Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Rory Kennedy to Headline New Manitoba Film Training Program

New Northern & Diverse Creators Program set to help more Manitoba rural, Indigenous, Black, and 2SLGBTQ+ people enter the film industry

WINNIPEG, MB, CANADA, October 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Film Training Manitoba (FTM) and DOC Manitoba have announced the launch of Manitoba’s Northern & Diverse Creators Program, featuring two-time Academy Award-nominated Director Rory Kennedy as a lead instructor.

This ground-breaking initiative, funded by the Canada Media Fund, aims to increase the number of underrepresented individuals working in Manitoba’s creative positions in film and to provide accessible training for 220 participants.

“Manitoba’s Northern & Diverse Creators program is a brilliant new strategy to connect underrepresented communities and cultural groups to grow our film industry,” said Charles Konowal, CSC, a film industry veteran and board member of DOC MB and Film Training Manitoba. “This initiative is taking us to places where no film training program has gone before; directly into our northern and rural communities, while concurrently engaging with women, 2SLGBTQ+ and newcomers. The depth of planning, partnerships, and outstanding program activities is unprecedented in Canada.”

Two large-scale studies point towards the need for more support for underrepresented workers in the film industry: the Women in View 2023 report and the Writers Guild of Canada’s 2023 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Report both found that underrepresented workers experienced a decrease in their share of work on media projects in 2020-2021. The reports state that the share of key creative roles for women and gender-diverse individuals in Canadian film and TV came to 30% in 2020 and 33% in 2021 – a decrease from 43% in 2019. The data covers English-language television and film projects funded by the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada over the two years. Manitoba’s Northern & Diverse Creators program has been developed to improve opportunities for these communities.

“Rory Kennedy is a highly accomplished filmmaker and a highly skilled professional. She’s the ideal instructor to lead this innovative initiative,” said FTM’s Executive Director Adam Smoluk.

The program is set to deliver 12 masterclasses for diverse communities to learn from world-class film professionals. Kennedy will be on-site, instructing sessions in the northern town of Churchill on October 25th. Kennedy’s Winnipeg sessions will be held at the University of Winnipeg on October 26th and 27th in support of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and Reel Pride Festival.

“Having instructed in Manitoba in the past, I was very impressed, and I’m looking forward to providing masterclasses for Film Training Manitoba and DOC Manitoba’s innovative and ambitious Northern & Diverse Creators Program,” said Rory Kennedy.

Kennedy is an Academy Award-nominated, Primetime Emmy-winning filmmaker and recipient of the prestigious Pennebaker Award. She has made over 40 films, including Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (Netflix), Last Days in Vietnam (American Experience), and Ethel (HBO), all of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Kennedy is the youngest child of the late Robert F. Kennedy and the late Ethel Kennedy.

Manitoba’s Northern & Diverse Creators Program also has training sessions in Winnipeg for the African Movie Festival in Manitoba (Black Filmmakers), and northern communities, as well as communities outside of Winnipeg, including:
• Brandon (Hosted by Assiniboine College) on October 2, 2025
• Churchill (Hosted by the Town of Churchill) on October 25, 2025
• Cranberry Portage (Hosted by the Frontier School Division) on October 28 & 29, 2025
• Flin Flon (Hosted by the Northern Manitoba Sector Council) on October 29, 2025
• The Pas (Hosted by the Northern Manitoba Sector Council) on October 30, 2025

Other instructors include Charles Konowal, Mark Bailey, Libby Lea, and Kevin Nikkel.

The masterclass session registration fees have been covered by the Canada Media Fund. All sessions will be free of charge and run from September 27, 2025, to December 6, 2025. Those interested in registering for sessions are invited to register online at filmtraining.mb.ca.

Pre-event online interviews with Rory Kennedy are available by appointment, with a possibility of post-event interviews. Adam Smoluk is available for interviews from now until the event.

Jenna Paterson-Coutts
Film Training Manitoba
+1 204-989-9669
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