Women’s March Toronto 2017 © Chris Munro

About the Filmmakers

Dr. Cheryl Levitt – Director and Producer. Cheryl is a family physician and a Professor Emerita in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University in Canada. Cheryl studied medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand and Baragwanath Hospital in her native South Africa. After further training at the University of British Columbia, she practised in rural B.C. for eight years before becoming an academic family physician at McGill University in Montréal 1984. Cheryl was the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University from 1996-2006 and President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians in 2006-2007. She also has worked in leadership and other roles at Cancer Care Ontario, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and has advocated and published extensively on primary care policy issues, gender equity, maternal and child health and medical human rights. She has received a number of awards including the South African Women for Women HEALTH Award in 2004, the WONCA (World Organization of Family Doctors) Fellowship Award in 2010, the Jean Pierre Depins Award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2010 and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Health Wellness for the City of Hamilton in 2011.

Dr. Barbara Lent, Co-Director and Co-Producer. Barbara practised family medicine in London, Ontario, first in a small private office and then in a community-based academic practice in a socially disadvantaged neighbourhood. In 1994 she moved to the academic world of family medicine. She served as Associate Dean of Equity and Professionalism at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University from 2004 – 2010, where she worked on numerous educational initiatives related to gender issues, boundary issues, and professionalism. She was awarded the AFMC May Cohen Gender Equity Award for this work. She has participated in numerous policy and research initiatives to address intimate partner violence from a medical perspective. Since 2010 she has contributed to the work of Ontario’s medical regulatory organization, participating in numerous committees and policy development initiatives. When not pursuing professional endeavours, she enjoys travelling to new places, hiking, playing her trumpet, and spending time with her five young grandsons.

Mary Kainer, Editor. Born in Saskatchewan, Mary has lived, worked, volunteered and raised three children in Toronto, working as planner, administrator, community activist and documentary editor. She is an artist and her art is informed by these experiences. She tackles difficult topics – environmental devastation, global corporate domination, fracking, mining, deforestation, and most recently aging and infirmity. In 2015, her Fracking series drew first prize in the John B. Aird’s Contemporary Drawing Exhibition. In 2017 she was awarded Ontario Arts Council’s mid-career artists grant. Exhibitions of her work have been shown at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, Regina’s Dunlop Art Gallery, ASpace Gallery, Propeller Gallery and the Rebecca Gallery. Mary has also edited two documentary films: Finn with an Oyster: the story behind Toronto’s City Hall, (2015 feature length film which received the Award of Excellence, Heritage Toronto 2016) and The Gender Lady, The Fabulous May Cohen, 2018.

Zoe Dirse, Executive Producer and Cinematographer. A graduate of the University of Toronto with degrees in Psychology and Education Zoe has been a pioneering cinematographer on dozens of documentaries over her award-winning career., She started her career in cinematography by joining the Camera Union IATSE 644 in Toronto in 1979 where she one of only two female camera assistants. During her time at the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) from 1982 to 1997, Zoe worked on over 70 documentary and drama projects, including a number of groundbreaking features produced by Studio D— Wisecracks (1992); Forbidden Love: the Unabashed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992); and Jane Rule: Fiction and Other Truths (1996). Zoe has been a cinematographer of choice and a respected mentor for many female directors at the beginning of their careers. Eylem Kaftan, Lynne Fernie, Gail Singer, and Brenda Longfellow. Since 2000, Zoe has also helped mentor, inspire, and shape the careers of emerging filmmakers teaching cinematography at Sheridan College. Zoe was recently honoured with the Rogers-DOC Luminary Award and the WIFT-F Crystal Award for mentorship  |  Canadian Society of Cinematographers

Sharon Hampson, Executive Producer. Sharon Hampson is a member of Canada’s much loved trio Sharon, Lois & Bram who have entertained families across North America since 1978. They have been named to the Order of Canada, received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award on behalf of UNICEF as well a “Doctor of Humane Letters” degree from Mount Saint Vincent University. They have sold millions of records had two acclaimed television series and for the past twenty years since Lois’ retirement Sharon and Bram have continued to perform. They are currently on a cross-Canada farewell tour.

Sharon, one of the founders of Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada (now part of the Canadian Cancer Society), is a three-time breast cancer survivor and has been active in the breast cancer community.

Sharon Hampson is the recipient of the YWCA 2007 “Woman of Distinction Award” in the area of Health. The award was given for “fighting for the health of Canadian women, and singing her way into the hearts of children.”

Kirk Elliott, Music Composer and Performer. Kirk is a musician, arranger and composer from Toronto, with a Bachelor of Music degree from Queen’s University in Kingston. Working in his studio with over 60 instruments from around the world, he has composed, recorded and performed music for the National Ballet of Canada, the National Film Board, the Discovery Channel, the Toronto Consort, Oscar winning animated film director Chris Landreth, and CBC, CTV and YTV radio and television. A founding member of Ensemble Polaris, Kirk has composed, arranged and performed with them, playing violin, mandolin, bouzouki, accordions, guitar, double bass, dulcimers, Celtic harp, banjo, balalaika and Flemish, Swedish, and Scottish bagpipes. He has played with Canada’s beloved family entertainers Sharon, Lois and Bram for over 30 years, performing in every major venue in Canada and the US.

Konrad Skreta, On-Line Editor, Colourist, Sound Designer. Konrad Skreta is a Toronto-based tonmeister, sound editor, video editor, and cameraman. Born and raised in Poland, he studied music recording and sound for film, obtaining his Master of Arts from the renowned Sound Engineering Faculty at the Academy of Music of Warsaw. In 1988, he was invited to Canada to participate as an Audio Engineering and Production Associate at the prestigious Banff Centre for the Arts. Since 1991, Konrad has been engaged as a freelance in-house editor at Toronto’s artist-run studio, Charles Street Video, along with pursuing a variety of production and post-production projects, working with Deepa Mehta and Vera Frenkel, among others. 

Student Assistants

Azucena Mainero

Erin Carter

Jay Wang

Elsbeth McCall