WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE THE BLM MOVEMENT?
The horrible death of Gorge Floyd opened the world’s eyes to the continuous and long-overlooked injustices faced by Blacks worldwide every day. The BLM movement has been instrumental in bringing forth this awareness and has forced arts-based industries to look at the importance and need for greater diversity and inclusion in every aspect within their walls.
What has changed? If so, are the changes too slow? Are these changes enough?
We will discuss the impact the BLM movement has had on the world and the significant changes if any that have taken place since George Floyd's death. And what further steps are needed to ensure that these changes continue in the future.
Moderator
Tayo Bero: Award-winning Culture Writer and Radio Producer
Tayo Bero is an award-winning culture writer and radio producer. Her work often appears in publications like Chatelaine Magazine, Teen Vogue, the Guardian and on CBC Radio.
Covering issues spanning race, culture, feminism and the African diaspora, Tayo is committed to uplifting marginalized voices and telling unique stories.
Panelists
Floyd Kane: Film Producer
Trained as a lawyer, Floyd worked on the business side of production companies, moving all the way up to VP of creative and business affairs at Halifax Film Company (now DHX Media), before he walked away from the executive suite in 2010 to launch his own shingle, Freddie Films. But even before that, he got his first taste of showrunning with the Halifax-based soap opera North/South in 2006, wrote the feature film Across the Line and for series including Continuum. Kane returned to his Haligonian (and legal) roots to create/showrun law-focused drama Diggstown (Freddie Films/Circle Blue Entertainment/DHX Media) for CBC.
Jennifer Holness: Award-winning Writer and Producer
Jennifer Holness is an award-winning writer and producer of scripted and factual TV and films. Jen recently co-created the TV drama series Shoot The Messenger for CBC. She co-wrote and produced the two-part CBC miniseries, Guns, starring Elisha Cuthbert and Colm Feore that won five Canadian Screen Awards, including a shared best writing award for Jen. She also co-created, wrote and produced the thirteen-part comedy series She’s The Mayor for Vision TV.
Sudz Sutherland: Award winning Writer and Director
Sudz works on both sides of the fence as a freelance writer and director for TV dramas and feature films. Sudz’s latest feature film, Home Again, won the prestigious PAFF‐BAFTA Festival Choice Award in Los Angeles and was recently nominated for Best Direction from the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC).
Joyce Marie Fitzpatrick: Award-Winning Producer, Writer and Director
Joyce launched her film production company, Flatcat-Productions, LLC, in the city of Los Angeles with a mission to develop, produce and complete independent film and television projects for distribution. Her company FlatCat-Productions understands and supports the independent filmmakers logic and focuses on developing partnerships that help filmmakers achieve the most creative and well-produced project. She has worked for ABC, NBC, CW, UPN network, PBS, E! Entertainment, and Black Entertainment Television (BET).
Brian Shackleford: Award-Winning Producer, Writer and Director
Brian Shackelford is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University film school in California and the founder of Tunnel Vizion Films, Inc. Tunnel Vision Films specializes in taking film and television projects from concept to creation. .His most recent work includes the 2020 Vision Films release of the Award winning documentary, The Color of Medicine: The Story of Homer G. Phillips Hospital directed and produced with Joyce Fitzpatrick.
