WIDC: Career Advancement Module (CAM) – Online Edition

WIDC recognizes the term Woman/Women is in an evolution of language and note that our intention in our use is to be fully inclusive of underrepresented persons who may or may not identify as women and share the goals and values of WIDC to promote these marginalized voices and stories. Further, we gratefully acknowledge that the WIDC program originates from the traditional and unceded lands of the Coast Salish people, including the xmkym (Musqueam), Swxwu7mesh (Squamish), and slilwta (Tseil-wau-tuth) Nations. We also acknowledge the Indigenous Nations on whose traditional lands our guests, participants, and colleagues live, work and create. We commit to working together in the spirit of collaboration and respect for the generations that came before, those living now, and the generations to come.

About

The CAM includes tailored leadership master classes, roundtables, one to one coaching, and festival immersions for mid-career Canadian women filmmakers focusing on scripted content development.  The CAM will offer you tools to identify and lean into your personal leadership style. You will learn about the continuum of confidence and how articulating what you love about being a storyteller for screen can give you a competitive advantage. Discover tips about reading the room while pitching your projects and debrief on your experiences in a confidential, collegial space. Engage in facilitated meetings with Industry experts, such as representatives from Telefilm Canada, CBC, Bell Media, as well as established directors, producers and others. Learn how to strategically leverage all of this to advance your screen fiction projects and career.

Each CAM program edition includes:

• 6 x 1-hour individual coaching sessions to advance your career strategy
• Masterclasses on EDI Work, Pitching, Taking Meetings
• Webinar series on Digital Media Marketing, plus bonus 1+1 with Annelise Larson
• Group meetings with Industry Guests
• Festival pass to the host festivals (per edition)
• Group Exit Session to debrief, confirm follow up goals and strategy

Objectives

• To work with mid-career women and non-binary content creators (writers, directors, producers) in identifying and achieving their career and project goals, primarily in scripted production, with a focus on the director’s career path.
• To develop confidence and capabilities in areas including but not limited to self-promotion, communication, leadership, principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work, strategic planning, and creative solutions.
• To develop a set of trusted allies who can help spring-board the advancement of participants’ careers and project(s).

Eligibility

This specially designed WIDC module that dovetails with partnering Canadian Film Festivals will offer two separate cohorts of up to 6 director participants per cohort.  Director participants are selected by a WIDC alumni peer jury along with representatives from host festivals.

This year’s CAM sessions will prioritize:

1. Alumni of WIDC
2. Alumni of host festival development programs
3. Candidates who have already directed at least 40 minutes of screen content  (e.g., feature-length, episodic, digital series, etc.).

Consideration will be given to those who are crossing over to directing with an established body of work  (e.g., actors, AD’s, producers, editors, etc.) who have also directed at least 10 minutes of screen content.

Costs

• Application fees are being waived to reduce barriers to access
• Tuition is scholarshipped by WIDC through major sponsorship from Telefilm Canada.
• Festival Passes are provided compliments of host Festivals
• Travel & Lodging (if required) is at participant’s own cost

To learn more: directors@WIDC.ca

Community Collaborators
Since 2008, WIDC has been delighted to collaborate with Canada’s three most prestigious international women’s film festivals to present the CAM in St John’s (SJIWFF), Vancouver (GEMFest), and Toronto (FeFF). Due to COVID, in fall 2020 the WIDC CAM moved online, and as part of our 25th Anniversary, we welcomed the addition of community collaborator, Reelworld Film Festival as one of the WIDC CAM’s Festival hosts.

We encourage directors who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), Black, or People of Colour to join Access Reelworld (Canada’s largest searchable database for racially diverse talent in the screen industry) for a variety of additional networking and hiring opportunities.

Fall / Winter Edition:

Spring / Summer Edition: