OBAC was proud to be a community partner at the 4th annual EXNW conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The premiere global content event, presented by the Racial Equity Screen Office, launched in 2023 “to highlight, elevate, and empower the next generation of creatives across film, tv, streaming, gaming, and animation”.
As a community partner, OBAC hosted a delegation of Western Canada filmmakers led by OBAC Manager of Community & Partner Engagement, Michelle Berry. The delegation included Mimi Dejene, Kaylyn Johnson, Lorna Kidjo, and Chris Strikes.
Mimi Dejene is an award-winning Ethiopian-Canadian filmmaker based in Vancouver whose work explores identity, belonging, and culture through narrative and documentary storytelling. She is the founder of Constant Departure Studios and is currently producing the feature Lifeline, and directing the short film Melse.
Kaylyn Johnson is a Black/multi-racial Vancouver-based writer, graduate of the screenwriting program at Vancouver Film School and alumnus of the Pacific Screenwriting Program’s 2023 Scripted Series Lab. She has worked as a script coordinator and story editor on feature films and television series, including Family Law, Allegiance and Private Eyes West Coast.
Lorna Kidjo is a Belgian-Canadian-Beninese actor, filmmaker, and producer. Her short film Oversight won Best Actress at Reelworld, was shortlisted for Sundance, and is streaming on CBC Gem. She is co-writer of Bana Konesans, an Afro-Francophone youth fiction series, and has worked across development and production with companies like Goldrush Entertainment and Rodeo FX.
Chris Strikes is an award-winning director who began his career creating music videos for artists like Nelly Furtado, Kardinal Offishall and Machel Montano. In 2019 Chris was a recipient of HotDocs’ first CrossCurrents Canada Fund, with his first feature length documentary Becoming A Queen.
