Cohort
YASMINE RYM AMOR
Yasmine lives in Tiotia:ke-mooniyang, also known as Montreal. She has a diverse background in filmmaking, and has been working for over a decade as a camera operator, assistant director and, more recently, producer. Yasmine is dedicated to social justice in all spheres of her life. Her devotion drives her desire to create meaningful work, elevate marginalized voices and contribute to an inclusive and equitable society through the wonderful.
POSTCARDS FROM THE SKY is a short fiction film. Through the prism of magical realism, Santino is surrounded by his plush orange cat and ceramic dog, who come to life as puppets and become his attentive care companions. Moving flashbacks present Santino’s early years as an Italian immigrant arriving at Pier 21. The story bears witness to his struggles and triumphs as he adapts to a new country, builds a community, discovers love and friendship, while addressing the symptoms and realities of dementia.
NADINE JEAN
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars, to change the world.” -Harriet Tubman
Professional actress, cultural worker and manager, Nadine completed her studies in Theatrical Interpretation at the Option-Théâtre program at Collège Lionel-Groulx in 2009. An authentic, passionate, hypersensitive and determined artist, she has over 10 years’ professional experience in theatre, television and film. Nadine has a deep desire to create all the time, every day. An urgency to express in a different way the wounded humanity we all carry. She is committed to producing works that shake, destabilize, break down solitudes and stir sensitive souls. Works of exploration in motion, that will reveal themselves through this conjuncture of “here”, “now”, “with you”. Her artistic approach aims to discover, but also to rediscover ancient words that echo our human condition, restoring us to the axis of time; one part that bears witness to the past and the other, more prophetic, that leaves a trace for what will come.
With its touches of magical realism and dark humor, POD AND THE SOMETHING plunges us into the inner worlds and perceptions of three very different and eccentric beings as they try to navigate a very special first encounter that six-year-old, Pipi-Lonstockinesque Pod is determined to sabotage. Using animation, live action and different points of view, this 20-minute short explores how art creates bonds and follows the invisible threads that can pull people apart or bring them together.
NITSÉ MATHELIER
Nitsé was born in Haiti and moved to Montreal in 2009. Director and photographer, her work and the projects she develops are essentially oriented towards social issues. In 2020, she wrote and directed her first short film, KASE CHENN, which follows the journey of a dancer of Haitian origin who rediscovers her roots and culture through Ibo dance, the dance of slave liberation.
RYTHMES is a documentary webseries about Afrodescendant artists, dancers, choreographers and performers in Quebec and Canada. The series explores traditional Afrodescendant dances, their place in Quebec’s artistic cultural milieu and their transmission. Each episode explores the different dimensions of traditional Afrodescendant dance.
DIANA ROLDÁN
Diana Roldán is a Creative Producer and Screenwriter based in Montreal and founder of Tolima Media. She received a BFA from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema and has spent the last decade working in production management at leading VFX, multimedia and animation studios. She was a Stowe Narrative Lab Selected Participant for her feature screenplay, FINDING MERCY, and was chosen for producing mentorships with both the Canadian Media Producers’ Association (CMPA) and the Quebec English-Language Production Council (QEPC).
Proudly half Canadian and half Colombian, Diana’s projects often explore identity and cultural expectations in an increasingly divided world. Through her creative work and involvement with Women in Animation, she advocates for better representation both in front of the camera and behind it; writing, developing and championing a diverse slate of stories and storytellers that are better reflective of the world around us.
AREPAS is the coming-of-age story of Amparo Bohorquez as she navigates life away from her beloved Bogotá, adjusts to a new city, faces the challenges of leaving home, and rediscovers her cultural identity and sense of belonging through the comforting traditions of her family’s homemade arepas.
JUSTICE RUTIKARA
Passionate about the visual arts, acting and the 7th art, Justice has participated in the creation or acted in a number of professional theater and film projects. With a degree in International Studies from the Université de Montréal, he chose to devote himself to writing and directing cinematographic works with the desire to explore the beauty and absurdity of the human experience through his concept of “harmonic chaos”.
In six or seven short episodes, LES BALEINES NE SAVENT PAS VOLER follows the subjective story of Isaro, a quiet, pensive teenager who must learn to communicate with others while accepting herself as she is. She achieves this goal by developing both an interest in the enchanting and enigmatic story of the 52 hertz whale and an interest in a mysterious and charming young man with whom she wishes to make contact.
MAHMOUD SAMIR ESSA
Mahmoud Samir is an Egyptian filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada. His short film Red Velvet has screened in various international film festivals including Cairo IFF, Montreal World Film Festival among others. He is developing his short film A Simple Will and his first feature film.
A SIMPLE WILL is a short fiction film. When Ziad, a 13 years old Egyptian Canadian boy, is tasked by his dying father to fulfill a simple will for him after his death, he unravels a secret that will rupture his relationship with his close-knit conservative family.
MORE INFORMATION
For any questions or additional information, please contact prisme@mainfilm.qc.ca