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WARREN SONODA (PANEL MODERATOR)
With more than 125 videos under his belt, Warren P. Sonoda is considered one of the country’s most accomplished Music Video Directors. Sonoda has amassed eight Number One Chart Videos, over 40 top twenty videos and has been nominated a record six years in a row by MuchMusic for their video awards. In addition to his work on the music scene, Warren has recently established himself as one of Canada’s most promising feature talents, directing the comedy HAM&CHEESE and the horror film 5IVE GIRLS. |
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PAUL LENART (PANELIST)
Paul Lenart has worked on some thirty movies and produced a handful of award winning short films. IN SHADOW, a CFC production, premiered in Sundance, while his next film MOTHERS, FATHERS, AND OTHER STRANGERS opened at the Toronto International Film Festival. He currently has two shorts touring the festivals: ONEHEADWORD PROTECTION, which played in Slamdance, and THE INTERIOR MONOLOGUE OF GILL THE GOLDFISH, which debuted at the Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts. Prior to founding his own production company, Storyteller Pictures, Paul was a CFC Producer Resident. Currently he is in production on the animated Viking epic EGILL, while also developing the family feature GIANTLAND (Winner of the Toronto Film Festival's Pitch This! Competition) in addition to a comedy, tentatively titled FINGER SKATER: THE RISE AND FALL AND RISE AGAIN OF RUSTY JAMES, in development with the CFC's Feature Film Project. |
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DANIELLE SHAMASH (FILMMAKER/PANELIST)
Toronto born filmmaker, Danielle Shamash is a graduate of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. While earning a BFA in Film Studies from Ryerson University, Danielle worked on numerous award-winning spots for MuchMusic. She was subsequently hired by Star! Television, to write, direct and edit national promos and branding campaigns. In addition to the work she has done while at the AFI, Danielle has directed numerous short films, including LIFE ACCORDING TO ELLIE B, which was honored with the Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award. In 2003, Danielle was selected to participate in the prestigious National Apprenticeship Training Program, administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. Danielle’s recent short, THE SUNDAY MAN, was recognized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, winning a BAFTA award in Los Angeles for Best Student Film. |
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RENUKA JEYAPALAN (FILMMAKER/PANELIST)
Renuka Jeyapalan earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the Director’s Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and has made several award winning short films. Her latest short film, BIG GIRL premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival where it was awarded the ShortCuts Canada Best Short Film Award. Since then, the film has screened at various festivals around the world, including the Berlin International Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the San Francisco International Film Festival and was nominated for a 2007 Genie Award for Best Live-Action Short Film. She is currently developing her first feature film, HOW TO GO TO A WEDDING ALONE. |
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GAVIN HEFFERNAN (FILMMAKER/PANELIST)
Born an only child in Oakville, Ontario, Gavin Heffernan is a recent graduate of the American Film Institute. While pursuing a BA at McGill University, Heffernan secured the aid of college friends, talented amateurs and a Sony DV Camera to write/direct the microbudget feature EXPIRATION. Against long odds, the $10K film made a splash on the Independent Film scene - winning the Grand Prize for Best Feature Film at the 2004 Canadian Filmmakers' Festival and later being named by The Film Journal as “the first major work of the Digital New Wave”. While studying at AFI, Gavin wrote/directed several short films, including his 2007 thesis picture SANTA CROCE.Currently residing in Los Angeles, Heffernan is developing his next feature project, tentatively titled DEPARTURE. |
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VIVIENO CALDINELLI (FILMMAKER/PANELIST)
Vivieno's work has appeared on CBC, CityTV, The Comedy Network, and Bravo! In 2006, Vivieno was invited to participate in both the Berlinale Talent Campus, Berlin International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab. His latest film IF I SEE RANDY AGAIN, DO YOU WANT ME TO HIT HIM WITH THE AXE? was produced through the Canadian Film Centre's NBC/Universal Short Dramatic Film Program. It had its premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and most recently is nominated for 3 awards at the 2007 Canadian Comedy Awards. |
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JEFF STEPHENSON (FILMMAKER/PANELIST)
A graduate of the American Film Institute, NOW Magazine voted Stephenson the #1 Canadian Filmmaker to Look Out for in 2004. Jeff has served as a Chairman and Juror for the Genie and Gemini Awards, Canada's highest entertainment honors. Jeff has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors Degree in Film Production from York University where his award-winning thesis film, TIME MACHINE, was selected to compete for the Student Academy Awards. He has also directed the feature films FLYERMAN and the recently completed HAMLET (SOLO). Currently Jeff is in post-production on a feature film he co-wrote and directed in Athens, Georgia, tentatively entitled THE HILL. |
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