Open Studio Session – Winter 2026
OPEN STUDIO SESSION: WINTER 2026
February 20, 2026—The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Open Studio Session: Winter 2026 with our Finnish Visiting Artist Lotta Hurnanen and our 2026 Digital Cinema Resident DC Dzoja. Lotta Hurnanen (visiting from Helsinki, Finland) has used her time in Toronto since arriving in December to explore analogue techniques to create her work. In contrast, Toronto-based DC Dzoja has been using LIFT’s Digital Cinema Resources since January to create a stop-motion animation sequence for their experimental horror film.
Our community members are encouraged to drop by our facility at 1137 Dupont Street on Thursday, February 26, 2026 and visit the artists’ studio spaces. Hurnanen will be presenting her 16mm installation work in the LIFT Main Classroom, and Dzoja will allow visitors to see their stop-motion animation set-up in the LIFT Boardroom.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
LIFT Facility, Main Classroom and Boardroom
1137 Dupont Street
Session runs from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Admission:
Pay-What -You -Can (PWYC) for Members and Non-Members
Light refreshments will be provided during the Open Studio Session.
Artists:
Lotta Hurnanen (b. 1995) is an artist and a gardener working in Helsinki, Finland. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the Time and Space department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2024. She works in the fields of analogue filmmaking, photography, and printmaking. Her practice revolves around the theme of connecting with landscapes and the more-than-human world, delving into questions of agency, materiality, and representation. https://www.instagram.com/lottahuhhuh
DC Dzoja (she/they) is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker, with a primary focus on directing, producing, and editing with a special interest in the human condition, psychological thrillers, horrors, and character pieces that showcase human emotion and question morality. Having worked as an editor for over 7 years, she is now expanding her craft and exploring new mediums in stop motion animation. Her films have screened at Toronto’s Blood In The Snow (BITS) Film Festival, Final Girls Berlin, and National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), among others. Their new film “Sunday Nights’ will be produced by Kassy Gascho, a Toronto-based producer and filmmaker, and animated alongside Anna Harestad, a Toronto-based animator and filmmaker. https://www.instagram.com/dc_dzoja
The LIFT Facility is accessible. Please email us know if you require additional accommodations not listed on our website: https://lift.ca/accessibility-at-lift
Questions and accessibility inquiries should be emailed to:
LIFT Special Projects Manager Robin Riad at specialprojects@lift.ca
Subject Heading: Open Studio Winter 2026
Starting: Thursday 26 February 2026 18:00
Non Members: Pay-What -You -Can (PWYC)
Members: Pay-What -You -Can (PWYC)
Location:
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT)
1137 Dupont Street
Toronto Ontario