2026

Nawal Salim is a Canadian filmmaker, actress, and arts producer. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s MFA in Documentary Media, she has programmed cultural events with Ontario Culture Days and the Silk Road Institute, and her creative work explores Muslim representation in film and performance.

2025

Toronto Arts Foundation – Mentor in Residence x Core Program
Shehrezade worked with eight emerging artists from South Asian, Muslim, and Middle Eastern communities through the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Mentor in Residence x Core Program, providing career guidance, funding strategies, and creative development support.

2024

Program Pause
The mentorship program was on pause this year.

2023

Shaista Roshan– Producer
Shaista Roshan is an Indo-Arab filmmaker and producer. A CFC Producers’ Lab alumna and participant in TIFF’s Big Pitch and the Creators of Color Incubator (2024), her recent producing credits include Karupy (Toronto International Film Festival 2025). She has also worked on major international series including Tokyo Vice (HBO Max), The Greatest(Amazon), and Brilliant Minds (NBC).

2022

Maytham Jabbara – Producer
Maytham Jbara is an Iraqi-Canadian writer and producer based in Toronto. A graduate of the University of Baghdad’s Cinema and Television program, his credits include Hanging Gardens (Venice Film Festival 2022, Special Mention; Seattle International Film Festival 2023, New Directors Competition Winner) and award-supported films backed by Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Red Sea Film Festival.