Past Workshop Descriptions

The Business of Film Sales and Distribution

This panel explores the business of bringing Canadian films to audiences and markets at home and around the world. Industry experts will discuss sales strategies, distribution models, theatrical and streaming opportunities, international markets, festivals, deal structures and emerging platforms. Learn how to position a film for buyers, build an effective distribution strategy, maximize revenue and navigate the evolving marketplace. Whether you're an emerging filmmaker or experienced producer, gain practical insights into turning a completed film into a sustainable commercial opportunity.

Moderator:
Shehrezade Mian is a Pakistan-born creative producer based between Toronto and Pakistan. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide, including TIFF and Berlinale, and have earned coverage from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Globe and Mail, Criterion Daily, MUBI Notebook, and Cinema Scope. She has worked with some of Canada’s leading independent production companies across an extensive slate of film and television projects, including acclaimed features "Brother" (2022) and "Paying for It" (2024). She continues to work as a consulting producer with companies in Canada and internationally. Mian is an alumna of the TIFF–Netflix Talent Accelerator, EAVE Access, and the Rotterdam Producers Lab. She is the founder of Markhor Pictures, an independent production company dedicated to auteur-driven cinema. https://www.markhorpictures.com​

Panelists:
Mercy Prisca Lam works across acquisitions, publicity, and digital marketing at Films We Like, bringing independent, arthouse, and documentary films to Canadian audiences. Her work spans a slate that includes award-winning titles such as "Drive My Car" (2021), "EO" (2022), and "Flow" (2024). She has also served on film festival and industry juries, including CUFF.Docs. She is a programmer for Genre Gems, a genre film festival in Ottawa, Ontario. She holds a Master of Arts in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. https://www.filmswelike.com

Rolla Tahir is a filmmaker, director of photography, arts administrator, and the technical and special projects manager at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC). She’s lensed short, narrative and experimental films, which screened across Canada and internationally. Obsessed with the durability, longevity and spontaneity of the analog film medium, Rolla has worked with Super 8, 16mm and 35mm to explore the analog process and its possibilities. Her passion in cinematography stems from the need to bring narratives to life, work with visionary creatives, and to understand and be understood. In 2017, Rolla co-founded the Toronto Arab Film (TAF), a non-for-profit that celebrates and platforms pan-Arab films through an annual festival and professional development initiatives. https://www.cfmdc.org

Tom Alexander is Vice-President, Theatrical Releasing at Mongrel Media, where he oversees all theatrical marketing, sales and distribution. Before joining Mongrel in 2001, he worked in various capacities with Alliance Atlantis Communications, Famous Players, and the Toronto International Film Festival, among other organizations. Mongrel Media is an independent Canadian distributor, specializing in Canadian and world cinema. Recent and upcoming releases include "Buddy," "Hadestown: The Musical," "The Salt Path," "Stop! That! Train!," "Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!" and "The Stunt Driver." https://www.mongrelmedia.com

Location: 1137 Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario M6H 2A3
Category: Industry Panels
Maximum Capacity: 60
1.5 hours of instruction $0 or PWYC donation

Wait List
Add your name and email to the wait list and we will contact you if a spot is available, or a session is added: