Telefilm’s Board is composed of six members plus the Government Film Commissioner. The Governor in Council appoints the Chair and the other Board members. The Board works with the Executive Director to define Telefilm’s strategic objectives and ensure that all efforts are made to achieve them. The Board also ensures that management practices are conducive to producing reliable results, and that audit systems will safeguard Telefilm’s assets.
-
Michel Roy
Chair of the Board
West-Bolton – Quebec
Appointment effective October 12, 2007Biography
Michel Roy is an administrator and a creator who has served in both the public and private sectors. His career has taken him to Quebec City, Montreal, Chicago and Miami. Mr. Roy worked in television production in the 1960s and edited more than 60 programs for Radio-Canada. He then joined the Quebec Public Service, where he held, among others, the positions of Deputy Minister of Tourism, Deputy Minister of Communications, and Head of the Quebec Delegation in Chicago for twelve Midwest states. Following this, he was a management consultant in the private sector. As a musician and composer, he produced two jazz albums. He also wrote a biography of hockey goaltender Patrick Roy entitled Le Guerrier, which was translated into English under the title Patrick Roy – Winning. Nothing Else. Mr. Roy holds a master’s degree in Public Administration.
-
Elise Orenstein
Vice-Chair of the Board
Toronto – Ontario
Appointment effective December 19, 2006Biography
Elise Orenstein is a Toronto lawyer. She was called to the bar of Ontario in 1983 and has been a senior partner in two major Toronto law firms. Ms. Orenstein has practised in the area of corporate and commercial law with special emphasis on intellectual property law. She has represented public and private corporations as well as clients in a broad range of industries, particularly convergent media, knowledge management and entertainment. Ms. Orenstein has served on the Board of several privately held companies and taught in the MBA program at York University. As a volunteer, she has served on the boards of various arts organizations and as Chair of the Artists’ Health Centre Foundation (AHCF). In addition to her independent legal practice, she currently sits on the Advisory Boards of the AHCF and the Dancer Transition Resource Centre. Ms. Orenstein obtained a BA (Honours) from McGill University, a M. Phil. from Oxford University and a LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School.
-
Yvon Bélanger
Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee
Quebec City – Quebec
Appointment effective April 11, 2008Biography
Now retired, Mr. Bélanger is a chartered accountant by profession. Over the course of his career, he worked at several major accounting firms, most notably Mallette, where he was employed for more than 25 years. As an audit partner, Mr. Bélanger was responsible for undertaking numerous far-reaching projects, which allowed him to gain significant expertise in issues pertaining to the standardization and reporting of financial statements. Mr. Bélanger is a member of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec and the Chambre de commerce du Québec. Mr. Bélanger lives in Quebec City, and enjoys tennis, hunting, fishing, skiing and cycling, among other leisure activities.
-
G. Grant Machum
Chair of the Nominating, Evaluation and Governance Committee
Halifax – Nova Scotia
Appointment effective May 9, 2008Biography
A lawyer by profession, Mr. Machum is a partner with the firm Stewart McKelvey. His practice focuses on workplace litigation, dispute resolution, human rights, and employer-employee relations. In addition to his numerous professional affiliations, Mr. Machum has sat on boards of many organizations, including the Atlantic Theatre Festival, Prescott Group, Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron as well as the Management Committee of his law firm. Mr. Machum is a Life Member of the Nova Scotia Art Gallery. Married with four children, Mr. Machum is also a skilled and enthusiastic sailor.
-
Marlie Oden
Chair of the Strategic Planning and Communication Committee
Vancouver – British Columbia
Appointment effective July 30, 2008Biography
Originally from Edmonton, AB Marlie Oden is now the managing partner of Bridge Communications in Vancouver, BC. Her firm specializes in marketing, strategic planning, public relations and advertising. She has had a long career at the senior management level of major Canadian advertising firms. Extremely active in the cultural community, Ms. Oden has sat on the boards of the Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, Fringe Festival, Stanley Theatre and Vancouver TheatreSports ®. In 2007, she was awarded the Patron of the Arts Award.
-
Tom Perlmutter
Ex-officio Member Government Film Commissioner and Chair of the National Film Board of Canada
Montreal – Quebec
Appointment effective June 11, 2007Biography
Throughout his career as a filmmaker, writer and producer, Tom Perlmutter has been a fervent advocate of groundbreaking and socially engaged independent cinema. Before joining the NFB in 2001 as Director General, English Program, Mr. Perlmutter enjoyed a prestigious career in the Canadian film industry as the founding head of documentaries at Barna-Alper Productions, and partner in Primitive Entertainment. Mr. Perlmutter previously partnered with one of Canada’s most noted documentarians, John Walker, on several award-winning documentaries. Prior to this, he was Director of Creative Development for CineNova Productions and Executive Director of Alliance for Children and Television from 1993 to 1995. He has also worked as a writer and journalist, with many articles and publications to his credit.
-
Carolle Brabant
Executive Director
Biography
A 20-year veteran of Telefilm, Carolle Brabant contributes a unique mix of financial acumen and artistic vision.
