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As a versatile program, event, and production coordinator, film curator, and host, Kerry-Ann James specializes in producing engaging industry events, moderating thought-provoking discussions, and championing diverse cinematic voices. Her work centers on creating meaningful dialogue and fostering community through film, culture, and storytelling.

Three people seated on stage participating in a panel discussion, one woman and two men, with a brick wall and a projection screen behind them.
A group of four people sitting on high chairs on a stage with banners behind them, addressing an audience in a dimly lit room with exposed brick walls and wooden ceiling. The banners feature the DOC Institute and others related to the event.

HOST

Beyond Networking, Cultivating Authentic Connections in Film

OYA x Doc Institute x RPFF

An engaging networking event, "Beyond Networking: Cultivating Authentic Connections in Film," hosted by OYA, Doc Institute, and RPFF. As a closeout to OYA's Career Bridge, Career Leap, and Scale Up Business Bootcamp programs, Safia Abdgir & Lucius Dechausay share their expertise and insights on building meaningful connections in the industry.

The panel discussion kicked off the event, offering 40 minutes of insightful conversation, with esteemed panelists and an audience Q&A. Following the panel, a social networking cocktail hour connected industry professionals and fellow participants.

A group of eight people sitting in a circle, engaged in a discussion or meeting indoors.
Panel discussion at a film festival showing five people seated on stage with microphones and water bottles. A large screen behind them displays promotional artwork for the Reel 6277 Park Film Festival held from November 23-26.

MODERATOR

WE WILL BE BRAVE Screening + Talkback

REGENT PARK FESTIVAL

We Will Be Brave is a documentary that follows the journey of the “Good Guise,” a collective of racialized men in Toronto, as they passionately work to deconstruct toxic masculinity within their communities, using art to create transformative alternatives to shame and punishment. Presented by Regent Park Film Festival


Chrisann Hessing

Chrisann Hessing is a documentary filmmaker and impact producer based in Toronto. She has produced award-winning short films that have screened at Hot Docs, RIDM, Global Impact Film Festival and the London Asian Film Festival. Her work has been supported by the Ontario Arts Council, Inspirit Foundation, BravoFACT! Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent and Telefilm Canada. Chrisann’s latest film, TURNING TABLES, won Best Short Documentary at the 43rd American Indian Film Festival, and has screened in over 30 film festivals internationally. In 2020, Chrisann was selected as one of Reelworld’s Emerging 20 and named Talent to Watch by Telefilm Canada.

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Images Festival Slow Edition logo on a pink background

The Green Pastures, Still Waters, and Black Rhythms' program delved into the tender knowledge of nature, spirit, and the body, resisting the demands of modernity. Inspired by Tricia Hersey's Nap Ministry, it explored the resistance in rest, healing in realignment, and care in communion, honouring ancestral memories and reclaiming Black rhythms of dance and connection with the land. Through landscape, spirituality, and multidimensional temporalities, the artists affirmed intentional rest as political tool for collective healing, offering a passageway to reconnect with slowness and freedom.

Featured Artists:

Roya DelSol, Kourtney Jackson, Kaya Joan, Ayo Tsalithaba, Elisha Smith-Leverock, Evan Ifekoya, Grace Channer, and Tanika I. Williams.

GUEST FILM CURATOR & MODERATOR

GREEN PASTURES, STILL WATERS, AND BLACK RHYTHMS

IMAGES FESTIVAL

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Three women participating in a virtual meeting or panel discussion. Kerry-Ann James is in the top left, Kaya Joan is in the top right, and Ayo Tsalithaba is in the bottom center. The background of the image features a pink and pastel-colored design with logos at the bottom.
Four people participate in a virtual video conference call, including three women and one man, each in different settings with books, photos, and artwork in the background.

COORDINATOR & HOST

CARRYING IT WITH US: DOCUMENTING BLACK HISTORIES FOR THE FUTURE

Explore archiving Black life in Canada through documentary film with acclaimed filmmakers Selwyn Jacob, Sylvia D. Hamilton, and Jennifer Holness. Hosted by Kerry-Ann James, this discussion delves into the power and richness of Black history.

Presented by York University's Department of Cinema and Media Art’s Open Forum.

Jennifer Holness
Subjects of Desire, dir. (2021); Stateless, prod. (2020).
Sylvia Hamilton.
Black Mother/Black Daughter, dir. (1989); Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia, dir. (1993).
Selwyn Jacob
Because We Are Girls, prod (2019); Mighty Jerome, prod.(2010).

WATCH HERE
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COORDINATOR & HOST

TROUBLING THE FRAME: BLACK WOMEN FILMMAKERS IN CANADA

These rising stars of Black women’s cinema in Canada have premiered their shorts at TIFF and Sundance, earning major international awards. During this workshop, they reflect on the challenges and rewards of reimagining cinema from their powerful perspectives as Black women directors.

Featured Artists:

Kourtney Jackson: A Toronto-based writer and filmmaker whose experimental storytelling has screened at festivals including TIFF Next Wave and Sundance.

Alicia K. Harris: Winner of Best Live Action Short at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards and recipient of the 2021 Trailblazer Award at Reelworld Film Festival.

Kelly Fyffe-Marshall: Changemaker Award winner at TIFF and recipient of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Live Action Short Drama."

WATCH HERE
Two women participating in a virtual video call, one on the left with in a black top and natural hair, the other on the right with glasses, a white top, and short hair, both smiling.

CURATOR & MODERATOR

DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR: A CINEMATIC MEDITATION ON BLACK BEAUTY AND FEMININITY

In conversation with Director Kourtney Jackson on her films 1 Vers[us] 1 (2018) and Wash Day (2020) as a part of the shorts program that included:

—F*cked Like A Star (2018, Stefani Saintonge)
—1 vers(us) 1 (2018, Kourtney Jackson)
—PICK (2019, Alicia K. Harris)
—Wash Day (2020, Kourtney Jackson)

PRESENTED at the University of Toronto, Cinema Studies Institute, CINSSU

WATCH HERE