Board Of Directors

Karen Burwell

DRIFF Board of Directors Chair / Education, and Partnerships Committee

Karen has been volunteering in various Executive capacities for DRIFF since it began in 2017. She is currently working with a great team on the Programming, Education and Partnerships Committee. Karen graduated from Queen's University with a BA and a BEd decades ago, and worked many fulfilling years as a teacher, Literacy Facilitator, Department Head, and Director of an annual school musical with the DDSB.

Eileen Kennedy

Board of Directors / Audience, Events, & Marketing Committee Chair

Eileen Kennedy is Durham Region’s Film Commissioner with the goal to support film and television production and attract film-related investment to Durham through key partnerships with the film and television industry, government agencies, educators, locations, and local businesses. In this role and as Chair of the Film and Television Advisory Committee, she produced: Guide to Filming in Durham; Durham Region International Film Festival; Durham Locations Portal; Film and Television Career Fairs; marketing videos and location familiarization tours; the Fannibal Fest tourism event “On Tour with Hannibal”; and facilitated film crew rates with the Durham Hotel Association. To champion change in film and television production, she raises awareness of and supports sustainable production through her roles as an Ontario Green Screen Advisory Committee member and Ambassador.

Cody Mew-Bennett

Board of Directors / Programming, Education, and Partnerships Committee Chair

Cody currently works for TIFF as a film Coordinator. Previously, he served as the Festival Coordinator for Belleville Downtown DocFest and as a Production Worker at EightyTwenty Studio. An emerging producer and writer, Cody is a graduate of Humber College’s Film and Television Production Program. He also produced the film Catch Your Eyes and wrote the films Love Beyond Accessibility and Watch Dog during his time at Humber. He received the Stewart Aziz Memorial Scholarship in 2020.

Peter Findlay

Board of Directors / Finance, Governance, and Staffing Committee Chair

Peter Findlay is an award-winning producer, director and writer with more than 30 years experience in documentary production, including 10 years as a staff producer/director at the CBC. Over the past 20 years, as an independent filmmaker, his work has taken him around the world from Anarctica to Tajikistan, Paris to Sao Paolo, the Himalayas and across North America. A graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism's Masters program, Findlay also sits on the boards of both the Documentary Institute and the Documentary Organization of Canada. His most recent film, "Company Town" won best regional film at DRIFF in 2020 and was nominated for best documentary and best director for a documentary program at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards.

Linda Jansma

Board of Directors / Finance, Governance, and Staffing Committee Member

Linda Jansma had a thirty-year career in the curatorial department of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, primarily as Senior Curator. Preceding her career at the RMG, Jansma worked in a commercial gallery and as Curator for a Toronto-based collector. She completed an Honours BA at Queen’s University and a MA at the University of East Anglia, both in art history. She serves on DRIFF’s board and FGS committee, and is a member of the City of Oshawa’s Public Art Advisory Committee.

Barry Waite

Board of Directors / Audience, Events, & Marketing Committee Member

Barry is an educator, communicator and committed volunteer with more than 35 years of experience with a range of organizations. Currently he is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Media, Art & Design at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. He currently serves on the Board of the Durham Region International Film Festival, as well as the boards of the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Ontario College Administrative Staff Association (OCASA). From 2016-2017 he was Volunteer Chair of the Communications Work Group for the 2017 Toronto Invictus Games.

Andy Marshall

Board of Directors / Audience, Event, & Marketing Committee Member

Andy was the Creator and Creative Producer of the drama series SOUL, and has acted in over 50 film, television and theatre projects. He is waiting to hear from Telefilm about funding for producing his first feature film, A Tribe Called Love. As a cultural worker, Andy is the Manager, Programs at the Black Screen Office.

DRIFF Volunteers

Kathlyn Angelo

Audience, Events, and Marketing Committee Member

Kathlyn has resided in Pickering since 2003. For 6 years she has been involved with community theatre, first volunteering for costumes, props, set decor, then acting. Apart from performing, a favourite moment is seeing the production & set come to life after months of preparartions. She's passionate about researching period productions & often lends her own vintage pieces for the stage. Last year she decided to take that passion to a new level and began preparations to research & start her own vintage props rental company to serve the Film & TV Industry, Professional Photographers & Theatres. Just recently registered, Kathlyn hopes to launch Pickering Vintage Props later this fall. With many thanks to Eileen Kennedy, she quickly became involved with DRIFF and Invest Durham events and has learned so much. Kathlyn loves travelling (when able to!), gardening, amateur photography & old, mid century movies.

Jamie Bardocz

Marketing and Social Media Volunteer

Jamie Bardocz is a social media marketing professional and recent graduate of Durham College's Tourism: destination Marketing program. She has a BA in English and Media from the University of Toronto where she focused her studies.

Connor Walsh

Volunteer Blog Writer

Connor Walsh is Photographer, Video Editor, and Freelance Writer based in Southern Ontario. Constantly concerned with the power of the moving image Connor has dedicated his life to breaking down media from various industries and evaluating their influence over time. An artist's job is guiding where you look. Connor hopes to incorporate this within his own art, as well as spreading his love for artists he admires. You can find articles of his on Film Cred, Battle Royale With Cheese, Dread Central as well as contributions to the DIY FILM SCHOOL lesson plan at https://www.driff.ca/blog.

