Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026 (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
Location: University of Winnipeg (Riddell Hall – 411 Spence Street)
Registration fee: $70.00
*This conference is exclusively for women, women-identifying and non-binary participants.
*Please note: Registrations are non-transferable. Registrations must be the attendees.
Film Training Manitoba (FTM) and our partners are proud to announce that Canada’s Supporting Women in Film Trades (SWIFT) Conference 2026 is open for registration! Our conference welcomes crew members, filmmakers, performers and anyone interested in film and media. This year, the SWIFT Conference is taking place on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
This year’s conference theme is: ACTION!: Breaking Barriers. Building Careers.
This 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.
FTM is a not-for-profit charity, and we are a member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council Program, which supports economic development and jobs. Canada’s SWIFT was founded in 2021 and created by a committee of 15 women film professionals.
SWIFT 2026 Program Overview:
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM: Panel 1 – Action Starts Here: Women Building Careers in Film Trades
The film industry relies on highly skilled crews working behind the scenes to bring stories to life. Women are playing an increasingly vital role across the film trades, helping shape the future of the industry. This panel explores career pathways, what it’s really like to work on set, and the opportunities available in Manitoba’s growing screen industry.
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM: Networking Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Film Industry Connections: Rapid Networking Roundtables
Taking action to build strong professional relationships is an essential step toward breaking barriers and advancing careers in the film industry. During this dynamic networking session, the MC will rotate SWIFT participants through a series of facilitated roundtable discussions designed to foster meaningful connections with fellow film professionals from across Manitoba’s screen industry. By the end of the session, participants will have expanded their professional networks, strengthened relationships within the industry, and created new connections.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM: Film Sets Aren’t Families: Creating Healthy Workplace Boundaries with Tory McNally, CPHR, TIPI Legacy HR | Vice President, Professional Services
1:50 PM – 2:00 PM: Networking Break
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 2 – Action Behind the Camera: The Professionals Who Keep Production Moving
Every successful production depends on professionals whose work often happens away from the spotlight. From production offices and accounting to coordination, scheduling, and administration, these experts keep projects organized, on budget, and on schedule from prep to wrap. This panel highlights the rewarding careers that power the business of filmmaking.
3:00 PM – 3:10 PM: Networking Break
3:10 PM – 3:20 PM: Greeting
3:20 PM – 4:50 PM: Keynote Address: In Action with Pam Grier
Join legendary actress and cultural icon Pam Grier for an inspiring keynote address and an in-depth learning session about breaking barriers, building a lasting career, and creating opportunities for the next generation.
Moderated by Ellen Rutter, this engaging session will explore our keynote’s groundbreaking career, her experiences in the film industry, and the power of resilience, leadership, and taking action.
4:50 PM – 6:00 PM: SWIFT Awards Presentation & SWIFT Reception
SWIFT 2026 Keynote Speaker
Pam Grier (she/her)
The Keynote Speaker for this year’s SWIFT Conference is Pam Grier. 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.
Her entry into the film industry was unconventional. After moving to Los Angeles, Grier worked as a receptionist at American International Pictures, where she was encouraged to pursue acting and was discovered by director Jack Hill. She quickly appeared in a series of women-in-prison films, including The Big Doll House, Women in Cages, The Big Bird Cage (1972), and Black Mama White Mama. But it was her electrifying lead performances in Hill’s blaxploitation classics Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974) that catapulted her to international stardom and established her as a cultural icon.
Grier deliberately expanded into more varied film, television, and stage roles, including appearances in Fort Apache, The Bronx, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Miami Vice, and Above the Law.
After overcoming a cancer diagnosis, Grier experienced a major career resurgence when Quentin Tarantino cast her in the title role of Jackie Brown (1997), a film adapted from Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch and written specifically for her.
The performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination and widespread critical acclaim, reaffirming her status as one of America’s most compelling screen actors.
Grier has continued to work steadily in film and television, with memorable recurring roles as Kit Porter in Showtime’s The L Word (2004–2009), Amanda Waller in Smallville, and Connie Terry in Bless This Mess (2019–2020). Her career accolades include nominations for a Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite, and Saturn Award.
Beyond acting, Grier is the author of the memoir Foxy: My Life in Three Acts and has received numerous honours celebrating her enduring legacy, including a lifetime achievement award from the Toronto Black Film Festival.
FTM is a non-for-profit charity and member of the Province of Manitoba’s Sector Council program funded through the Department of Business, Mining, Trade and 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 industry to identify training needs to support workforce development.