Panel (Virtual)
Moms after dark: special edition
with Maissa Houri, Director of Womxn’s Industry, Digi60
Sunday, December 12, 2021 7:00 PM
Location: Virtual Online
Maissa Houri's Instagram series Moms After Dark will be presented as a virtual panel closing this year's Digi60 festival weekend. This panel will be about what it's like being a mother while working in the film industry.
Panelists: Laura Friedmann, Maya Bastian, Tonjha Richardson, and moderated by Maissa Houri
La série Instagram de Maissa Houri, Moms After Dark, sera présentée sous la forme d'un panel virtuel clôturant le week-end du festival Digi60 de cette année. Ce panel portera sur les expériences vécues par les mères qui travaillent dans l'industrie du film.
Panélistes : Laura Friedmann, Maya Bastian, Tonjha Richardson, et modérée par Maissa Houri
This panel will be offered in English only.
Laura Friedmann is a Colombian-born, Toronto-based creative producer and director passionate about championing diverse content and using film as a tool for education and social justice. For over a decade she has worked as a producer, director, cinematographer, and editor.
Her feature documentary, “The Painting”, based on her family history and personal journey, is currently in development. She was the cinematographer for the feature documentary ‘Glimpses Into the Spirit of Gender Equality' which premiered at the 2021 UN Commission on the Status of Women and was officially selected to a number of festivals receiving multiple awards. 'The Ward', a series she's producing with CaribbeanTales, was selected to the 2021 Netflix/Banff Diversity of Voices Initiative. Laura participated in the 2019 and 2020 Creators of Colour Incubator, where the feature film she’s producing “Tenaya”, was awarded the Audience Choice Award at TIFF.
In 2020, she was awarded a scholarship and graduated from the WIFT Toronto/Bell Media Leadership Program at the Schulich School of Business at York University. Laura was co-creator and facilitator at the 2018 Native Film & Storytelling Institute's pilot program at the University of California San Diego. In 2021 she led the Creators of Colour Incubator and the yearly ‘Big Pitch’ in partnership with TIFF. For five years she served on the board of directors of Breakthroughs Film Festival which is devoted exclusively to showcasing films by emerging female writers and directors. As an advocate for women in film and media, she continues to be involved in a number of grassroots initiatives aimed at promoting BIPOC women in the Canadian film industry.
She is co-owner of Wrapped Productions and is also on the BIPOC women-led development team at CineFAM. She is currently developing a slate that includes documentaries, short films, TV series, feature films, and podcasts.
Maya Bastian is an award winning filmmaker and writer with roots in conflict journalism. Her work has been shown in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, UK, France, Asia and across Canada. Her most recent film TIGRESS, produced by BLACKOUT MEDIA and India’s JAR PICTURES was nominated for a CEC AWARD and attended CANNES COURT METRAGE 2021. TIGRESS was supported by CBC, NETFLIX and the CANADIAN FILM CENTER. Her short drama AIR SHOW received national press and is currently airing on CBC. She is in development on multiple features with BLACKOUT MEDIA and SUITABLE PICTURES and is currently show running a 1/2 hour comedy series on race & representation ‘HOW TO BE BROWN’ with CINEFAM as well as co-writing and directing a paranormal mystery series with REFLECTOR ENTERTAINMENT. Her work frequently explores the trauma related to displacement and migration. She specializes in exploring untold stories from around the world, integrating the voices of each unique community through active engagement, research and open dialogue. .
Her video installations and mixed-media work has shown at the Colombo Art Biennale, Gallery 46 Whitechapel, Shoshana Wayne LA, Artworks Downtown SF, The Design Exchange and more. She premiered her multi-media series ‘Post-Memory’ at Edinburgh Fringe 2017 and recently spent 8 weeks on residency in Palestine at the Al Ma’Mal Foundation.
She is a producer on the BIPOC women-led development team at CineFAM and is the founder of the X-Wave Mentorship series for BIPOC creators at Trinity Square Video.
Tonjha Richardson has been an ACTRA member for over 20 years, and returned after a thirteen year hiatus to raise her incredibly talented dancer son Jude as a single parent.
Tonjha is thrilled to be back and is living her best life. Tonjha recently worked on the Black short film The Anniversary playing the role of Sandy, Christmas On 5th Avenue playing Dara and a " tough nut to crack '' Detective in the MOW '' Not My Daughter".
Just a Scarborough girl doing things! Tonjha is writing her very first project, a thirty minute comedy called " Happy 24", which is based on her drunken past, a fish out of water dark comedy which involves insane shenanigans, an ensemble of social misfits of the Happy 24 recovery group helping each other navigate through life and their demons just one day at a time.
Maissa Houri is Digi60’s Director of Womxn’s Industry. She is an Arab-Canadian award-winning independent filmmaker and due to the misrepresentation of Arabs and Muslims on TV and in film, Maissa started creating her own work in order to properly represent her culture. Currently, Maissa is working on the development of a new series based on Arab-Canadians and producing short films for emerging BIPOC directors.