GIFF GLOBAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT
Join us for a variety of workshops, in-conversations, and masterclasses on the film industry and the art of filmmaking. Bring your questions for our expert speakers and panelists during these engaging discussions!
All sessions will take place in The Lakeview Hotel at Darren Hall (Across from the Festival Box Office)
Introduction to Cinematography Masterclass
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Join a session, sponsored by ICG 669, where our presenter and ICG member, Greg Nicod (Many Wounds), will discuss his journey into the world of cinematography as well as highlighting case studies about the making of their own featured projects. Attendees can expect to leave the session with a greater understanding of the expansive world of cinematography, focalized through the experience of a working cinematographer.
Presented in partnership with:
Facilitator
Greg Nicod is a Winnipeg-based cinematographer whose passion for film began in childhood in France, where frequent trips to the cinema inspired a lifelong career in visual storytelling. After relocating to Canada, he built extensive experience working on French-Canadian, international, and major film, television, and commercial productions while developing his own cinematography practice.
Drawing on his background in photography and travel, Greg's visual style emphasizes naturalistic lighting and authentic imagery. He gained international recognition for his work on the acclaimed short film Sacred Hairs, which screened at festivals including Cleveland, Shorts Shorts Tokyo, and Providence, and was shortlisted among the final 10 films for the 2019 Academy Awards in the Live Action Short category. Since moving to Winnipeg in 2019, Greg has served as cinematographer on the feature film Hunter Hunter, collaborated with Guy Maddin on The Rabbit Hunter, and continued to shoot feature films, television movies, and series for Canadian and international directors.
Introduction to Interim Production Financing
Thursday, July 23, 2026 | 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Join us for an insightful session on interim production financing with RBC, tailored to support emerging producers in financing their projects. Discover how financial institutions can provide crucial financial support during the production phase, as well as how to navigate key risks such as budget overruns and production delays. Learn about the key information required to support your project, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the financing process and how to effectively manage financial needs throughout production.
Presented in partnership with:
Facilitator
Adam Shalaby, a Relationship Manager at RBC, specializes in supporting clients within the film and media industry. Adam brings over 16 years of financial services experience and is passionate about supporting emerging and established producers. Adam thrives on expanding his expertise to support his client’s success.
From Picture Lock to File Preservation: The Lifespan of an Independent Short Film
Thursday, July 23, 2026 | 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Independent film distribution is a beneficial resource for all phases of your film’s life. While this support is most tangible through the coordination of film screenings and educational acquisitions, there are many smaller actions taking place which make these film presentations possible. These smaller actions ensure better film presentation quality and allow for a longer lifespan due to accessibility, organization, and care. Using the story of the Winnipeg Film Group as a 50-year-old “accidental archive” and community repository, this session will provide insights into the three main phases of a film’s life: active distribution, non-active distribution, and the filmmaker’s archive. By focusing on these three main phases, we will dig into topics such as, but not limited to:
Basics of independent film distribution
Asset management
Digital infrastructure and organization
Access and searchability
Presentation as preservation
While all knowledge shared is coming from the experiences of the Winnipeg Film Group Distribution staff, the information presented is meant to be helpful for those doing self-distribution as well.
Presented in partnership with:
Facilitators
Jillian Groening is an arts and cultural worker based in Winnipeg, MB on Treaty One Territory. They are the Distribution Director at the Winnipeg Film Group (WFG) and have a background in dance and performance.
Skye Callow is an artist, emerging film programmer, and arts administrator from Sandy Hook, Manitoba. Based on Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, she currently works as the Distribution and Collections Coordinator at the Winnipeg Film Group and is a member of the Open City Cinema Collective (The Winnipeg Underground Film Festival).
Every Story Has the Power to Inspire Change: Celebrating Indigenous Storytelling, Career Pathways and Industry Impact
Friday, July 24, 2026 | 11:30PM to 12:30PM
Join the National Screen Institute’s program manager Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill for an inspiring session on the power and impact of Indigenous storytelling. Alongside a panel of storytellers, they’ll explore career journeys, lessons learned and advice for emerging creators. The session also features a screening of Fight or Flight, a short film by Lindsay Jade created through the NSI Intro to Production – Manitoba Indigenous Youth Edition program, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. Coffee will be provided.
Presented in partnership with:
Host
Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill is a multi-talented Indigenous filmmaker from Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is registered to Long Plain First Nation. As manager of programs and development at the National Screen Institute, she works across many programs, including managing CBC New Indigenous Voices and the TikTok Accelerator forIndigenous Creators, while supporting storytellers in Canada in sharing their stories through filmmaking.
Panelists
Nathaniel Jordan Magbanua is a filmmaker and cinematographer from Swan Lake First Nation, currently based in Winnipeg. An alum of CBC New Indigenous Voices, he brings a strong visual eye to documentaries, short films and music videos, with a focus on meaningful images and compelling storytelling.
Matthew Shoup is an emerging Métis filmmaker from Winnipeg, whose lifelong love of movies led him to begin making films at age 12. He balances studies at the University of Winnipeg, work as post-production supervisor at Wookey Films and his own creative projects, including a documentary about the Michif French language and a broader goal of supporting meaningful Métis representation on screen.
Dinae Robinson is a Saulteaux-Ojibway writer, director, showrunner and producer whose work spans scripted, unscripted and documentary storytelling. A two-time Banff Rockie Award nominee, she was a showrunner, executive producer, writer and director on season 5 of Taken and continues to develop projects focused on Indigenous stories and voices. She is an alum of CBC New Indigenous Voices.