Andrae Brown

Audience, Events, and Marketing Committee Member

Hello! My name is Andrae Brown. I am a new member to the DRIFF community as part of the AEM Committee. I am also a graduate of the Advertising program at Durham College. I recently got back into cinema, so movie recommendations are welcome! I have volunteered for different events in the past such as the Toronto International Film Festival and North by Northeast. A movie I would recommend people should watch is the movie “The Quiet Girl”.

Steven Labadie

Audience, Events, and Marketing Committee Member

As an experienced Audio Engineer, Steven has established a reputation for excellence in the Film, TV, and Radio industry over the past 11 years. With a wide range of skills and experience that encompasses sound design, location sound, post-production coordination, sound effect editing, and mixing. His versatility and attention to detail have earned him recognition as a leading voice in the industry, and his commitment to delivering the highest quality sound. Whether working on a large-scale commercial project or a small independent film, Steven approaches every project with a passion for creativity and a focus on technical excellence, delivering truly remarkable results every time. Steven is the owner of The SoundLab a Post Production sound company That help creators enhance their stories with sound. Whether it's creating a new layer to storytelling with sound design or making dialogue sound great, SoundLab makes it easy and affordable for all stories to be told.

Chris Vine

Website Volunteer

My name is Chris Vine. I am a recent graduate from Fanshawe College in London where I studied both filmmaking and post production. During my time in school I have had the opportunity to create my own short films and learn about all aspects of the film industry. Over the past 3 years I have been working as a freelance video editor where I have been able to work on a variety of projects such as weddings, sales videos, event recaps and more. I love crafting compelling stories through editing and take pride in exceeding expectations with each video I create. I hope to continue to grow my skills as a video editor and capture stories and events that will last a lifetime.

Peter Mazzucco

Audience, Events, and Marketing Committee Member

Peter Mazzucco is a film, TV, commercial and theatre actor/producer/director/writer residing in Durham Region, Ontario. He has appeared in many studio and big budget television shows, as well as movies such as Suits, Murdoch Mysteries, The Captive and Spotlight. Currently, Peter prefers to work on independent Canadian films, web series’, and commercials that allow him to collaborate creatively with filmmakers/directors, producers and other actors.

Taffi Aricha

Volunteer Blog Writer

Taffi Aricha is an emerging Filmmaker and Digital Marketer with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Media Production. Over the years, she has had her films premiere in various festivals around the world, and hopes to continue to positively impact others through her work in future.

Alina Mitrofanova

Volunteer Blog Writer

Alina Mitrofanova is an English and Creative Writing student from the University of Toronto, Scarborough, and an aspiring writer. She is passionate about film and literature and dreams of travelling the world and sharing her stories with others.

Spencer Baron

Newsletter Volunteer

A lifelong resident of Durham region, Spencer is passionate about both his community and the arts. With a love for creative writing and a keen eye for storytelling, he has recently started volunteering his time to craft engaging newsletters for DRIFF, helping to showcase vibrant culture and international talent in Durham region. Spencer is excited to assist in enriching the Film Festival experience for fellow residents and visitors alike.

Keda Pierre

Director and PEP Committee

Keda’s an impact producer who presents an intriguing mix of maturity, uniquely diverse experiences and a fresh ingenuity born of being early in her producing craft. Leveraging decades of advocacy, policing, law school and an acting career, Keda founded Broken Whole Media as a content studio where Arts, Media & Entertainment meet Healing. Innovating social change through storytelling and interweaving themes of family, relationship, healing, sacrifice, redemption and interconnectivity, Keda’s work includes a virtual reality production co-produced with OYA Media Group and COYALU Media, a feature documentary co-produced with Circle Blue Entertainment and an international co-production with Oscar-nominated Free Women Films in South Africa.

Ilda Christine Deluca

Programming, Education and Partnership Committee

Is a retired Teacher with 29 years of serviced dedicated in facilitating student learning, bringing awareness and exposure of Culture/Acceptance of Diversity.  Outside of work Ilda has a passion for the arts; especially Film, Fine Arts and Music. Ilda has volunteered for various festivals in Durham/Toronto. (Driff, RMG, TIFF, HOT DOCS, LUMINATO).

Krystal Ferdinand

Director and PEP Committee

Krystle Ferdinand is a Canadian Actress and award-winning Producer and Writer based in Toronto, Canada. She co-founded Gravitate Productions in 2020 to house the development of independent feature films and original scripted content that highlight Black and underrepresented voices. Her short film,He Comes at Nighthad its world premiere at LA Shorts International Film Festival and was recently broadcast nationally on CBC’s Canadian Reflections and is currently available on CBC Gem.Engaged to be Engaged,which Krystle wrote, produced and starred in, had its world premiere at Canadian Film Fest (2019) and won Best Short at Short and Sweet Film Festival (2021) where Krystle was also nominated for Best Actress. She has acted in DC’sTitans,The Handmaid’s Tale,andWhat We do in the Shadows. Krystle is also ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair, where in this role she advocates for policies and initiatives that remove barriers, creates opportunities and promotesa more equitable and inclusive film and television industry.She wants to ensure our screens authentically represent the rich diversity of our communities.