Game Changers: Sustainable Film & Festival Production

This panel features a dynamic group of game changers, including filmmakers and festival producers, leading the charge in sustainable practices within the film industry. They will discuss innovative approaches to sustainability in both production and festival settings, sharing best practices for eco-friendly set production and even addressing key issues such as food security and sovereignty. Hosted by Ali Hassan and featuring Dieter Kosslick (Greenvisions Potsdam), Michael Howell (Devour! The Food Film Fest), Marc Tetrault (filmmaker), and Blake McWilliam (filmmaker).

Ticket Price: $15.00 regular, $12.00 student/senior

Moderator & Host Ali Hassan

Ali Hassan is a stand-up comedian, actor, author, and broadcaster. He is the host of the hit CBC Radio comedy show Laugh Out Loud, and for the past eight years has hosted Canada Reads, CBC’s “Battle of the Books”. A television and film actor, Hassan was recently nominated for Canadian Screen Awards for his roles in two shows: Run The Burbs and the Peabody-Award winning Sort Of. In 2023, Hassan began touring his one-man show, Does This Taste Funny?, based on his decade in the food industry. His comedic memoir, Is There Bacon in Heaven?, was described by Rick Mercer as “perhaps the funniest and most heartfelt Canadian memoir yet.” @standupali

Dieter Kosslick

As Managing Director of the cultural and economic film-funding organizations in Hamburg (Hamburger Filmbüro and FilmFonds Hamburg), Dieter Kosslick co-founded Cinema on the Alster and the European Low-Budget Film Forum, as well as the European Film Distribution Fund. In 1991, he moved to Düsseldorf as Managing Director of the new Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, where he also became a founding member of the International Film School IFS. In 2001, the German government appointed him Director of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale, where he revitalised the film festival with numerous initiatives such as the Talent Campus (Talents) and the co-production market. He is a recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Witzigmann Prize. In 2021, his memoir, Immer auf dem Teppich bleiben – von magischen Momenten und der Zukunft des Kinos, was published. Since 2024, Kosslick has been director of the new environmental film festival Greenvisions Potsdam in Germany. @dieterkosslick @greenvisionspotsdam

Michael Howell

With a career spanning over 30 years, Michael Howell is not only the founder but also the driving force behind Devour!. He is a renowned chef who has left his mark across the United States, Canada, and The Bahamas. From owning and operating the award-winning restaurant Tempest in Wolfville, NS, to cooking twice at New York’s prestigious James Beard House; from his position as Exec Chef at the Green Turtle Club in The Bahamas (where Devour! The Beach takes place) to national TV and radio appearances across Canada as the Canadian Grilled Cheese Champion, Michael has consistently pushed culinary boundaries.

His expertise in seafood is evident in his cookbook, “Atlantic Seafood,” which was runner up at the Taste Canada awards in 2010. Michael’s commitment to improving the food system has earned him recognition, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Nova Scotia Local Food Hero title, and the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia Culinary Ambassador Award.

Marc Tetrault

Marc Tetreault is an independent producer and co-owner of Shut Up & Colour Pictures, a boutique production company based in Halifax. With over ten years in the industry, he has produced acclaimed films and TV shows that have garnered international recognition. His debut feature, Saudade, premiered in 2013 and was acquired by Starz. He participated in the Canadian Film Centre’s Producer’s Lab, leading to the successful Suck It Up. Notable credits include Weirdos, Spinster, Kids vs Aliens, and The Queen of My Dreams, which premiered at TIFF and SXSW. He is currently producing Skite’kmujuekati’k by Bretten Hannam.@marcakamark

Blake McWilliam

Screenshot

Blake McWilliam is an award-winning Canadian director and producer. With an official selection at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, a Canadian Screen Award Nomination in 2016, and multiple AMPIA, CCMA, and JUNO nominations and awards along the way, McWilliam is quickly establishing himself at the forefront of the Canadian film industry. He produced the feature films Hands that Bind starring Paul Sparks and two-time Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern, and Hey Viktor!, an Indigenous comedy that premiered at Tribeca and TIFF this fall. On the documentary side, The Lebanese Burger Mafia was recently released on Paramount+, while Send Kelp, McWilliam’s feature-documentary directorial debut, premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February. He is next set to direct the feature documentary Connections and the narrative feature Fading Elegy.