Lindsay Jade is an Ojibwe and Cree creative, born and raised in Winnipeg and a member of Maskwacis Louis Bull Cree Nation. An alum of NSI Intro to Production – Manitoba Indigenous Youth and current participant of CBC New Indigenous Voices, she is passionate about storytelling, movies and all things pink, and spends her time writing, beading, creating content and dreaming up new ideas.
Roger Boyer is a filmmaker based in Winnipeg, with a passion for writing, directing and producing. He has created more than 15 music videos, short documentaries and short films, and is a graduate of Capilano University’s Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership and Management Business Affairs program, and several National Screen Institute programs including NSI IndigiDocs and NSI Storytellers.
Heart Stories: Creating Short Films from the Inside Out
Friday, July 24, 2026 | 2:30PM to 3:30PM
Creating a short film often begins with an inner impulse—a memory, feeling, or question that seeks expression. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how filmmaking can become a process of discovery, translating personal experiences into stories that can be shared with others. Through the screening of digital stories made in therapeutic contexts by first-time filmmakers, we will reflect on the ways video-making can give a voice to emotions that are unspoken and open up our experiences to others. Participants will then create collaborative film sketches using a curated library of images, sounds, and music to explore their own creative expression. The workshop concludes with a screening of the film sketches and a discussion about what it means to create from an intuitive and authentic place. Open to everyone—from aspiring first-time filmmakers to experienced creators seeking inspiration.
Presented in partnership with:
Facilitator
Bevan Klassen is an independent filmmaker, registered art therapist, and an educator whose work explores how filmmaking can become a tool for self-discovery, meaning-making, and connection. Drawing from his experiences as a filmmaker and therapist, he has guided art therapy participants through community partners, such as Ndinawe, Canadian Mental Health Association, and CancerCare Manitoba, to uncover strengths, express lived experiences, and move through personal challenges.
In-Conversation with Screen Composer & Director
Saturday, July 25, 2026 | 2:30PM to 4:00PM
A great film is like listening to your favourite band, every note matters and every member contributes to create this special moment. When composers work with filmmakers, their collaboration can make you fall in love, push you to the edge of your seat, and inspire you like nothing else. Follow a conversation between screen composer, Justin DeLorme, and director, Jessica Landry, as they discuss the importance of communication and collaboration between their mutually creative roles in the making of a finished film.
Facilitators
Presented in partnership with:
Justin Delorme is a Red River Métis screen composer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Recognized by Variety as one of 10 Canadians to Watch, he has built a substantial and diverse body of work that includes 15 feature films, 250 episodes of television, and a wide range of short films and documentaries. Recent projects include the upcoming CBC drama series Cold Country, his Canadian Screen Music Award-winning score for The Nest (2025), and three TIFF Official Selections: Blood Lines (2025), the four-part documentary series The Knowing (2024), and Aberdeen (2024).
Jessica Landry is a director, producer, Canadian Screen Award-nominated screenwriter, and Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Her work has been developed through TIFF, Women in the Director’s Chair, the Canadian Film Centre, NSI, and the Whistler Film Festival Labs, among other leading industry programs. Through her company, Familiar Films, she develops film and television projects including Ghost Lands for Blue Ant Media, Killer Body Count for Tubi, the feature adaptation of her award-nominated novella The Night Belongs to Us, and the Cree-language children's series Tansi Time for APTN. Jessica also co-directed APTN's Rezervations for Two, wrote the Critics' Choice Award-nominated List of a Lifetime, co-wrote the Rockie Award-nominated documentary True Story, directed episodes of 7th Gen, and has written, directed, and produced six award-winning short films.
Pathways to Success: Masterclass with Elena Sturk-Lussier
Sunday, July 26, 2026 | 11:00AM to 12:00PM
In a session partnered with Manitoba Film and Music, follow filmmaker Elena Sturk-Lussier (winner of GIFF’s RBC Pitch Competition in 2021) from her Winnipeg origins, to the making of her work featured at this year’s Festival, to a vision of how to establish oneself in the industry. Elena will guide attendees along the process of seeking funding for and creating her narrative short film SLURP (an erotic, gastronomic thriller featured in GIFF’s Thematic Shorts 2: Constant Craving). The session will close with her top tips for attendees learning how to get paid while following their passions as well as a peek into what's next on her own creative calendar.
Presented in partnership with:
Facilitator
Elena Sturk-Lussier is a Gémeaux-nominated screenwriter, director, and independent filmmaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her films have screened at Cinemania, Festival Courts d’un soir, FOGFEST, and the Gimli International Film Festival, where she won the RBC Pitch Competition in 2021. Her recent projects include the narrative short film SLURP, a gastronomic thriller made with an all-women and non-binary cast and crew, as well as the comedy drama series LES FAILLITES D'ASTRID, now streaming on Radio-Canada. Elena is an alumna of the Genre Film Lab, LA WATCH Talent Lab, the Reykjavik International Film Festival's Talent Lab, and was selected to pitch her feature film AFTER THE END at the Frontières coproduction market during the Fantasia Film Festival. Elena also works as a writer-director for hire, and has worked on many documentary, lifestyle, and animated youth series. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh, and splits her time between Vancouver and Winnipeg.