RESOURCES

PRODUCED WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF

Empowering

IBPOC Orgs in AB

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Industry Orgs in AB

Empowering

EMPOWERING RESOURCES

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Pathfinders Film Institute

Pathfinders Film Institute

Pathfinders Film Institute offers comprehensive film production training programs complete with certified courses for aspiring BIPOCfilmmakers & storytellers interested in pursuing a career path in the Canadian film and television industry.

Taproot Actors Academy

Taproot Actors Academy

Tantoo Cardinal’s Tap Root Actors Academy is an acting and filmmaking academy for Indigenous youth based in Kikino Métis Settlement, Alberta.

Film Freeway

Film Freeway

The world’s #1 way to enter film festivals and screenplay contests – all in one place! Connect with over 12,000 of the world’s best film festivals and screenplay contests, including 230 Academy Award / BAFTA Award accredited festivals, and use FilmFreeway to reach over two million filmmakers worldwide.

CISF FOR BPOC CREATORS

Business Affairs Templates

The Canadian Independent Screen Fund is pleased to offer free business affairs templates prepared by Chandler Fogden Aldous Entertainment Law.

Reelworld Screen Institute

#HerFrameMatters Protocol Guideline 2024

The #HerFrameMatters Research Study and Protocol Guideline aim to revolutionize the historical practices of the Canadian screen industries by changing the stereotypical depictions of Black, Indigenous and Women of Colour in Canadian screen content; improving the working conditions of Indigenous and racialized women in our industry; and fostering the creation of more authentic and nuanced women characters on screen. The protocols outlined in the document are culturally appropriate and ethical guidelines in compliance with Narrative Positioning policies as required by the major funding bodies. It’s time to rethink how we tell stories and represent Canadians both to themselves and to the world.

by Treaty 7 Tribal Council, Walter Hildebrandt, Sarah Carter and Dorothy First Rider

The True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7

The True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7 gathers the “collective memory” of the Elders about Treaty 7 to provide unique insights into a crucial historical event and the complex ways of the Aboriginal people. Based on the testimony of over 80 elders from the five First Nations involved in Treaty 7 – the Bloods, Peigans, Siksika, Stoney, and Tsuu T’ina, these recollections highlight the grave misconceptions and misrepresentations between the two sides, due in part to inadequate interpretation and/or deliberate attempts to mislead.

National Screen Institute & The Shine Network

PACT

PACT (Pledge-Activate-Cultivate-Thrive) is North America’s first free online Indigenous cultural competency course for the screen sector, designed to prepare non-Indigenous stakeholders for working with Indigenous productions and content. The National Screen Institute and The Shine Network Institute have partnered to build this course. The principals and values presented within the course are a launchpad on your journey to creating safer, more equitable and ethical spaces for your Indigenous partners and colleagues. This is an important step as Indigenous People redefine and reclaim space within a sector that has not been inclusive or respectful of Indigenous voices, processes and protocols.

COALITION FOR THE DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS (CDCE)

Generative AI

CDCE’s recommendations to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions: In a brief submitted on January 15, 2024, to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Canadian Heritage, the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE), representing over 360,000 creators and nearly 3,000 cultural businesses in the country, presented its recommendations in response to a consultation on copyright law in the age of generative artificial intelligence. The CDCE strongly believes that calls for amendments that, essentially, would weaken the Canadian Copyright Act by adding new exceptions or new rights to the detriment of Canadian rights holders must be resisted.

Millenial X

Millenial X

Millennial X was created to amplify the voices of BIPOC creatives over the age of 30 years old; understanding that a second-career doesn’t often direct individuals towards art-based careers. Most community art programs support youth between the ages of 18 to 30, thus Millenial X found an opportunity to fill in the gap for Millennial’s and Generation X creatives transitioning from the workforce to media arts. Their mandate is to provide them with resources, mentorship, coaching through programming and artist retreats; ultimately helping them form a community.

