She co-founded CineFocus Canada in 1991 to tell thought-provoking stories and to deliver them worldwide on accessible platforms.
As a writer, director and editor, Joan has created 25 hours of prime-time arts, biography and social issue documentaries for Canadian and international broadcasters including CBC, A&E, Discovery and TVO, and 50+ commissioned videos for government and non-profit organizations.
Joan’s notable credits include the international documentary hit, Beauty and the Beach and the Juno-nominated biography Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life. Along with her documentaries, she produced and directed the biography series Lucky Breaks that aired on A&E’s Biography Channel and produced 28 profiles of Canadian musicians, directors and actors for Global’s Northern Lights. The pilot for her latest TV series, Green Heroes was a nominee at the Banff World Television Festival. Green Heroes currently airs on TVO.
Joan is an alumnus of Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program, the Canadian Film Centre, the Banff New Media Institute, OCAD University’s Imagination Catalyst, and the National Screen Institute and is a current member of the Writers Guild of Canada and Al Gore’s Climate Reality Corps.
From 2010-2017 Joan was on the board of the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival and taught documentary scriptwriting in the department of Media Studies at Niagara College. Joan began her career as a researcher and field producer on TVO’s flagship literary series, Imprint, hosted by Daniel Richler.
CINEFOCUS CANADA
CineFocus Canada is a Toronto based production company producing award-winning television documentaries and series, educational videos and interactive content that enables viewers to become active in environmental and social change.
By taking timely issues that go beyond the “doom and gloom”, CineFocus’ programs present solutions that inspire people to act on their own ideas and to make a difference in the world
As a company, CineFocus Canada has produced more than 50 commissioned videos for government, non-profit, health, and environment organisations as well as generating 25+ hours of prime time TV and on-line content that has sold around the world and innovated distribution platforms along the way.
CineFocus programs are seen on TVO, CBC and APTN in Canada and on Discovery, A&E, SBS and PBS internationally.
CineFocus Canada’s current cross-platform project, Green Heroes, illustrates their aim to connect viewers to compelling well-told stories that appeal to an international audience. A nominee at the Banff World Television Festival, Green Heroes charts the achievements of artists, business leaders, sport figures, musicians, and activists including photographer Edward Burtynsky, musician Bruce Cockburn, dolphin protector Ric O’Barry, and icons David Suzuki, Jane Goodall and Vandana Shiva.
CineFocus Canada owns the Intellectual Property rights to all their content created for digital, film and television platforms. CineFocus works with software developers to create tools and technologies to distribute this content across multiple platforms and with social media innovators to design outreach campaigns that engage people both on-line and in the real world.
WHAT WE WORK WITH
Area of Work
Co-productions, Equity Investment, Festival Programming, Grants/Funding, International Sales, Pre-sales, Production
Genre
Arts, Biographies, Culture, Environment, Gender, History, Human Interest, Indigenous, Music, Politics, Social Justice, Technology
Lengths and Formats
Series, Single/One-off, Short film, Format, 30’, 52’/60’, Online, Multiplatform, Interactive
What types of producers or creators would you like to meet at AIDC?
Specifically, the projects I’m bringing to AIDC have an environmental focus and are aimed at inspiring viewers to take action in their own communities to address the global challenge of climate change.
The first is a successful cross-platform documentary and web series called Green Heroes that I produced for TVO. The vision for Green Heroes is to grow a global story engine, transferable to different cities, countries and causes, to inspire social innovation and environmental change worldwide.
As well, I am developing an AI chatbot and immersive website called AskMotherNature, with the support of Microsoft’s AI for Earth, that enables consumers to make good green decisions. I am interested in meeting with creators experienced with integrating AI programming with on-line video content.
I am also interested in co-production opportunities with producers internationally. For example, I’d like to co-develop a documentary or series on the history of the environmental movement.
I am also eager to share the 30 years knowledge I have of the Canadian documentary and interactive landscape and my experience working in multiple genres and formats with other producers and creators who have projects they want to co-produce with Canada.
Successes/Commissions
Television Broadcasts
Green Heroes, TVO (2010-Present)
Museum Maestros, Bravo! (2008)
Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life, APTN, Bravo!, PBS, CBC, SBS, Bio (2006)
Northern Lights, Canwest Global (2003-2004)
Visions from the Wilderness: The Art of Paul Kane, Bravo!, APTN, TG4 (Ireland) (2001)
Lucky Breaks, Bio, A&E Networks (2000-2002)
Beauty and the Beach, CBC, W, Radio-Canada, TLC, Discovery (1996)
Awards
Digital Hot List, nextMedia
Banff World Television Rockie Award: Pilot nominee
Juno Awards: Music DVD of the Year nominee
Golden Sheaf Award: Arts & Culture and Social Issues nominee
Documentary Organization of Canada – DOCIT First place winner
Columbus International Film and Video Festival Bronze Plaque winner
Worldfest International Film & Video Festival Gold Remy Award
Screenings/Exhibits
Royal Ontario Museum, First Peoples Gallery
DOXA Documentary Festival, Vancouver
Festival of Films on Art, Montreal
Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, Toronto
Global Visions, Edmonton
Mayworks, Toronto
Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival,
Reel World Film Festival, Toronto
American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco
Globians Festival, Germany
Wairoa Maori and Indigenous Film Festival, New Zealand