The WIFT-T Banff World Media Festival Scholarship is a competitive opportunity providing two WIFT-T members with a full delegate pass to attend the Festival. Each recipient is also awarded a $2,500 bursary—provided by the Foundation for WIFT-T—to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

“I'm excited to be selected to receive this scholarship. This honour will allow Time Story Pictures to bring its content in front of international buyers and co-producers. We look forward to pursuing global partnerships for content aimed at world audiences.”

— Gina Power, producer, business development, Time Story Pictures

Gina Power’s passion for the entertainment industry has led to a varied 20-plus years’ career in film, television, digital production, sales and distribution in Canada. Her vast experience covers the full spectrum of content creation, marketing, distribution and programming. She is the former director, programming and operations at Disney-ABC, home entertainment and television division. In 2018, Power participated in the Ontario Cultural Trade Mission to China—sourcing distribution and co-production partners. Power has also served as a jury member for the Canadian Screen Awards, Toronto 48Hrs Film Festival, and WIFT-T’s Showcase.

Screenwriter and producer, Carla Robinson, draws on her experience as a television broadcaster with the CBC, a print journalist, a successful entrepreneur, a mother of three; and as a Haisla and Heiltsuk woman. A recent grad of Sheridan College’s Advanced Film and Television certificate program, Robinson is currently in post-production on the Telefilm-funded feature, Monkey Beach—adaptation of her sister Eden Robinson’s award-winning book of the same name—on which she is a consulting producer. Robinson worked to ensure the production would primarily be filmed in her home community of Kitamaat, BC and that the community was fully engaged in the process. She is also the writer and co-producer of the short film, The Guide, which was accepted into The American Indian Film Festival, the LA Skins Festival, the Hamilton Film Festival; and won Best Drama for the month of August in Top Shorts (an online film festival sponsored by FilmFreeway). Robinson is currently writing two screenplays.

“As an Indigenous writer and producer, I believe our stories are on the threshold of breaking through the collective conscious on a massive scale, and I’m very grateful to be part of this wave that’s made stronger by opportunities like WIFT-T’s BANFF scholarship. I’m excited for the incredible opportunity to access influential people from around the world who are at BANFF specifically looking for new types of stories and partnerships. I also look forward to filling my creative cup listening to brave and ground-breaking speakers, meeting creative people from different backgrounds and countries, and building my support network.”

— Carla Robinson, writer, producer