Carolle joined Telefilm as an auditor in 1990. She had previously worked as a CA at Samson Bélair Deloitte Touche in Chicoutimi after completing studies at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Her Telefilm career has advanced steadily: Carolle was appointed Director of Finance and Administration in 2003 and served as Acting Executive Director for six months in 2004.
Her in-depth knowledge of public and private funding has considerably strengthened Telefilm’s efforts to build audiences and industry capacity. Carolle spearheaded Telefilm’s new role as administrator of the CTF programs, and continues to oversee Telefilm’s work with the newly created CMF programs.
-
Denise Arab
Director, Communications
Biography
Denise Arab is a consummate communications professional with a long and distinguished career.
Originally from Halifax, Denise earned a B.A. (Arts/Lettres Modernes) from Dalhousie University and the Université d’Aix-en-Provence, France. She followed with a B.A. in Journalism from King’s College before beginning her career at Canada Post. In 1994, she joined the Business Development Bank of Canada where she stayed for 15 years, eventually becoming Director, Public Relations & Employee Communications. Her Director appointment at Telefilm was announced in 2009.
In the course of her career, Denise has worked on award-winning PR strategies, and successfully taken on responsibilities in media relations, internal communications, issues management, government relations and event planning. Her expertise in management and communications, and her extensive national and regional experience, are definite assets in her senior role.
-
Sheila de La Varende
Director, National and International Business Development
Biography
Sheila de La Varende has been an influential figure in the Canadian film and television industry for over 25 years.
For almost ten years, Sheila managed Telefilm’s European office in Paris. She was the driving force behind Immersion Europe, an annual financing forum for feature film coproduction. Returning to Canada in 2004, Sheila was appointed Executive Director of the Montreal Festival du nouveau cinema. From 2005 to 2006, Sheila spearheaded Digimart, an international summit for developing new industry business models.
Inspired by the new opportunities of the digital economy, Sheila moved on to the NFB where she directed a project that would position the organization as a digital leader among cultural media institutions. In April 2009, Sheila rejoined Telefilm in her current senior management position.
-
Dave Forget
Director, Business Affairs and Certification
Biography
Dave Forget began his career at Telefilm in the Western Region office in 2001 as a Senior Investment Analyst. The following year, he was appointed to the position of feature film unit director for the Ontario & Nunavut Region of Telefilm. Within months, Dave stepped into the role of Regional Director at that office.
In 2006, Dave was appointed Director, Television for Telefilm. His expertise was instrumental in helping Telefilm assume the administration of programming under the Canadian Television Fund. Dave was appointed to the position of Director, Business Affairs and Certification in 2009. He oversees Telefilm’s Business Affairs team, including the Coproduction Certification process, as well as the CMF Program Administration team.
Before joining Telefilm, Dave worked for 20 years in film distribution. He was a founding partner of Vancouver-based Red Sky Entertainment Ltd., responsible for sales, distribution and other business affairs. Dave has also held management positions at 20th Century Fox and Alliance Atlantis Releasing.
-
Elizabeth Friesen
Director, Strategic Planning and Project Development
Biography
Elizabeth Friesen has a 23-year career in the Canadian film industry, and 14 years of experience with Telefilm. Elizabeth spent four years with B.C. Film before joining Telefilm as a business unit director. Within a decade, Elizabeth became Chief Operating Officer at Telefilm for a five-year term. She was appointed Director, Strategic Planning and Project Development in 2009.
A strategic thinker and excellent manager, Elizabeth played a decisive role in administering the CFFF and the CNMF. Her expertise was also key to developing the organization’s corporate plans.
After a long and fulfilling career at Telefilm, Elizabeth departed in 2010 to explore new opportunities.
-
Jean-Claude Mahé
Director, Government Relations
Biography
Jean-Claude Mahé began his career with Telefilm as a consultant, organizing forums, summits and film promotion activities with the industry. He also arranged regular promotional screenings of top Canadian films on Parliament Hill before being appointed as Director, Communications and Public Affairs. Jean-Claude was appointed to his current position in 2005.
Jean-Claude worked for almost two decades at the National Film Board from 1978 to 1996 where he rose to hold such important positions as Secretary to the Board and Director of Communications.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Jean-Claude has been dedicated to educational issues, and to Canada’s cultural industries.
-
Michel Pradier
Director, Projects Financing
Biography
Michel Pradier is a 13-year veteran of Telefilm. Beginning as a financial analyst for the film and television units, he became head of the television unit before being appointed interim director of the Quebec regional office in 2001. The following year, Michel was appointed Director of French Operations at the Quebec regional office.
Before arriving at Telefilm, Michel occupied executive and financial analyst positions at SODEC between 1991 and 1997. He had been associated with film and media production for 10 years before that. In his current role, Michel is responsible for the full range of feature film productions being considered for funding. He is adept at target-setting and performance measures that have a great bearing on Telefilm’s decision-making process.
-
Vacant
Director – Administration and Corporate Services
