Reelworld has shaped the Canadian media landscape for a quarter century. As a pioneering screening platform dedicated to the work of racially diverse creators, Reelworld has provided their most critical tool, space. Space to be seen, to be heard, and to imagine. When DEI had historically meant just three letters, Reelworld was a pillar, a foundation for diverse creatives to spring forward their careers.

Over the years Reelworld became an Oscar qualifying festival and a festival on the list to trigger funding from CMF and Telefilm, thus challenging the regulatory status quo, again creating, space. From Music Videos, to shorts, to ACTRA shorts, the festival became a place to explore, launch, and grow, to build strength and adaptability. This program is a celebration of a vibrant, intergenerational community of storytellers, audiences and changemakers committed to diverse representation. This is a retrospective of resilience that reflects the “Reel world”.

- Allison Wilson-Forbes, Associate Programmer