The screen industry in Canada is undergoing rapid change in response to social media, streaming services and new media such as virtual and augmented reality.
In a time of ubiquitous mobile media and computing, predictions for the future of Canada’s screen industries will be discussed on a panel – Unfolding Screens: Envisioning the Future of Media Arts in Canada – as part of York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design’s 50th anniversary celebration events in the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan theatre, 110 Accolade East Building, Keele Campus, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Christa Dickenson, executive director of Telefilm Canada, will be joined on the panel by Beth Janson, CEO of Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and Ingrid Veninger, Canadian actress, writer, director, producer and assistant professor in York’s Department of Cinema & Media Arts. All three are alumni of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD).
The moderator is the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) Dean Sarah Bay-Cheng, a respected scholar on the intersections of theatre and digital media. Building on the school’s historic strengths in experimentation across the arts, AMPD is expanding its research and teaching in emerging industry developments, such as digital media and computational arts. Formerly known as the Faculty of Fine Arts, it is home to Canada’s first undergraduate film program (created in 1969), first university theatre course (in 1971), first master’s program in dance (in 1976), first graduate program in film (in 1979), and the first university courses in gospel music in 2005. With a name change to AMPD in 2015, the school continues to offer the only BFA degree in screenwriting in Canada.
The 50th anniversary event also includes a choice of three student performances. The first two productions, Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) and Dance Innovations are both at capacity on event day, but tickets are available throughout the week. Seating is available for the third performance, York University Jazz Festival: Small Ensembles.
Members of the public are required to RSVP for the panel discussion by emailing infusini@yorku.ca.