Anaïsa Visser, Co-President

Filmmaker

Elected on 2022-09-20

Anaïsa is a biracial (Dutch and Pakistani) filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. She grew up all over the world, namely in Mozambique, the United States, then France, before moving to Vancouver to pursue an undergraduate degree at Emily Carr University. She graduated in 2013 with a BFA in Film, Video and Integrated Media. She then completed her Masters Degree in Film Production and Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia in 2020. Anaïsa is the founder of "Women & Gender Diverse Filmmakers of BC," which unites women, genderqueer, trans and non-binary folk working in film. She has won numerous awards, including the 2017 Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Emerging Artist in Film & New Media, and the 2018 Women in Film and Television Spotlight Award for Newcomer. Anaïsa has made several short films, primarily on topics of mental health and immigration stories. Currently, Anaïsa is in development on two feature films and a television series. In her spare time, Anaïsa enjoys catching up on TV shows, drinking copious amounts of tea, attempting to keep her plants alive, and hanging out with her cats, River and Ollie.

Doreen Manuel

Administrator & Educator 

Re-elected on 2022-09-20

Doreen Manuel, MFA, is a respected Secwepemc/Ktunaxa First Nations filmmaker. She is the sixth child of Grand Chief George Manuel and Spiritual Leader Marceline Manuel. She is a residential school survivor, mother of three children, and is an award-winning filmmaker. Doreen is the Director of the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation and Inclusive Community Projects, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Knowledge Network, Women in Film & Television, Vancouver International Film Festival, and the Documentary Organization of Canada. She also serves on the Motion Picture Production Association of BC Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is an advisor to the Telefilm Indigenous Working Group, Telefilm Talent to Watch Fund, TELUS Storyhive - Indigenous Envelope, and Matriarch advisor to IM4 virtual and augmented reality training program. Doreen is a founder and instructor for the Tricksters and Writers feature film screenwriting program for Indigenous women and a founder of the Indigenous Digital Accelerator and the Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership and Management Business Affairs program.

Gwen Haworth, Treasurer

Project Manager 

Re-elected on 2022-09-20

Gwen completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in film production at UBC, and toured internationally with her feature documentary 'She's a Boy I Knew' from 2007-09. Gwen currently works as a project manager with the Provincial Health Services Authority overseeing initiatives that use film, new media, and other learning modalities to enhance cultural competency in care providers and health literacy in British Columbians accessing care.

Laura Arboleda

Filmmaker

Elected on 2022-09-20

Laura Arboleda is a queer Colombian-Mestizo filmmaker and programmer. She holds a B.F.A. in Film Production from Simon Fraser University and is an alum of Vancouver International Film Festival’s Mentorship Program. Her previous short films have screened in festivals and venues across North America, Asia, and Europe. She continues to expand her film practice, making short documentaries and process based experimental films. Her work explores themes of shared memories and spaces. Laura is the Senior Programmer with Vancouver Short Film Festival.

Regina Leung, Co-President

Business Consultant & Campaign Producer

Re-elected on 2022-09-20

With over 15 years of experience in the software industry, she is skilled in digital branding, client development and project management. She is a managing partner of HyBird Media Group, and responsible for corporate development, investment strategies for start-up and enterprise technology companies and the implementation of digital marketing and branding strategies targeting North America and Asia.

Shaelyn Johnston, Secretary

Writer and Teacher

Elected on 2022-09-20

Shaelyn Johnston is an award-winning writer from Vancouver, BC. She is a recipient of the Governor General’s History Award, was one of 30 filmmakers chosen for Telus Storyhive’s inaugural Indigenous Storytellers Edition, and has participated in the Netflix/BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative and Whistler Film Festival Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowship. Her short film, The Healing Dance, has screened at numerous festivals across Canada & the US, won Best Short Film at the Weengushk International Film Festival, and recently surpassed over 11k views on YouTube. She coordinates and co-facilitates Women in Film & Television Vancouver’s Tricksters & Writers Screenwriters Program, of which she was previously a participant; Capilano University’s Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership Management & Business Affairs (FILMBA) Program; and is coordinator of the UBC Scripted Media Career Accelerator in the UBC School of Creative Writing, where she is currently working through her MFA as an optional-residency student.

Shasha McArthur, Vice-President

Filmmaker

Elected on 2022-09-20

Ą́ba wašte, my name is Shasha McArthur. I’m a Nakota and Nehiyaw filmmaker based here in Vancouver, BC on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam people. I joined the film industry to contribute to changing the under-representation and often misrepresentation of Indigenous crew, talent and creatives within the film industry. Sharing Indigenous narratives and traditional stories whether they’re fiction, or nonfiction often requires protocols and respect for the nation from which the story came. A respectful and mindful preservation of tradition is what I want to achieve with each project I undertake. I would like to say Thank You to the amazing Indigenous creatives that came before me, their tenacity and passion is what has created the path we all walk today.

“Nothing about us, without us.”