JULIEN CADIEUX (he-they) is an Acadian filmmaker living in Shediac, New Brunswick. Their documentary work explores queer identities, rural life, inclusion, and migration. Their films include Y a une étoile, about Angèle Arsenault and queer experience in Acadia; Daniel le Tisserand; and Les mains du monde. Cadieux co-directed Cousu, an international documentary series about fashion, which won Gémeaux Awards for Best Direction and Best Documentary Series. Recent projects, including Amir, le petit prince and Bientôt dans nos hôpitaux, explore care, inclusion, and community life. Through attentive listening, Cadieux creates sensitive stories rooted in community and often-overlooked voices in Acadia and beyond.

MAXIME BEAUCHAMP is a bilingual Canadian showrunner, writer and director creating bold, music-driven television with heart. He created FEM, the award-winning queer coming-of-age drama streaming on Netflix, now in its second season. He also directed two seasons of Radio-Canada’s anthology comedy Malgré moi, with a third on the way, and created CANCELLED for TV5. He is currently developing drama and comedy series with CRAVE and Radio-Canada. A former dancer and performing artist, Maxime brings a distinctive sense of movement, music and emotion to heartfelt stories that amplify voices rarely seen on screen.

TYREL LOUGHEED is a 2Spirit Indigenous filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and story-editor with their roots in the Sto:Lo and Tlaʼamin First Nations of British Columbia. Tyrel was a graduate of the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program at Capilano College in North Vancouver, BC and completed the Screenwriting for Film and TV program at Vancouver Film School. Tyrel has been the recipient of two grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, had two productions funded by the Indigenous Screen Office, and done jury work with many funding organizations. Tyrel is currently enrolled in the Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership & Management Business Affairs (FILMBA) at Capilano University, where they are studying to be a better producer.

LEENA MINIFIE (Gitxaala/British) is a Vancouver-based director, producer and digital strategist spanning across documentary, interactive, and journalism. Her work includes producing Bones Of Crows, Lily Gladstone: Far Out There (PBS), and British Columbia - an Untold History (Knowledge). An award-winning series producer, Leena has led impact campaigns for Indian Horse, The Grizzlies, Monkey Beach, Saints And Warriors, The New Corporation. Leena won the 2025 CMPA Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Indiescreen Award. She’s a Reelworld Producers Program fellow and 2024 trailblazer. Leena’s directorial debut is The Good Canadian (CBC/APTN), an investigative feature documentary that she co-directed for APTN/CBC.

MIGUEL COURCHESNE is a Film & Television Associate who specializes in the genres of horror and sci-fi. Over the last 15 years he gathered over 15 000 hours of expertise in narration during which he shared as a mentor for dozens of aspiring screenwriters and narrators. Human contact being paramount to him, it was only a natural evolution of his skills after the Toronto Film School institute, from which he graduated, reached out to him to become a tutor for some of their students. On a more personal note, he gathers weekly with many groups of different communities to dabble in a plethora of activities, being surrounded by people he loves being more important than the event itself.

HAUI™ (Howard J. Davis) is an award-winning transdisciplinary artist creating work for stage, screen, and visual arts. At the Canadian Opera Company, he became the youngest stage director in company history, directing his award-winning Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White. Other notable projects include the feature film Mixed↑ (MixedUp), Private Flowers, and Aunt Harriet: An Ontario Oratorio, currently touring globally. A former Shaw Festival company member published by Playwrights Canada Press, HAUI is a Chalmers Arts Fellow and an alumnus of The Watermill Center (US), with upcoming residencies at Britten Pears Arts (UK) and Can Serrat (Spain).

A graduate of the Film program and now a trainer at L'Inis, Camille established herself as a screenwriter following her experience as an analyst in the institutional sector, with her short films Miette (2021), Brasier (2022), and Le ravissement (2024) achieving notable festival success. A sought-after script consultant in the industry, she also leads workshops on narrative structure and the art of pitching. Alongside directing her next short film, Les Galets, she wrote the screenplay for the 2026 sports drama C'est moi le meilleur and is currently developing three feature films. She actively advocates for better minority representation.

EISHA MARJARA gained recognition with her NFB docudrama Desperately Seeking Helen, winning the Critic’s Choice Award at Locarno and the Jury Prize at München Dokumentarfilm Festival. Described as “one of the most auspicious film debuts on the Canadian scene,” she later wrote and directed The Tourist, House for Sale, and Venus, a queer drama-comedy that won multiple awards, including the EDA Award at Whistler Film Festival. Her NFB doc Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? won the Betty Youson Award at Hot Docs 2024, and was featured in the New York Times Op-Docs platform. Her new feature Calorie, starring Anupam Kher and Ellora Patnaik, explores a family dealing with a real life tragedy. Recently, she was selected for the Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep supported The Writers Lab for her feature film Stop Bath.