Evaluation Juries

Aonan is a co-founder of film production company GreenGround, focuses on producing films that are boundary pushing with high artistic merits, as well, of filmmakers who are visible minorities and from under represented film communities. His latest production includes two poignant works of Denis Côté - HYGIÈNE SOCIALE, Best Director at Berlinale 2021 in the Encounters section and WILCOX , Locarno 2019; THE NAMES OF FLOWERS by Bahman Tavoosi, Jury Prize at Tallinn Black Night IFF 2019 and Best Feature at Venice Film Week 2020; documentaries PRIMAS by Laura Bari, TAMING THE HORSE by Tao Gu, and IN THE WAVES by Jacqueline Mills, winning awards at True/False, Mar del Plata, RIDM, DOXA, VIFF and Xining First, China. He is Canadian producer in spotlights at Cannes 2019 and alumni of Trans-Atlantic Partners 2019. He also served as Executive Producer for the award-winning film Geographies of Solitude by Jacquelyn Mills, winner of 3 awards at Berlinale Forum 2022. Aonan is an active guest speaker in film schools like Concordia University and University of Toronto, and severed as jury member at RIDM and Canada Council for the Arts. He is also a co-founder of CineGround Media, a unique camera and post production hub in Montreal catering to local film productions and abroad.

Juan Baquero is a director, producer, story consultant and podcaster currently splitting his time between Toronto and Bogota. Currently, Juan directs a bi-weekly nonfiction podcast, Relatos Amarillos, advises Colombia’s Public Media System RTVC on convergence strategies and works as a mentor for Hot Docs Doc Accelerator Program. Juan has over 20 years experience in the field and has worked with a variety of media companies, including Discovery Channel En Español, Discovery USA, CBC, Arte France, NHK (Japan), Canal Der Spiegel, TVO, OMNI, Bravo, RCN and RTVC. In 2012, Juan co-founded The Doc Story Studio, an organization devoted to promoting the art of nonfiction storytelling, and Twice Upon a Time, a multi-platform nonfiction storytelling lab that explores the space where journalism and art converge. His experience as a storytelling mentor, instructor and consultant spans over a decade, including work with Hot Docs, LIFT, and The Doc Story Studio. Juan’s work has been recognized over the years, including Hot Docs Top 10 Audience Favourite for Listen to This (Proximity Films and TVO). Credits: Director, Editor, Cinematographer. Listen to This also received a Gemini Award nomination for best Arts Documentary in 2011. In 2020 Juan received a Best Director nomination at the Canadian Screen Awards for his directing work for Equator 360 (Primitive Films). In 2022, Juan’s El Cubo (original concept and creative director) received an India Catalina Award for best interactive project. Juan holds an undergraduate degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida and a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.

Argentinian-Canadian Mara Gourd-Mercado is a cultural manager specializing in film, television, and digital media. For over a decade she put her expertise and energy to work as a publicist, promoting Quebec films around the world. In 2011, she moved into the advertising sector as communications manager at one of Canada’s leading agencies. She returned to the cultural sector in 2014, joining the RIDM team as communications director and then executive director from 2015 to 2020. Mara is currently executive director of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Quebec Division.

Ravida Din is a senior media executive and consultant with substantial experience in production and in strategic and financial planning. She formerly served with the National Film Board of Canada as an Executive Producer and then as Director of English Language Production. She has produced or executive produced numerous documentaries and interactive digital projects. Among her notable successes are the feature documentaries Pink Ribbons, Inc. (World Premiere, Toronto International Film Festival) which went on to become instrumental in the breast cancer activist movement in North American and Payback (World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival), the first film adaptation of a non-fiction work by Margaret Atwood. Din initiated and co- produced First Person Digital, an innovative training and production program for creators to explore new approaches to interactive digital storytelling. Ravida Din began her career in cultural, feminist and community organizations whose values continue to underpin her work in media. She has pioneered gender and racial equality programs. Since 2015, she has been a Board Member for Just Vision, a Washington-based organization dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East by using media to mediate and bring together Palestinians and Israelis. She is currently a PhD student at the Institute of Feminist & Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa.

As co-founder of Canadian based Parabola films, Selin Murat started her career as a creative producer. For over a decade she produced author-driven documentaries that found their way to festivals, theatre and broadcast. In 2017, Selin became film programmer and head of Industry at Montreal's RIDM where she created strong relationships with European festivals and markets. In this role she co-created the If! Doc Lab in Istanbul (2016-2018), lead co-production workshops for Quebec at CPH:DOX, Sunny Side of the Doc, Hot Docs, and Cannes Doc and consulted for several international film markets including the Toolbox program at EFM-Berlinale. Since summer 2021, she is Markets Manager with the Forum team at Amsterdam's IDFA, and continues to consult, lead workshops and support international non-fiction talent. She is a graduate of McGill and Concordia.

Tonya Williams is an award winning actress, producer and activist who has worked in the entertainment industry for the last forty-five years in Canada and the USA. She is best known for her nineteen years starring on the daytime drama The Young & The Restless as Dr. Olivia Winters. She is also the founder and executive director of Reelworld Screen Institute, Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Foundation since 2000. She founded Reelworld to address the lack of opportunities, access and inclusion in Canada for Black, Indigenous, Asian and People of Colour in the screen industries. In 2020 Reelworld launched Access Reeloworld, one of Canada’s largest searchable database for racially diverse crews and talent. For decades Tonya has been a prominent voice in the screen industry advocating for more inclusion and the importance of diverse creators having the access to tell their own stories with their authentic voices. In 2021 she was named Playbacke’s Changemaker of the Year. Tonya currently sits on a number of boards including The Black Academy, is a founder and board member of the Black Screen Office, she also sits on the Telefilm Diversity & Inclusion Group, the Canadian Media Fund Racial Advisory Group, the Ontario Creates Advisory Committee and Canadian Creative Industries Coalitions Group. She has won numerous awards including two NAACP Image Awards, ACTRA Award of Excellence, WIFT Crystal Award, a Harry Jerome Award and was nominated twice for the Daytime Emmy Awards.