Six Canadian filmmakers selected for WIDC’s career development program

Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), celebrating 30 years of advancing Canadian screen talent, is pleased to announce the six filmmakers selected for its Fall/Winter 2026–27 Career Advancement Module (CAM).

Designed to help mid-career directors advance their careers and bring their projects closer to production, WIDC CAM provides individualized career coaching and opportunities to connect with Canada’s screen industry.

Running now until March 31, 2027, the program combines online masterclasses and individual career coaching with in-person industry immersion opportunities at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (October 20–24) and Toronto’s Reelworld Film Festival + Summit (October 20–25) and Female Eye Film Festival (November 18-22, 2026). Participating festivals provide complimentary passes, allowing filmmakers to engage with industry professionals and build relationships that extend well beyond the program. At the end of the six months, each director participant will have developed a strategic career plan that will include short, mid-range and long-term targets and action items to guide them.

The six filmmakers selected for the Fall/Winter 2026–27 cohort are:

Emily Diana Ruth | Ontario
Emily Diana Ruth is a Toronto-based filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans narrative film, digital series and experimental animation. She created and directed the award-winning digital series Cold, produced for Verizon and winner of the 2017 Streamy Award for Best Drama Series. She was also a writer and executive producer on the Quibi sci-fi series Don’t Look Deeper, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Don Cheadle and Emily Mortimer. Her short films have screened at festivals internationally, including Austin Film Festival and the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival. A York University graduate and WIDC alumna, she is developing The Apocalypse of Jacq Wise, a drama-horror television series created with author Alexis Eastman.

“WIDC creates invaluable ties between women and non-binary directors at a time where the landscape is increasingly competitive. These programs are a testament to the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats and I am honoured to be included.”

Marjan Hashemi | Ontario
Marjan Hashemi is an Iranian-Canadian writer and director whose debut feature, After Love, premiered at Cinequest in 2026. A WIDC alumna and WIFT Toronto member, she is developing her second feature, A Year Without Summer, a coming-of-age drama, through the CAM program.

“CAM feels like a homecoming. Since 2023, WIDC has given me something every filmmaker needs: a place where my voice is heard, my stories are understood, and my growth is genuinely supported.”

Mélanie Daigle | British Columbia
Mélanie Daigle is an award-winning director with a background in character animation. Her work on the Apple TV+ animated series Camp Snoopy earned her both a 2025 Canadian Screen Award and a Leo Award for Best Direction in an Animation Series. She is currently developing the animated short Le loup marin (Sea Dog) and the live-action feature YQX, as she expands her career beyond commercial animation.

“I’m so thrilled to have been selected for WIDC’s Career Advancement Module! I’m still very much a behind-the-scenes artist at heart, preferring to let my work speak for itself. Building key skills and making connections in the industry beyond the commercial animation world will give me a better grasp of possible paths ahead with not only my projects, but for my overall career.”

Michelle Jedrzejewski | Ontario
Michelle Jedrzejewski is an award-winning director, writer, actor and producer whose works spans across television, film, and digital storytelling. Most recently, Michelle won a Canadian Screen Award for her work on County Blooms: A Flower Powered Adventure and directed the spin-off special County Blooms After Dark: Curses & Cures, also for Bell Fibe TV1. Collective Effort, her newly launched independent production company, just received support from Ontario Creates to further develop her dark comedy series, Princess Material.

“I firmly believe in the power of growing in community. Learning alongside these other talented filmmakers is a true gift. I’m delighted to be a part of the WIDC community and look forward to remaining a lasting ally.”

Shilan Saadi | Ontario
Shilan Saadi is an award-winning Kurdish director, producer and screenwriter based in Toronto. Originally from Mahabad, Iran, she is the founder of Hodid Media Inc. and an alumna of international film development programs, including Berlinale Talents. She is currently developing her first narrative feature, What Remains, a Toronto-set drama following three women navigating memory, displacement and belonging.

“As I build the next stage of my filmmaking career, I’m pleased to be developing my first narrative feature alongside this group of women filmmakers through WIDC. Being part of this cohort gives us a chance to share our creative processes and gain different perspectives along the way.”

Uga Carlini | British Columbia
Uga Carlini is an award-winning director, producer, screenwriter and actor, and founder of Towerkop Creations, a production company specializing in female-driven storytelling. Her credits include the theatrically released Alison, Netflix’s Angeliena and Beyond the Light Barrier on Amazon Prime. Selected for the 2026 BANFF Spark Producers Edition and the GEMS TV Series Producers Cohort, she is currently advancing Ghost Bear, a feature with a multi-award-winning screenplay and Bass Casting attached. Her development slate also includes the horror-thriller Wrath, comedy series The Man Manual and an adaptation of the Penguin Random House bestseller Carried.

“As a newcomer to Canada, I know more than ever that it takes a village to build many things. But I also knew there was an extra kind of magic in the Women in the Director’s Chair village. It is a career highlight to now be part of it.”

ABOUT WOMEN IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR (WIDC)
Founded in 1996/97, Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) is a Canadian career development initiative dedicated to advancing the skills, careers and fiction screen projects of mid-career women and non-binary directors. Over its 30-year history, WIDC has supported more than 395 directors across Canada, whose work continues to earn hundreds of awards and nominations annually and reach audiences worldwide.

WIDC receives major support from Telefilm Canada, with leading program sponsors Creative BC and ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society, and participating sponsors UBCP/ACTRA, ACTRA National and the Independent Production Fund.

Community collaborators include the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Reelworld Film Festival and Screen Institute, GEMFest, Female Eye Film Festival, DGC National, DGC BC, Crazy8s, TIFF, VIFF, Whistler Film Festival and GAT PR.

The WIDC Feature Film Award is supported by MELS Studios, Distillery VFX, CR Audio, Grande Camera, Keslow Camera, Panavision Canada, Tryptic VFX, Safe & Sound Post, Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Elemental Post, Delirium Pictures, Company3 Vancouver, North Shore Studios, Rocket Science VFX, The Research House Clearance Services Inc., Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc., Descriptive Video Works, Globelex, Line 21 Media Services, Power of Babel, EP Canada, Portable Electric, Signal Services and Champ & Pepper.

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