LIFT Announces Artists Selected for Newcomer Filmmentor Program 2025
LIFT ANNOUNCES ARTISTS SELECTED FOR
NEWCOMER FILMMENTOR 2025 PROGRAM
Toronto, December 23, 2025—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto’s (LIFT) is pleased to welcome three newcomer filmmakers to our facilities to participate in the Newcomer Filmmentor 2025 Program. This is our fifth iteration of the Newcomer Filmmentor program since 2017. The project began when we became aware of an increased interest from newcomers who were either looking to translate their film experiences into a Canadian context or looking to transition into filmmaking from other fields. Since we first started, we’ve been encouraged by the work done by other organizations in the arts community to provide services to newcomers and we’re glad to be part of a growing trend. It’s within that community that we’re happy to offer our own contribution by connecting filmmakers with opportunities to expand their filmmaking skills and contacts.
As selected from our open call this summer, we are excited to announce the three confirmed mentees who have been working away for a few months since September. They come from a field of over forty applications, pointing to the high demand this program continues to have in our community.
The confirmed mentees are:
Documentary: Tala Motazedi
Experimental: Diwen Xu
Narrative: Odianosen Iyomon
The will be paired with the following mentors:
Documentary: Maya Annik Bedward
Experimental: Faraz Anoushahpour
Narrative: Martin Edralin
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(L-R) Tala Motazedi, Diwen Xu and Odianosen Iyomon
MENTEE BIOGRAPHIES
Tala Motazedi is a queer Iranian screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker based in Toronto. A graduate of Humber College’s Creative Writing program, she is recognized for bold, socially conscious storytelling that fuses supernatural horror, folklore, and psychological realism. Her work explores migration, identity, and marginalized voices—particularly women and queer immigrants. In Iran, her works were censored for addressing women’s rights and freedom of expression. Since relocating to Canada, she has embraced creative freedom to tell stories that confront trauma, displacement, and resistance. Her screenplays have received international recognition, including Healing (Official Selection, LGBTQ+ Toronto & Los Angeles Film Festival, 2025), The Hoof (Nominee, Toronto International Women Film Festival, 2024), and Badge of Shame (Honourable Mention, Out On Film: Atlanta’s LGBTQ Film Festival, 2024). Tala is currently Writer-in-Residence at George Brown College (2024–2025), a recipient of the PEN Canada–Humber College Writers-in-Exile Scholarship, and a current artist-in-residence at Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival. Through her work, she continues to push boundaries and create narratives that illuminate hidden identities, resilience, and the complexities of exile. https://www.instagram.com/talamotazedi
Diwen Xu is a filmmaker born in China and currently based in Toronto, Canada. Drawn to questions of human nature and perception, she turned to cinema as a language of exploration. Her work often takes experimental and hybrid forms, engaging with memory, time, and inner experience. Her recent short “1_day_dreaming” reflects her interest in solitude, perception, and drifting through everyday moments. https://www.instagram.com/diwenx___
Odianosen Iyomon is a Nigerian filmmaker drawn to quiet, intimate moments that reveal the complexities of human life. He crafts character-driven stories with emotional depth, often using minimal locations and small casts to focus on performance and atmosphere. In his early works, he made films in Esan, his mother tongue, exploring stories that questioned moral choices and reflected on the consequences of right and wrong. His short film Tethered (2021) has screened at over ten festivals, including AFRIFF (African International Film Festival), TINFF (Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival), and MNFF (Mighty Niagara Film Festival). Through his work, Odianosen aims to create films that linger in the mind long after the credits roll, inviting audiences to reflect on both personal and universal experiences. https://www.instagram.com/odianoseniyomon
MENTOR BIOGRAPHIES
Maya Annik Bedward is a producer, director and co-founder of Third Culture Media. Her productions have screened at TIFF, Hot Docs, Black Star and the New Orleans Film Festival. Her latest production “Patty Vs. Patty” won best Short Documentary at the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards. Maya has directed episodes for the docuseries “Blk: An Origin Story” (History Channel, Global TV) and the variety comedy series, “Lido TV” (CBC Gem). She is also a fellow of the EFM Toolbox Programme and a founding member of the Black Screen Office. https://www.3rdculturemedia.com
Faraz Anoushahpour is an artist and film programmer. He holds a degree in architecture from the Architectural Association in London, UK, and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. He acted as film programmer for Images Festival from 2015–2018, and was a participant in the Belligerent Eyes residency at the Prada Foundation (Venice, Italy). His collaborative film and installation work has been shown at Projections (New York Film Festival), Wavelengths (Toronto International Film Festival), International Film Festival Rotterdam, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (Germany), Media City Festival (Windsor/Detroit), Experimenta (Bangalore), Crossroads Festival (San Francisco), and ZK/U Centre for Art and Urbanistics (Berlin), Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography (Toronto), SPACES Art Centre (Cleveland), and Trinity Square Video (Toronto). https://p-f-r.com
Martin Edralin is a Filipino-Canadian, Toronto-based filmmaker. His first short film, “Hole” (2014), won the Grand Prize at Clermont-Ferrand, jury prizes at Locarno and Seattle, and screened at Sundance, TIFF, and BFI London. His second short, “Emma” (2016), was selected in TIFF Canada’s Top Ten and won Best Live Action Short at the Rhode Island IFF. His debut feature, “Islands” (2021), premiered at SXSW and was awarded Special Jury Recognition. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3520753
The Newcomer Filmmentor 2025 jury consisted of Producer and Writer Saman Malik, LIFT’s Education and Outreach Administrator Iman Abbaro and LIFT’s Deputy Director Renata Mohamed.
Saman Malik is an award-winning director, writer and producer whose work spans documentary film, television, and journalism. In 2025, she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Factual Program or Series for her work on “For the Culture” with Amanda Parris. She also received nominations for Best Writing and Best Editorial Research for the series. Born and raised in Pakistan, Saman began her career at Hum TV Network in Karachi before moving to Canada, where she has continued to build a body of work focused on underreported stories and global perspectives. Now based in Toronto, Saman has worked for major international outlets including CBC’s “The Fifth Estate,” CBC’s “Marketplace,” “Dragons’ Den,” The New York Times, and the Women in the World Summit. Stories she has worked on have prompted public inquiries and helped spark legislative change. And her work has been recognized by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the Governor General’s Michener Awards Foundation, the Gracie Awards, the Hillman’s Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts among others. Saman holds a Master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Through all of her work, Saman brings a deeply global, cross-cultural lens shaped by her experiences in both Pakistan and Canada. https://www.instagram.com/sammiosa
Iman Abbaro is a Sudanese community organizer and multidisciplinary artist currently residing in Toronto. She is the co-founder of creative collective “Diaspora Express”; which is dedicated to fostering Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) communities through creative expression. She has collaborated with a range of local creative initiatives such as Toronto Arab Film, and the Regent Park Youth Media Arts Centre. Iman is passionate about exploring the intersections of mental health, art and activism in BIPOC communities. She aims to push her creative practice towards bridging the gap between different diasporic communities through an intersectional lens.
Renata Mohamed is a lens-based artist and filmmaker, raised in Brampton and now based in Toronto, Canada. She is a graduate of the Integrated Media program at OCADU. Her first short film “Coolie Gyal” has screened at more than 50 international festivals. Renata has been involved with numerous Toronto-based media arts organizations in a variety of capacities. Born in the British Virgin Islands to Indo-Guyanese parents, her work aims to explore the intersectionality of Diasporic Caribbean, immigrant and queer identities through a documentary and experimental lens.
The 2025 edition of the Newcomer Filmmentor mentorship program is produced with the support of the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council’s Grant for Newcomer and Refugee Arts Engagement, the Ravi Subramaniam Fund, and donated proceeds from the film “Rex vs. Singh,” directed by Richard Fung, John Greyson, and Ali Kazimi.
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The Toronto Arts Council’s Grant for Newcomer and Refugee Arts Engagement provides targeted funding to Toronto non-profit organizations and artist collectives engaging newcomers and refugees through the arts, supporting the integration and inclusion of newcomer communities to Toronto.
The Ravi Subramaniam Fund is a charitable fund that honours the legacy of Ravi Subramaniam and his interest in the arts and film. The fund was established by his colleagues on the occasion of his retirement as the Partnership and Hubs Development Lead at The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO) in Toronto, Canada. Ravi is a leader in building innovative partnerships and cross sectoral collaborations involving the health, newcomer and social services sector.
Based on the 1915 case of two Sikh mill workers who were entrapped by undercover police in Vancouver and accused of sodomy, “Rex vs. Singh” is a speculative exploration of the interplay between homophobia and racism in this little-known chapter of Canadian history. The piece is distributed by Vtape.
The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is Canada’s foremost artist-run production and education organization dedicated to celebrating excellence in the moving image. LIFT exists to provide support and encouragement for independent filmmakers and artists through affordable access to production, post-production and exhibition equipment; professional and creative development; workshops and courses; commissioning and exhibitions; artist residencies; and a variety of other services. http://lift.ca
LIFT is supported by self-generated revenue as well as the following year-round funders: the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA), the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Ontario Arts Foundation, the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Arts Council (TAC).
As a charitable organization, LIFT graciously accepts donations via our CanadaHelps page. If you would like to support our filmmaking community, please visit https://lift.ca/donate
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For additional information please see https://lift.ca or email Education and Outreach Administrator Iman Abbaro at iabbaro@lift.ca
Follow this project on social media: #LiftFilm #LiftMember #LiftFilmmentor
Starting: Tuesday 2 September 2025 00:00
Non Members:
Members:
Location:
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT)
1137 Dupont Street
Toronto Ontario