Telefilm Canada

Indigenous Reconciliation Plan

The Indigenous Reconciliation Plan’s engagements seek to incorporate an Indigenous-focused lens across the various areas of Telefilm Canada’s mission to support the development, production, promotion and distribution of the screen-based industry in Canada. The Indigenous Reconciliation Plan is part of the continual nature of reconciliation and a desire for us to maintain a reciprocal relationship with Indigenous creators and partners. The plan was crafted through a collaborative process spanning over two years, gathering valuable input from Telefilm’s Indigenous Working Group meetings, personal interactions with filmmakers, and dialogues with key Indigenous partner organizations.

Black Screen Office (BSO)

Research & Action Centre

The BSO Research & Action Centre is your go-to resource for addressing equity and combating anti-Black racism in Canada’s screen industries. They provide practical tools based on solid research to help you make meaningful changes that suit your specific needs. If you’re looking to dive into our research, you’ll be glad to know it’s all accessible online. Anyone interested can download the reports at no cost and get a comprehensive look at the findings. BSO’s fee-for-service offerings provide interactive, hands on, opportunities to turn this research into action.

Black Screen Office (BSO)

Being Seen Toolkits

The Black Screen Office’s (BSO’s) vision is to provide Directives to everyone in the film, television and interactive digital media industries to help them commission, create and assess authentic content. The Directives, which come from the community of underrepresented members of the industry and general public who were consulted as part of the research, are a tool meant for the industry to use to educate themselves, develop strategies for change, and enact real, systemic and long-lasting transformation.

Creatives Empowered

Guidelines for Engaging

These guidelines are meant to be simple, concise and easy to read, to make this much needed information as accessible as possible. And articulate the necessary standards for how we expect to be engaged – as equity-deserving organizations and industry professionals, who possess valuable anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (AR-EDIA) expertise. This resource was created collaboratively by equity-deserving organizations and individuals from underrepresented communities in specific regions across Canada. You can download your free copy by clicking the above image.

Government of Canada

Accessible Canada Act

The Government of Canada consulted with Canadians from July 2016 to February 2017 to find out what an accessible Canada means to them. On June 20, 2018, the Government introduced Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (the Accessible Canada Act) in Parliament. The Accessible Canada Act received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, and came into force on July 11, 2019.

Government of Canada

Accessible Standards Canada

Accessibility Standards Canada is a departmental corporation created in 2019 under the Accessible Canada Act (the Act). ASC is committed to creating accessibility standards for federally-regulated entities and federal organizations. These include government buildings, banks, and federal courts, among others. ASC is an accredited standards development organization. This means their standards are recognized as National Standards of Canada. This helps ASC open doors so that Canada can influence and be a global leader on matters related to accessibility.

REMC (Racial Equity Media Collective)

A National Data System and Benchmarking for Racial Equity

This report seeks to establish clear, research-informed guidelines and targets for the future of the Canadian screen industry. It calls on major public agencies to harmonize their data strategies to create a national data system, and urges the wider implementation of equity targets and quotas.

Built In

16 Examples of Unconscious Bias

Unconscious Bias: 16 Examples and How to Avoid Them in the Workplace. The best way to reduce unconscious biases is to become aware of them. Start here with 16 examples of unconscious bias and tips to reduce them.

Women in View

On Screen Report

Women in View’s 7th On Screen Report documents women’s employment in Canada’s publicly funded film, television and documentary from 2019 to 2021 with data on Black women, Indigenous Women, Women of Colour and Gender Diverse people who identify beyond the binary of cisgender men and cisgender women throughout.

Rozsa Foundation

Alberta Grants Calendar

This calendar captures upcoming grant deadlines for funding available to arts organizations and artists in Alberta. Included are public funders at the municipal, provincial, federal levels, along with private foundations that support the arts in Alberta.

Equitable Recovery Collective and Imagine Canada

Shifting Power Dynamics

The first study of its kind, Shifting Power Dynamics: Equity, diversity and inclusion in the nonprofit sector, explores what Canadian charities and nonprofits are doing to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within their organizations.

