Distinguished Canada Connect Delegation Announced – Today, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) announced the delegates from Australia and Canada participating in Canada Connect, the latest iteration of the Global Connect initiative.
This year, SPA partnered with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) on the initiative, which aims to accelerate co-production financing and partnership opportunities between the two unique markets.
Canada Connect will bring together some of Australia’s most successful and experienced producers and Canada’s leading screen industry figures for a dedicated day of networking before the main conference, fostering international collaborations on groundbreaking projects.
“Australia and Canada share a passion for stories that reflect the people and places of our two vast countries, and this is reinforced by recent collaborative projects from Australian and Canadian producers,’
– said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.
“Since the Australia / Canada co-production treaty was established in 1990, over 70 official co-productions have been recorded across genres including animation, documentary, drama, and feature film, with many more unofficial co-productions generated.
“However, this co-production treaty is outdated and desperately in need of modernising. The screen industry has changed significantly in the last 35 years, and to realise the opportunities from this strong relationship and shared language and values, Australia and Canada should take this opportunity to work together to prioritise updating this treaty.
“SPA’s advocacy for more funding for our national broadcasters, ABC and SBS and our national screen agency, Screen Australia, is also an important step towards building stronger connections between our countries through co-production opportunities,”
– said Deaner.
“We are delighted to bring this group of brilliant producers to SCREEN FOREVER 39,”
– said Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO of CMPA.
“Co-production between Canadian and Australian producers is not just a business transaction; there is a powerful synergy between our countries that amplifies our storytelling and expands our combined global reach. This will only be enhanced by the modernisation of the audiovisual co-production treaty between Canada and Australia.”
Notable Canadian delegates announced today include Daniel Bekerman, the Producer behind acclaimed horror productions The Witch, Ready or Not, and How It Ends, and Kevin Krikst, award-winning feature film and TV producer from Rhombus Media Inc., who is behind prestige projects such as Seven Veils, BlackBerry, and The Sympathizer.
Chair of the CMPA Board of Directors Damon D’Oliveira is attending as a Producer from Conquering Lion Pictures. Another is prolific children’s content executive Carla De Jong, Head of International Co-Productions and Partnerships at Sinking Ship Entertainment. Christina Fon, VP, Strategic Partnerships and Scripted Content at Shaftesbury Inc. is a Peabody Award and five-time Canadian Screen Award winner.
Another delegate is Erik Pack, SVP, Global Co-Production at Canadian Boat Rocker Studios, Erik most recently Executive Produced Australian Irish co-production Mix Tape – soon to be released on BINGE.
Further delegates include Award-winning producer Shant Joshi who is on a mission to decolonise Hollywood by creating cinematic content for, by, and about queer, trans, and BIPOC people.
The rest of the delegation from Canada are equally as impressive and accomplished, including Beth Iley, VP, International Series Development and Executive Producer at Lark Productions, Arshad Khan, Executive Director at Gray Matter Productions, Silvana Rose Miller, Development Executive, Producer at OYA Media Group, Kulbinder Saran Caldwell, Founder and CEO at Reallife Pictures Inc., and Sarah Timmins, President, Executive Producer at Black Birds Entertainment.
Recognising the importance of Indigenous storytelling and shared experiences, both SPA and the CMPA saw opportunities within the initiative to showcase Indigenous stories. The Indigenous delegates from Canada are Paula Devonshire, Producer at Devonshire Productions Inc. and Tania Koenig Gauchier, CEO at Wapanatahk Media.
They will be joined by four of Australia’s established and rising First Nations screen professionals: Jodie Bell, Producer, CEO at Ramu Productions, Dean Gibson, Producer, Writer, Director at Bacon Factory Films, Leonie Kelly, Director, Producer at Farm Gate Productions, and Shontell Ketchell, Director at Pandamonium Films.
Other Australian delegates include producer, Mark Fennessy, Chief Creative Officer at Helium Pictures. Mark will be joined by Sarah Lambert, Showrunner, Writer, and Producer at Lantern Pictures. Darren Ashton, Co-Head of Scripted Development at Northern Pictures will also join the delegation, along with Courtney Botfield, Producer, Founder at Denim Pictures, Sally Browning, Producer at Emerald Films, Christopher Casanova, Head of Content at Princess Pictures, Nicholas Colla, Company Director, Executive and Creative Producer at LateNite, Kerrin McNeil, Producer, Co-Founder at Good Apples Pictures, Helen Morrison, Producer, Writer at Allstory Pictures, Monica O’Brien, Executive Producer at Ambience Entertainment and Emerald Films, Lois Randall, Founder, Producer at Magpie Pictures, Christopher Sharp, Head of Scripted Content at Easy Tiger, Tracey Vieira, Chief Content Officer at Hoodlum Entertainment, and Sal Balharrie, Writer, Director, Creative Producer at Naked Emperor.
Canada Connect will be a curated and competitive co-production market and part of the SPA Connect Market (Tuesday, 6 May – Thursday, 8 May 2025).
Australian producers selected to participate will be joined by leading Canadian screen industry practitioners with projects and business ideas that complement and align with their projects.
Hosted on Queensland’s iconic Gold Coast, the delegation will have the opportunity to connect and build their networks through exclusive B2B activities on Monday, 5 May, the day before SCREEN FOREVER 39, Australia’s premier screen industry event (Tuesday, 6 – Thursday, 8 May 2025).
Link to more info on the Canada Connect delegation HERE.
Link to SCREEN FOREVER 39 website HERE.
Media Release – SPA
Link to SPA HERE
TV Central Screen Australia content HERE
Distinguished Canada Connect Delegation Announced
