BFF 2026: Inside the Craft with Vanessa Magic and Aisha Evelyna

Breakthroughs Film Festival is so pleased to host a conversation about the Filmmaking Journey with Vanessa Magic and Aisha Evelyna. Inside the Craft: Vanessa Magic & Aisha Evelyna in Conversation Breakthroughs Film Festival is thrilled to bring together two award-winning filmmakers and BFF alumni, Vanessa Magic and Aisha Evelyna, for their first-ever (public) conversation together! Both filmmakers have been able to carve out of path from making short films to directing their first features. In this intimate conversation, they will reflect on their journeys, the lessons they've learned along the way, and the creative and professional decisions that have gotten them to where they are. What does it actually take to become a recognized filmmaker in Canada? How do you make the leap from short films to features? And what do you wish you'd known when you were just starting out? Whether you're working on your first short, developing a feature, or simply curious about what it takes to build a life in film, this is a conversation you won't want to miss! Speakers Vanessa Magic (Filmmaker, BFF Board Member) Vanessa Magic is a Canadian Screen Award-winning director and Writers’ Guild of Canada-nominated writer who loves to tell stories about human connection, grief and loneliness, often through a surrealist lens. Drawing inspiration from her dreams, she fills her worlds with levity, strange beauty, and magic. She is an alum of Slamdance, WBD Access x Canadian Academy Writers Program, and Women in the Director’s Chair. Her films include The Future Above Us (2023), How to Stay Awake (2024), and I Am Pleased (2025). Her debut feature, Nadine Pick Up the Phone, will be released in 2027. When she’s not creating her own work, she supports emerging filmmakers through Black Women Film and Media, Breakthroughs Film Festival and as the Development Coordinator at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival. Aisha Evelyna (Filmmaker, BFF Alumna) Born to Canadian parents of Caribbean descent, Aisha is a Toronto-based actor and filmmaker passionate about bringing stories of the underrepresented to the forefront of our social consciousness. Aisha won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Web Program or Series for the comedy series THE DROP where she was also nominated for Best Direction. Aisha co-created, wrote, directed, and starred in the series which led the category with five nominations. Aisha’s debut feature film, SEAHORSE, will make its world premiere at the SXSW film festival. Film & TV appearances include REALLY HAPPY SOMEDAY (TIFF ‘24), and SLO PITCH (Crave/Page Boy productions). Her short films ALEX (2022), a 'Vimeo Staff Pick, ACCIDENTALS (2017) and SHOEGAZER (2022) have screened internationally and celebrated critical acclaim. https://trinitysquarevideo.com/ Trinity Square Video is a space to reimagine media arts. We support artists and curators through equitable access to tools, space, and resources for production, education, and presentation. TSV fosters interdisciplinary exploration and diverse storytelling while centering equity, inclusion, and radical hospitality across all areas of our work. Our mission is to build a thriving, artist-led media arts community that reflects and amplifies the voices of Toronto and beyond. The Directors Guild of Canada is the COMMUNITY SPONSOR for this event. We are incredibly grateful for their support and appreciation of Canadian directors who are women, trans-masculine and non-binary. The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 7,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing. The DGC negotiates and administers collective agreements and lobbies extensively on issues of concern for members including Canadian content conditions, CRTC regulations and ensuring that funding is maintained for Canadian film & television programming. Greenhouse Juices is our beverage sponsor for this event. Greenhouse Juices mission is to provide widespread, sustainable access to plant-based nutrition and wellness of the highest quality.