CMF & Telefilm Canada Celebrate Diversity at MIPJunior & MIPCOM

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm Canada are teaming up once again to feature a series of events at MIPJunior and MIPCOM that celebrate diversity.

The two funding organizations are bringing together a group of Canadian producers to showcase four screen-based projects which portray diversity in many forms.

In a session titled “Celebrating the Power and Beauty of Diversity,” Shabnam Rezaei, president and co-founder of Big Bad Boo Studios, will speak about the star-studded Bravest Knight, a 13-episode animated series that features a LGBTQ main character: a pumpkin farmer married to a prince, who teaches his daughter all about bravery. RuPaul, Christine Baranski, Wanda Sykes and many others lend their voices to the Bravest Knight’s characters.

Judith Beauregard, executive producer and co-CEO of Tobo, will present Dounia, a six-episode animated series that explores the crisis of immigration and displaced children from the eyes of a young girl named Dounia, who leaves Syria with her grandparents on a quest for asylum.

Jerry Thevenet, writer, director and producer at JerryCo Animation, will speak about Dreamcatchers. This Indigenous, 26-episode animated series tells the tales of “a group of Indigenous kids who use their ancestral super powers to battle evil in the form of a large corporation threatening their traditional way of life.” The “eco-adventure” series features Indigenous kids and voiceover artists Shawn Youngchief, Paula Davis and Anne Marchand. The series will be available in English, French and Mi’kmaw.

Colin Van Loon, director of Coyote Science, will showcase Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show, a 13-episode series that uses both live action and animation. Gearing up for its third season, and with an interactive digital experience, this science series encourages Indigenous youth to find out about the science of the world from an Indigenous perspective, and features Indigenous youth, Elders and scientists. The series is available in English and Hul’qumi’num.

In addition to the MIPJunior showcase, Telefilm Canada, in partnership with the CMF, will host some 80 Canadian companies at MIPCOM. Other initiatives include a series of networking events, such as a matchmaking session between French and Canadian women producers, organized in collaboration with Médiaclub’Elles.

“Canada’s creators and storytellers are gifted with a wealth of talent and diversity of perspectives that are as vast as our country,” said Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF. “Through the use of storytelling techniques that bridge differences and transcend barriers, the four projects we’re featuring at MIPJunior are excellent examples of Canadian content that helps open the hearts and minds of children around the world. We’re celebrating the power and beauty of diversity, but we also aim to harness the full potential that it brings. Thanks to our rich cultural diversity, Canada continues leading in the production of educational and compelling kids’ content that reaches audiences around the world.”

“Together with the CMF, we’ve brought together an exceptional lineup of Canadian creators, content producers, and distributors for this year’s MIPCOM,” said Christa Dickenson, executive director of Telefilm Canada. “Our companies and participants showcase the range and caliber of our country’s audiovisual industry, and we can’t wait to introduce them to our international partners and cultivate new business relationships.”