DSO - Disability Screen Office

DSO - Disability Screen Office

The Disability Screen Office is a national, not-for-profit organization that works with the Canadian screen industry to eliminate accessibility barriers and foster authentic and meaningful disability representation throughout the sector.

Kello Inclusive

Kello Inclusive

Kello Inclusive is a talent agency exclusively representing disabled and visibly different talent; because the beauty of disabilities, diversities, and differences deserves to be represented fairly and fully.

Reena Samra, Soni Dasmohapatra & Creatives Empowered

Empowering IBPOC Mental Health Workbook

This workbook was designed from our workshop Empowering IBPOC Mental Health: Dealing with the Impacts of Racism, run by Reena Samra and Soni Dasmohapatra. This workbook offers helpful psychoeducational information about racial microaggressions and the impacts that racism has on mental health; as well as tools and suggestions that can be utilized in your healing, and resources to support you. Our workbook can be used as a starting point and guide for you in your healing journey. Download your copy, free of charge.

by Resmaa Menakem

My Grandmother's Hands

My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.

BIPOC Healing and Wellness Centre

BIPOC Healing and Wellness Centre

BIPOC Healing and Wellness Centre provides anti-racist, decolonizing, intersectional feminist and culturally-informed therapy to individuals, couples, families and groups who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) in what is colonially known as Edmonton and the surrounding area.

IBPOC Consultants Directory

IBPOC Consultants Directory

The first of its kind, the IBPOC Consultants Directory produced by Creatives Empowered, accomodates requests from the cultural sector seeking expertise on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility, and those wanting to diversify their staff, contractors, membership, programming and audiences.

Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation

Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation

The Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI) is an arts council based in Calgary with the expressed purpose of connecting newcomer and immigrant artists, arts administrators and culture workers to the existing arts community in YYC; encouraging diversity of expression and culture.

U of A - Faculty of Native Studies

Tackling Structural Racism

Grounded in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, this micro-course introduces key anti-racism concepts that are applied to various sectors (education, social services, and the policing and legal system). By using real world case studies and Indigenous led content.

Black Lives Matter Canada

Black Lives Matter Canada

Black Lives Matter Canada is a platform upon which Black communities across Canada can actively dismantle all forms of anti-Black racism, liberate Blackness, support Black healing, affirm Black existence, and create freedom to love and self-determine.

The 35/50 Initiative

The 35/50 Initiative

The 35//50 Initiative is a coalition of BIPOC artists across Alberta who believe in representation as an actionable plan. We are committed to seeing our civic landscape more equitably reflected in our professional landscape: 35% BIPOC and 50% women + gender minorities in paid, professional positions.

CultureBrew.Art

CultureBrew.Art

CultureBrew.Art (CBA) is a digital platform that promotes and fosters intersectional interculturalism throughout the performing, literary, and media arts. Its central tool is a national searchable database of Indigenous and racialized artists.

DOC Institute

FUNDING ANALYSIS FOR BIPOC DOCUMENTARY CONTENT IN CANADA

This report addresses knowledge gaps in the Canadian film and television industry about inequities in funding distribution for documentary production as well as highlighting barriers to public funding and IP ownership for documentary creators who identify as Indigenous, Black or racialized.

REMC (Racial Equity Media Collective)

MAPPING CANADA'S BIPOC SCREEN SECTOR

This report examines the state of financial and organizational health of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour production companies and media non-profit organizations in Canada. Shining a spotlight on how under-resourced these companies and organizations are.

RESO AND VAFF

NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF WHOSE CANADA?

A racial equity audit on productions funded by the National Film Board of Canada, reveals longstanding systemic racial inequities within Canada’s film industry; despite a pledge to elevate racial equity, the NFB has long failed to provide equal opportunities to Black and racialized creatives.

Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

HONOURING THE TRUTH, RECONCILING FOR THE FUTURE

Without truth, justice, and healing, there can be no genuine reconciliation. Reconciliation is not about “closing a sad chapter of Canada’s past,” but about opening new healing pathways of reconciliation that are forged in truth and justice.

Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL)

RACELIGHTING IN THE NORMAL REALITIES OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR

An understanding of contemporary challenges facing Black, Indigenous and People of Colour involves an understanding of systemic oppression as well as how racism manifests at the interpersonal level. Racelighting is a framework for understanding the process by which interpersonal racism impacts BIPOC.

CommunityWise Resource Centre

ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Calgary-based CommunityWise Resource Centre has been undertaking Anti-Racist Organizational Change (AROC) since March 2016; taking a consultative and emergent process to better understand and define organizational racism, as well as develop and implement strategies to create greater racial equity.

VAFF, RESO and Elimin8Hate (E8)

DIVERSITY ON SCREEN - AUDIT REPORT OF CANADIAN BROADCASTERS

A cross-sectional study of CBC, Citytv, CTV Global Television Network and Knowledge Network, asking: 1) Who are Canadians watching on their television screens? 2) How does this reflection impact diversity, equity and inclusivity in Canada?

Elimin8Hate (E8)

RECLAIM YOUR NAME

ReclaimYourName.dic – the first custom dictionary to normalize thousands of Asian names in the world’s most popular word processing software, where non-English identities are arbitrarily targeted as errors. A .dic file is a text file that adds new or unfamiliar terms to word processing software.

RACIAL EQUITY TOOLS

RACIAL EQUITY TOOLS

Discover the 600+ new resources at Racial Equity Tools! Designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. It offers tools, research, tips, curricula, and ideas for people who want to increase their understanding and to help those working for racial justice at every level.

VITAL PRACTICES IN THE ARTS

VITAL PRACTICES IN THE ARTS

Vital Practices in the Arts is a resource guide for documenting, producing and sharing arts and knowledge in ways that are accessible, collaborative and disruptive.

Documentary Organization of Canada

DOC BUSINESS CONCIERGE

DOC Business Concierge provides BIPOC producers with the opportunity to sign up for a consultation session with a veteran producing and business affairs consultant, in order to get project-specific advice telling them exactly what they need to know, precisely when they need it most.

Elimin8Hate (E8)

ELIMIN8HATE STYLE GUIDE

Best Practices for Reporting Stories on Asian Canadian Communities for Journalists and Media Workers: A community response to decades of unrepresentative media coverage of the Asian-Canadian community — with contributions from racialized journalists across the country.

Racial Equity Screen Office (RESO)

reso-ca.org

A Vancouver-based national office that advocates, incubates, and mentors IBPOC filmmakers in Canada to tell their stories through a diasporic migrant lens. Helping folks from equity-seeking groups with the mandate of addressing systematic inequities that negatively impact racialized talent.

Indigenous Canada

Indigenous Canada Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today.

Foundations in Digital Marketing

pressbooks.bccampus.ca

A FREE E-BOOK by Digital Strategist Rochelle Grayson, that introduces folx to the world of digital marketing, covering: fundamental frameworks, practical applications, and online tools that can all be applied to build and execute a cohesive and engaging digital marketing strategy. – for any project!

The Structural Racism Remedies Repository

belonging.berkeley.edu

This repository by Othering & Belonging Institute provides policy-based recommendations for addressing structural and systemic racism. This open-source repository reviewed books, reports, platforms and political campaigns connected to racial equity.

Stop Race Based Hate

STOPRACEBASEDHATE.CA

An anti-racism resource designed to build a more anti-racist community. Being actively committed to eliminating racism requires a conscious decision to learn, unlearn, and take action every day; speaking out against racism works towards eliminating it. An educational, empowering and accessible tool.

Black Screen Office

BEINGSEEN.CA

Directives for Creating Authentic and Inclusive Content” is a comprehensive study produced by The Black Screen Office (BSO) that provides community-driven directives to everyone in the film, television and interactive digital media industries to help them commission, create and assess authentic content.

