers will speak honestly about resilience, reinvention, burnout, risk, and the invisible labour of keeping projects – and teams – moving forward. As CFF marks two decades of Canadian filmmaking, this panel asks: what does sustainable producing look like now – and what will it take to shape the next 20 years?
Consider this a group session for anyone who’s carried a project – and wants to keep building.
Moderator:
Lauren Grant, Clique Pictures
Featuring:
Coral Aiken, Aiken Heart Films
Karen Harnisch, Film Forge
Stephanie Sonny Hooker, Hometeam Films
Sonya Di Rienzo, Hawkeye Pictures
Paul Devonshire, Devonshire Productions
Cheers & Chats #2 - Indie Pathways: From (Slo) Pitch to Series
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
One of the most anticipated Canadian comedy television premieres of 2026, the Crave Original Series Slo Pitch (produced by Shaftesbury in association with Boss & Co and PAGEBOY Productions) is already generating buzz.
Featuring CFF alumni and Slo Pitch creators Karen Knox and Gwendolyn Cumyn, alongside Bell Media Executives and prod co Shaftesbury, this conversation explores how an indie comedy idea evolves into a television series.
Using Slo Pitch as a real-world case study, the panel traces the leap from concept to series – developing the idea, building relationships with broadcasters, navigating financing, and stepping into the responsibilities of showrunning. Through both creator and broadcaster perspectives, this conversation offers a candid, insider look on how projects move through development, what networks are looking for, and how filmmakers can position their work for long-form television.
A conversation about playing the long game – and what it really takes to go from (Slo) Pitch to series.
Moderated by:
Aisha Evelyna, Actor/Filmmaker
Featuring:
Karen Knox, Actor/Writer/Director/ Slo Pitch Co-Creator
Gwendolyn Cumyn, Actor/Writer/Producer/ Slo Pitch Co-Creator
Paige Haight, Director of Television, Shaftesbury
Lauren MacKinlay, Development Executive, Scripted, Original Programming, Bell Media
Cheers & Chats #3 - CFF Legacy Spotlight: 20 Years in Motion
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Time: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
A special anniversary conversation with celebrated CFF alumni whose careers have grown from early festival screenings into influential roles across film and television.
What did they wish they knew 20 years ago? What has the journey actually taught them?
In this candid and forward-looking discussion, our alumni reflect on the realities behind the milestones – the regrets, the reinventions, the pivots, and the breakthroughs. As CFF marks two decades of following Canadian careers in film, this conversation honours the craft, momentum, and community that carry careers forward – and looks ahead to the next 20 with clarity, resilience, and eyes up.
Moderator:
Warren P. Sonoda, Director, The Trades, Resident Alien, Odd Squad, Things I Do For Money
Panelists:
Gloria Ui Young Kim, Writer/Director, Queen of the Morning Calm, Murdoch Mysteries, Heartland
Jeremy Lalonde, Writer/Director/Editor, James vs His Future Self, Ashgrove, Daniel’s Gotta Die, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town
More to be announced.
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