FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto (Tkaronto) — The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has selected five Indigenous producers to attend Content London 2023, where they will be able to network and present their projects in development at this prestigious international market taking place November 27 – 30, 2023.
“ISO is proud to announce the participation of five experienced Indigenous producers to Content London 2023. The ISO delegation will seek business opportunities with buyers, distributors and broadcasters at the international level, in line with our strategic goal to create global business opportunities for Indigenous storytellers, ” said Kerry Swanson, Chief Executive Officer of ISO.
The five ISO delegates attending Content London are Shane Belcourt (Wolfwalker Productions Inc.), Tasha Hubbard (Katawak Productions Inc.), Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (VisJuelles Productions Inc.), Ron E. Scott (Prairie Dog Film + Television), and Ernest Webb (Rezolution Pictures International Inc.). The delegation is led by Kerry Sugiyama, Sr. Manager of International Market Development and also attending is Kaya Wheeler, Manager of Strategic Initiatives.
Prior to Content London, the delegation will receive support from ISO for pre-preparation to optimize their trip to London, UK in connecting with potential international networks, streaming networks, buyers, distributors and broadcasters. ISO delegates will participate in various events hosted by the Canadian Media Producers’ Association (CMPA).
2023 Delegate Bios
Shane Belcourt, Wolfwalker Productions Inc.
Shane Belcourt is a two-time CSA-nominated Director, with award-winning narrative and documentary works in both film and TV. He has directed two narrative feature films, TKARONTO (which was showcased in both the TIFF Indigenous Cinema Retrospective and the UCLA Film & Television Archive traveling exhibition, “Through Indian Eyes: Native American Cinema”) and RED ROVER (premiered at the Whistler Film Festival and can be found on Amazon Prime). In documentary, Shane directed KAHA:WI, which won a CSC award for Best Cinematography in 2016, along with a CSA Best Director nomination. As well, Shane co-directed (with Lisa Jackson) the CBC one-hour INDICTMENT: THE CRIMES OF SHELLY CHARTIER which won Best Doc at imagineNATIVE. Shane created the musical documentary series AMPLIFY, which airs season 2 on APTN this Fall while season 3 goes to camera. Shane directed the feature documentary BEAUTIFUL SCARS, about internationally acclaimed songwriter Tom Wilson; directed the feature narrative WARRIOR STRONG which was released to select USA theatres in the Fall; and production on a feature documentary NADAAMAADIS which is aiming for completion in 2023. Finally, Shane is an alumna of the TIFF Talent Lab and NSI’s Totally Television programs, and a member of the DGC.
Tasha Hubbard, Katawak Productions Inc.
Tasha Hubbard is an award-winning filmmaker from Peepeekisis First Nation in Treaty Four Territory and has ties to Thunderchild First Nation in Treaty Six Territory. Hubbard’s most recent feature is the Canadian Screen Award winning NÎPAWISTAMÂSOWIN: WE WILL STAND UP, which opened Hot Docs in 2019 and took home the Best Canadian Feature prize and screened theatrically across Canada and at festivals around the world, also picking up the DGC Discovery Award for her direction and sweeping the Canadian festival and awards circuit. She made her solo directorial debut in 2004 with the Gemini award winning TWO WORLDS COLLIDING, an exposé of Saskatoon’s infamous ‘starlight tours,’ where police abandoned Indigenous men in freezing winter conditions. Hubbard is now developing that film into a scripted series with Shane Belcourt and Jon Montes. With her acclaimed 2017 documentary BIRTH OF A FAMILY, Hubbard sensitively parsed the Sixties Scoop legacy: a practice that saw more than 20,000 Indigenous babies removed from their birth families. It screened at Hot Docs, landing on their audience top-ten list and won the audience favourite for feature documentary at the Edmonton International Film Festival and the Moon Jury prize at imagineNATIVE. Hubbard is now developing the scripted version of that film. She is also an Associate Professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies and Department of English and Film. Her extensive research on Indigenous efforts to return the buffalo to the lands is the focus of her upcoming documentary feature called SINGING BACK THE BUFFALO (to be released in 2024).
Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin, VisJuelles Productions Inc.
Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin (Attawapiskat) is an award-winning filmmaker, mother, writer, performance artist and academic. With her background in community work, social justice themes emerge in her films, alongside bravery, healing, connection and humour. Jules honours her Cree-speaking grandparents who raised her, and her mother, a residential school Survivor/warrior. Relying on a creative eye, keen mind and strong heart, Jules’ accomplishments include raising four sons while pursuing academics and artistry. Graduating from Concordia University’s Theatre program, Jules went on to Ryerson University’s Documentary Media master’s program, receiving early recognition with an Award of Distinction and an Academic Gold Medal for her thesis documentary film, Remembering Inninimowin. Jules went on to do her Ph.D. in Indigenous documentary and protocols and processes, through the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice program at the University of British Columbia. Jules is represented by The Characters Talent (acting) and Lucas Talent (writing, directing).
Ron E. Scott, Prairie Dog Film + Television
Ron E. Scott is an award-winning Showrunner and Director with over twenty-five years of industry experience, and a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. After graduating from Vancouver Film School in 1993, he founded Prairie Dog Film +Television and has since become a prominent figure in the world of independent television production. He has been involved in creating five scripted series and his projects have been nominated for over 170 Awards including Best Dramatic Series and Best Dramatic Writing at the Canadian Screen Awards. As a prolific producer and innovator, he has contributed to over 200 episodes of TV that have broadcast globally, including the ground-breaking one-hour dramatic series Blackstone, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and APTN Lumi.
Ernest Webb, Rezolution Pictures International Inc.
Ernest Webb is a world-renowned Indigenous media creator and storyteller. Born in James Bay and raised in the Cree community of Chisasibi, Ernest has devoted his life to telling the stories of Canada’s Indigenous communities across a multitude of mediums. The integrity and attention Ernest gives to the importance of the stories being told has allowed him to gain the trust of the communities he engages with, in ways that have led them to welcome and entrust him to share their stories with the world. Ernest’s success came swiftly, achieving awards and critical acclaim for his co-direction and starring roles in some of Rezolution’s biggest hits. This includes his role as executive producer of Sundance and 3-time Canadian Screen Award winning feature documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, as well as the 4-time Canadian Screen Awards nominated dramatic comedy series Mohawk Girls.
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For more information please contact:
Jean-François D. O’Bomsawin
Director of Marketing & Communications
Indigenous Screen Office
jfobomsawin@iso-bea.ca
About the Indigenous Screen Office
The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) is an independent national advocacy and funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators of screen content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster and support narrative sovereignty and cultural revitalization by increasing Indigenous storytelling on screens and promoting Indigenous values and participation across the sector.