BFF 2025: Grant Management & Budget Clinic

Breakthroughs Film Festival

Breakthroughs Film Festival returns with an exciting line-up of films and industry panels led by female and gender diverse filmmakers

POV Film

<p>This workshop is co-presented with POV Film.</p><p>After spending countless hours perfecting that grant application, many Canadian filmmakers find themselves totally unprepared for the financial and administrative side of accepting the money. Suddenly, you have to think about the nitty-gritty financial details: Where should I put the money before it’s spent? How do I handle taxes? How do I get ready in case of an audit? This workshop is designed to close that knowledge gap, starting with a clear, basic breakdown of the essential Do’s and Don’ts for managing that hard-won grant money and keeping your personal finances stable.</p><p>Once our panelists cover the basics on stage, participants will be split into groups for a hands-on budget session. <strong><strong>We highly encourage you to bring two specific questions and a budget draft</strong></strong>, even if it’s rough! This is a good place to get answers to all your financial questions, like: <em><em>What's a reasonable amount to ask for a short film budget? How much should I actually allocate for an accountant?</em></em> and <em><em>How will a budget of this size affect my personal income tax?</em></em> You will receive feedback from our advisors (fellow filmmakers) and other participants, and hopefully walk away with a clearer path.</p>

<h3>Panelists</h3><p><br></p><h4>Alice Wang (Filmmaker)</h4><p>Alice Wang is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. Keeping their parents happy with a degree in psychology from the University of Toronto, they have now transitioned to filmmaking and enjoy writing stories they’ve always wanted to tell. Alice has worked as a production coordinator at CBC Kids, Industry Producer at Canadian Film Fest and is currently the Manager of Programming at Regent Park Film Festival. ¼ of Videatur Collective, they’re passionate about supporting youth from underrepresented communities in film. An RBC Emerging Director’s Award recipient, a participant of the BIPOC TV and Film Episodic Lab and part of the 2023 Reelworld Emerging 20 cohort, Alice gravitates towards telling stories about loss, acceptance, and belonging with nuanced perspectives on family dynamics and self actualization.</p><p><br></p><h4>Leila Ois (Production Accountant)</h4><p>Leila Ois is a film and TV finance professional with over 20 years of experience, with executive level leadership experience in production and distribution and marketing. She has led accounting departments on productions for studios such as Insight Productions, Shaftesbury and Banger Films, as well as countless independent production companies, for projects ranging from music videos, web series, documentaries, shorts, feature length and entire series of all budgets. She loves movies and television and has brought that passion to this work, sharing practical know-how with emerging producers to ensure their dream projects come in on budget and that they are empowered to make budgetary decisions that protect their creative vision without compromising either. She has mandated to train QTBIPOC women in this work to ensure balanced workplaces on film productions, and viable, secure careers in film and television for women of all backgrounds and has trained over a dozen talented production accountants and bookkeepers now working steadily in the field.</p><p><br></p><h4>Lauren Saarimaki (Moderator)</h4><p>Lauren Saarimaki (she/they) is a producer and mental health advocate who has built their career at the intersection of filmmaking and industry training. With a strong focus on community impact, she champions projects that amplify underrepresented perspectives and explore themes of identity, mental health, and belonging. Lauren holds a BA in Creative Industries from Toronto Metropolitan University, and certificates of completion in Production Accounting from York University and Intellectual Property Licensing from Osgoode Hall. Projects they have been attached to as a producer have received acclaim, screening at film festivals such as TIFF, Canneseries, Inside Out Ottawa, the Canadian Film Festival, Fogfest, Nightmares Film Festival and the Kingston Film Festival. They held the role of Executive Director at the Future of Film Showcase in 2018. In 2023, they were the festival coordinator for the Get Reel Mental Health Film Festival. Alongside her independent producing, Lauren serves as Programs &amp; Operations Lead at POV Film, where she has overseen initiatives such as the Media Training Program, Writing for TV Program, and the inFOCUS Training Program. Her work connects emerging creatives with mentorship, training, and industry exposure. She is passionate about building safer, more inclusive working conditions in the film industry. Her vision is to fuse filmmaking, community building, and advocacy to create stories that move audiences and spark change.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.povfilm.org/" title="https://www.povfilm.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.povfilm.org/</a></p><p>POV partners with talented youth to champion diversity and inclusion within content production industries by increasing access to skills training, job placements, mentorship and professional development opportunities.</p>

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BFF 2025: Grant Management & Budget Clinic

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BFF 2025: Grant Management & Budget Clinic

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