In the fall of 2025, Film Training Manitoba (FTM) and DOC Manitoba launched the Northern and Diverse Creators Program to enhance representation and access in Manitoba’s film industry for underrepresented communities.
Funded by the Canada Media Fund, the initiative provided 12 masterclasses and roundtable sessions across the province, reaching creatives from Indigenous, Black, Ukrainian, women, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Instructors included: Libby Lea, Charles Konowal, Rory Kennedy, Mark Bailey, and Kevin Nikkel. The sessions were held in a variety of places in Manitoba during the duration of this program, including Brandon, Churchill, Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon, The Pas, and Winnipeg.
The program proved to be a great success, exceeding initial expectations with a total of 233 attendees.
This program would not have been made possible without the contributions from our key partners: Canada Media Fund, DOC Manitoba, Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), Reel Pride Film Festival, African Movie Festival Manitoba (AMFM), the Northern Manitoba Sector Council, Assiniboine College, Merit Motion Pictures, Moxie Films, Frontier School Division, and the Central Economic Development Fund (CEDF).
You can read the full report about the program here.
FTM is a member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council Program funded through the Manitoba Business, Mining, Trade & Job Creation. 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 and television industry to identify training needs to support workforce development output.