Oct. 23, 2024

A new commitment from Seneca Polytechnic will help the brightest young creative talent across communities from Toronto find success in screen-based industries.

Seneca will provide $75,000 over three years to POV Film, a Toronto based non-profit organization that empowers, supports and trains aspiring creatives, prioritizing equity-deserving groups, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomer and refugee communities.

"We are thrilled to deepen the partnership between POV Film and the Seneca Film Institute” said Biju Pappachan, Executive Director at POV Film.  “Our collaboration is a united effort, developing a unique approach to increase access to tools, relationships and opportunities that will support diverse creatives succeed within the creative industries."

This agreement grants POV participants access to the industry-level facilities and technological resources of the Seneca Film Institute (SFI), as well as SFI microcredentials.

The two organizations will also co-host events to connect students and emerging creators with industry professionals. These events will help to foster a supportive creative community in the Greater Toronto Area and ease the financial burden of accessing education by establishing new bursaries and scholarships.

"We share POV’s commitment to building equity and belonging within Canada’s film and screen-based industries and are excited to work more closely together to support diverse talent,” said Kurt Muller, Dean, Faculty of Communication, Art & Design, Seneca Polytechnic. “Combining the leading expertise of the Seneca Film Institute with the transformative programming of POV will help enable emerging creatives to take their work to the next level."

The funding for this initiative has been made available through The Jane Fund, an endowment established by Seneca in 2021 to support student-focused equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.