On Thursday, August 20, 2026, Film Training Manitoba (FTM) revealed film icon Pam Grier as the keynote speaker for Canada’s Supporting Women in Film Trades Conference.
Pam Grier is recognized as one of the most pioneering and influential figures in cinema, particularly in the action and blaxploitation genres. Widely regarded as the first woman of African descent to headline an action film—and described by Quentin Tarantino as “cinema’s first female action star”—Grier transformed Hollywood’s representation of women and Black performers through her commanding screen presence, subversive charisma, and ground-breaking performances.
The conference will provide customized learning and networking designed to champion the growth and development of our dynamic women-identifying and gender-diverse workers in the film industry. All speakers and panel sessions support improving the workplace culture to retain and attract more women-identifying workers within the film and media industry.
CBC News Winnipeg covered the story.
Read more details about the conference and register today: https://filmtraining.mb.ca/swift/
FTM is a non-for-profit charity and member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council program funded through the Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources. FTM builds a highly skilled and adaptable film industry workforce to support the activities of Manitoba production companies. FTM collaborates and partners with members of the film industry to identify training needs to support workforce development.