Reelworld Screen Institute

ACCESSREELWORLD.CA

A fully transparent and searchable recruiting platform for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour creatives, crew, production staff and executives in Canada’s screen industry. If you are a racialized creative from one of these underrepresented communities, you can list yourself in the database for free.

BIPOC TV & FILM

HIREBIPOC.COM

HireBIPOC.com is the definitive and ubiquitous industry-wide roster of Canadian BIPOC creatives and crew working in the screen-based industries. All self-identified BIPOC working in all areas of the industry across all experience/education levels, are encouraged to join, at no cost.

MUKURTU

MUKURTU

Mukurtu (MOOK-oo-too) is a free, mobile and open source platform built with Indigenous communities to manage and share digital and cultural heritage. This grassroots project empowers communities to manage, share, and exchange their digital heritage in culturally relevant and ethically-minded ways.

INDIGENOUS SCREEN OFFICE (ISO)

INDIGENOUS SCREEN OFFICE (ISO)

The ISO champions Indigenous screen-based storytellers and narrative sovereignty in Canada through their funding and advocacy work. They support Indigenous companies, communities and individuals to share their diverse stories and perspectives across all screen platforms.

CISF FOR BPOC CREATORS

CISF FOR BPOC CREATORS

The Canadian Independent Screen Fund for Black and People of Colour is the first of its kind, and empowers content creators from these underrepresented communities with dedicated funding. Check out their Funds Database, a comprehensive list of all Canadian funding sources and their Business Skills Series.

ELIZABETH MUDENYO

BLACKNESS: A POEM AND IDENTITY IN PARTS

Elizabeth Mudenyo is a Scarborough-based poet, community organizer, artist and arts manager. A special thanks to Elizabeth, a friend and ally of Creatives Empowered, for letting us share this beautiful poem!

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Implicit Association Test - for Racial and Unconscious Bias

This is a free tool available to the public, and a way to understand what some of your racial and unconscious biases may be.

bhasin consulting inc.

FREE BIAS WORKSHEETS

bhasin consulting inc. offers Free Bias Worksheets to help individuals identify their biases, understand how bias affects them, and shield themselves against bias. Download these free resources after taking the Harvard Implicit Association Test.

coco-net.org

The Problem Woman of Colour in the Workplace

Adapted from “The Chronicle of the Problem Woman of Colour in a Non-Profit” by Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence, this is a tool made available by COCo (the Centre for Community Organizations), that can be used by individuals and organizations, both inside and outside of the non-profit sector.

imagineNATIVE

On-Screen Protocols and Pathways

This highly-anticipated guide provides cultural principles, key findings from a national consultation process, and best practices for filmmakers, production companies, and funders when depicting Indigenous content on screen, and how communities can be collaborative partners.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF CANADA

Truth and Reconciliation Findings

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada held a series of events that consisted of public and private statements to the Commission by those who have been affected by Indian residential schools and their legacy. View the final report and further resources to advance Reconciliation.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Calls to Action

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action outlines action items that address the legacies of violence (child welfare, education, language, culture, health, justice), as well as pathways for Reconciliation. A succinct 20 page document and a great resource to move forward.

The New School

Long Bell Hooks: Moving from Pain to Power

“We have not just been colonized in our minds. We’ve been colonized in our imaginations… How do we decolonize? How do we use our imaginations in the service of our well-being?” ~ bell hooks

BOJANA COKLYAT & SHANNON FINNEGAN

ALT-TEXT AS POETRY

Alt-text as poetry offers resources, tools and practices that can facilitate creatives, artists, and digital strategists to move into transdisciplinary approaches to art that are more accessible.

Tabita Rezaire

DEEP DOWN TIDAL (2017)

Deep Down Tidal (2020) is a video essay, in typical net art style, created by artist-healer-seeker Tabita Rezaire that “[weaves] together cosmological, spiritual, political and technological narratives about water and its role in communication, then and now…”