BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Virinderpaul Singh, President
With an educational background in marketing and journalism, Virinderpaul Singh has seamlessly been able to work in different capacities from accounting, locations and production management at the Directors Guild of Canada for the past eight years. Looking for a way to eventually realize his dreams, he started creating personal projects that could help pivot his career path. All this while working on productions for Disney, Paramount, Netflix, and CBC, which ultimately helped hone his skills as a producer. His passion for focusing on hard-hitting issues within the South Asian diaspora is what gravitates him toward his next project Vinod c/o Edmonton. Always willing to expand upon his craft, Virinderpaul was admitted into the Whistler Film Festival's Producers Lab in 2021, and has recently graduated from the 2023 Reelworld Producers Program, a year-long curriculum that provides mentoring and learning opportunities to build a career as a Producer. Virinderpaul has directed several movies including Lohri (2022), a powerful family drama exploring gender roles in a traditional Punjabi household. In the last five years, he's produced multiple short films and documentaries, which has resulted in his producing a coming-of-age Sikh feature film called Jersey Boy in Hamilton, Ontario.
Asis Sethi, Co-President
An alumna of TIFF SERIES ACCELERATOR, WOMEN IN DIRECTOR'S CHAIR and a former PLAYBACK MAGAZINE's 10 to Watch, Asis Sethi is a South Asian Canadian filmmaker whose career in broadcasting spans over 15 years as a producer and a host on lifestyle shows. Asis has created over 100 hours of content for television. Her REMI Award winning short on menstruation, ‘A BLOODY MESS’, was screened at 30 film festivals. Her 16-episode documentary television series on Sikh shrines in India, ‘DARSHAN DEKH JEEVA’, was funded by the OMNI DOCUMENTARY FUND. She directed a documentary on post 9/11 effects on turban wearers titled 'THE COLOURFUL CROWN' which premiered on OMNI Television nationally. Her short film on postpartum depression titled 'ROCK THE CRADLE' was funded by the CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS. Asis's feature project 'SLAM DUNK, SEHAJ!' was supported by the CFC/NETFLIX CALLING CARD ACCELERATOR and also won Caribbean Tales' THE BIG PITCH at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. Asis was one of the 25 pitch participants for the NETFLIX BANFF DIVERSITY OF VOICES Fellowship for the BANFF WORLD MEDIA FESTIVAL 2023. Asis is also a mentor at WIFT Toronto, OYA Black Arts Coalition and the M Film Lab.
Carroll Chiramel, Vice President
Carroll Chiramel, an Indo-Canadian editor, producer, and director, is a distinguished alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) 2022 Norman Jewison Film Program. Carroll has achieved remarkable success with various projects. Notably, his feature film "Under the Sun" garnered the audience choice award at the 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival in California. Additionally, his works have been featured on platforms like Amazon Prime and Super Channel, with the feature film "Dance Together" being one of the highlights. His award-winning short film "Forbidden Tikka Masala" secured seven international awards, including recognition at the Edmonton International Film Festival 2018, a prestigious OSCAR Qualifying Film Festival, and TIFF Film Circuit. Furthermore, his short film "Meet the Parents" earned the Best Short Film title at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2016. Recently, his short film "Sight" was selected for the esteemed Fantasia Film Festival 2023. His films have been showcased at renowned festivals such as the Toronto Short Film Festival, Toronto Black Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festivals, Mill Valley Film Festival, and Milledgeville Film Festival, among others.
Shwayta Sharma, Chair
Shwayta Sharma is an experienced Training Programs Manager with a unique blend of expertise in both the creative film industry and employee development. With a background in training and leadership, she has developed and led impactful programs such as the CaribbeanTales Black Incubator and Studio Access Program and the Creators of Colour Incubator at CaribbeanTales Media Group that helped to foster professional growth and skill enhancement for 80+ creatives. Her diverse experience spans roles such as Producer, Director, and Production Manager, where she has worked on projects like "Conscript", "We", "Rock the Cradle", and "Slam Dunk, Sehaj (Proof of Concept)". As the former office manager at Cinespace Film Studios, Shwayta gained valuable insights into organizational operations and staff development. Passionate about empowering teams and optimizing learning processes, she now brings her leadership skills to her role as Head of Production at Fly Away Films Inc., continuing to support both creative and professional development in the industry.
Priyanka Shailendra
Priyanka has been a part of the Indian film industry (Bollywood) for over 15 years and has explored and gained a vast amount of experience across various aspects of filmmaking, including production, direction, and writing. As a member of a renowned Bollywood family known for their contributions as writers and lyricists, Priyanka has grown up with films and music and is constantly aspiring to create magic through visuals. Currently, she has three Bollywood feature films in progress in India. She has also recently worked as an Assistant to producer/showrunner- Shazia Javed for her drama series "Potluck Ladies.” Along with many other reputable and known producers within the Canadian Film and television industry. Her short film "The unnamed crime" was nominated for the Mumbai International women's film festival-2013. Her series titled "Frozen" was selected for the pitch workshop as part of the Canadian film festival's official selection-2023, earning critical acclaim from senior jurors within the industry. Recently, Priyanka has produced, directed, and written her short film "Dark Memories", which was screened at Filmi festival-2023. One of her short films Produced in association with Millennial X, ‘Friends at my expense’ was also showcased at the Nuit Blanche Festival Toronto- 2023.