TIFF Every Story Accelerator, part of the RBC Screen Creators’ Initiative supported by the RBC Foundation, is a new programme that aims to help advance projects from emerging creators with diverse backgrounds, who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ and/or from other equity-deserving groups. Each year, two producer/director teams with feature-length projects in post-production will receive targeted support to pitch their projects to industry decision-makers in three key markets. Both participating teams in 2023 will receive a Micki Moore Fellowship, supported by Toronto-based broadcaster, journalist and actor Micki Moore.
Please note: there are no applications for this programme. Participants are chosen by a panel of industry experts.
Since early 2024, Fritzi Adelman has served as VP at Thin Stuff Productions alongside acclaimed directors Evan and Galen Johnson, producing NYC-based indie auteur Patrick Wang’s forthcoming feature A. Rimbaud, and Ian Bawa’s Telefilm Talent to Watch–supported Strong Son (in post). Adelman worked as an Associate Producer on Guy Maddin and Evan and Galen Johnson’s Rumours, and has collaborated with celebrated Canadian filmmakers Noam Gonick and Johnny Ma. In 2016 she joined Joe Talbot’s Longshot Features and was part of the Sundance Award–winning team behind A24 / Plan B’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Adelman graduated from Concordia University with a BFA in Art History and an MA in Film Studies.
Ian Bawa is a South Asian filmmaker based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg and an alumnus of the Canadian Film Centre’s 2023 Norman Jewison Directors’ Lab, he also participated in the prestigious TIFF Filmmaker Lab in 2021. Bawa’s work blends poetic imagery with emotionally resonant storytelling, often exploring themes of masculinity, grief, and intergenerational connection. His films have screened at top festivals including TIFF, Slamdance, Fantasia, and Aspen Shortsfest. Notable titles include Strong Son (2020, TIFF), My Son Went Quiet (2024, Slamdance, Fantasia), and The Best (2024, TIFF, Fantasia). His debut feature film, Strong Son, is currently in post-production and set for release in 2026. Expanding on the world of his acclaimed short, the feature continues Bawa’s exploration of vulnerability, identity, and mental health through the lens of a bodybuilder and his fractured relationship with his elderly and aging father. Bawa is committed to telling personal, visually striking stories rooted in emotional truth.
Cody Lightning is an actor, known for his iconic performance as Little Victor in 1998’s Smoke Signals. Hailing from Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, Cody began acting at age five in the film Geronimo. He has become one of Hollywood’s most active Indigenous actors, with roles in Johnny Depp’s directorial debut The Brave, Rian Johnson’s Brick, and many more. In 2024, Cody starred in Marvel’s Echo series. His debut feature film as a writer-director, Hey, Viktor!, was released on Crave in 2024. In recent years, Lightning has taken on greater creative responsibilities, including producing, directing, and writing, focusing on projects that highlight how hilarious Indigenous people are.
Pîsim Kânîpawit (Joshua Jackson) is a contemporary First Nations producer, director, writer, and musician. His background includes acclaimed work with Indigenous youth and professional artists. He has also collaborated nationally and internationally with renowned individuals and teams across visual, performance, and sonic mediums. As an extremely proud member of the Maskekosihk people (Enoch Cree Nation), Jackson is the founder and president of Lightning Mill INC and Ice Pirates Productions, production companies that specialize in telling Indigenous stories in the mainstream film landscape. Jackson is currently developing three projects, including one TV series slated to go into development in 2026.