ADVISORY COUNCIL OF CANADIAN SCREEN INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AND LEADERS

SUGITH VARUGHESE – SOUTH ASIAN CANADIAN SCREEN PIONEER, ACTOR, WRITER & DIRECTOR

Sugith Varughese is a pioneering South Asian Canadian writer, director, and actor with over 150 screen credits. He is widely recognized for his recurring roles in the hit series Kim’s Convenience (CBC/Netflix) and Transplant (CTV/NBC). A Writers’ Guild of Canada award-winning screenwriter and Gemini-nominated TV writer, he is renowned for his work as a writer on the original, iconic Muppet TV series Fraggle Rock. He was the first visible minority accepted into the prestigious Canadian Film Centre as a writer-director. His films and television dramas have screened internationally and received numerous awards.

On stage, his extensive body of work includes the Dora Award–nominated Little Pretty and The Exceptional. His acclaimed stage play Entitlement debuted at the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, earning strong critical response. His latest solo work, 26 Doctors, premiered at SummerWorks in

SUPINDER WRAICH – ***CANADA’S STAR, LEAD ON CBC’s HIT SERIES ALLEGIANCE, AND TWO-TIME CANADIAN SCREEN AWARD-WINNER ACTOR, WRITER & PRODUCER***

Supinder Wraich is a multi‑award‑winning actor, writer, and producer working across film, television, and digital media, and one of the most significant creative voices in contemporary Canadian screen culture. The Globe and Mail has named her “Canada’s star.”

She won the Canadian Screen Award for her breakthrough performance in the Emmy-winning digital series Guidestones. Wraich went on to create, write, and star in The 410 (CBC Gem), a landmark series that reshaped the possibilities for creator-driven storytelling in Canada and received multiple Canadian Screen Award nominations. The series is widely regarded as a turning point for South Asian representation and narrative leadership on Canadian screens. Wraich currently stars as Constable Sabrina Sohal in CBC’s hit drama Allegiance, a role that has further cemented her

SAMI KHAN – OSCAR-NOMINATED, TWO-TIME EMMY-WINNER WRITER, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Sami Khan is an Oscar-nominated and two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker whose work in fiction and documentary has been supported by the Sundance and Tribeca Film Institutes, Rooftop Films, the Gotham, and the NBC/Universal Directors Fellowship. He has been nominated for four types of Emmy awards (News & Doc, Sports, Daytime, and Regional) while his films have screened at leading festivals, including Tribeca, Toronto, Hot Docs, and Mumbai. Sami is currently in production on a show for Gotham Chopra, Tom Brady, and Michael Strahan’s RELIGION OF SPORTS.

In 2025, Sami finished his second season as co-executive producer on the Netflix doc series STARTING 5, where he personally chronicled Tyrese Haliburton’s historic 2025 NBA playoff run, Jimmy Butler’s tumultuous final year with the Miami Heat, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s journeys during their championship season with the Boston Celtics and their attempt to repeat.

ANAR ALI — VISIONARY WRITER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & CREATIVE FORCE BEHIND CBC’S HIT SERIES ALLEGIANCE

Anar Ali is a Canadian Screen Award–nominated writer, executive producer, and the creator of hit police drama series Allegiance (CBC/NBCUniversal), celebrated for its sophisticated storytelling, cultural nuance, and bold expansion of representation in Canadian primetime television. By foregrounding underrepresented perspectives in compelling, universally resonant storytelling, the series has earned critical acclaim and captivated audiences both nationally and internationally, with global distribution now spanning 100+ countries. A distinguished storyteller across both screen and literature, Anar is also a critically acclaimed short story writer and novelist. Her debut collection, Baby Khaki’s Wings, was a finalist for multiple major awards, including the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, and her novel Night of Power has been published internationally by Penguin Random House. She launched her television career through CBC’s Diverse Creators Program and has contributed to a range of prominent network series, including Transplant (Netflix/

NIMISHA MUKERJI, DGC & DGA – CANADIAN SCREEN AWARD-NOMINATED, ACCLAIMED WRITER, DIRECTOR & PRODUCER

Nimisha Mukerji’s critically acclaimed work spans both film and television including directing on the Emmy nominated limited series Under The Bridge for Hulu, the hit CBS action series Tracker, Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1 and David E. Kelley’s crime drama Big Sky. In 2025 she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for directing the CBC/NBCU’s gritty police drama Allegiance where she served as an executive producer and the producing director over multiple seasons. Additional credits include directing Apple TV’s Emmy-winning episode of Life By Ella, Netflix Original’s first season of My Life With the Walter Boys and the feature 65_RedRoses which was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her Documentary Club on OWN. Mukerji’s award-winning social impact films have premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and Tribeca including Jacinta, which she produced through her company Shotglass Productions alongside the features Blood Relative and Tempest Storm. Mukerji has also written and produced segments for Sesame Street as well as Historica Canada’s

TARIQUE QAYUMI, MFA (UCLA), DGC – ACCLAIMED WRITER, DIRECTOR & PROFESSOR OF CINEMA

Tarique Qayumi’s journey as a storyteller began with a dramatic escape from Afghanistan, hidden in the back of a truck with his mother—an experience that shaped his distinctive cinematic voice.

A UCLA MFA graduate, Tarique Quyumi serves on the Directors Advisory Board of the DGC–BC, reflecting his leadership within the Canadian screen community. His feature film Black Kite, a historical drama blending animation, documentary, and live action, premiered at TIFF, won three Leo Awards for Best Writer, Director, and Picture, and was subsequently acquired by Amazon Studios. He was also selected for the prestigious Warner Access × Academy Directing Program, which led to his directing work on CBC’s Allegiance. Qayumi recently completed his latest feature, Conceiving Clara, produced with support from Telefilm Canada. His TV series pitch Kabul Kitchen won TIFF’s Creator of Colour Incubator and received pre-development funding from CBC.

DIVYA SHAHANI – PROMINENT ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Divya Shahani is a partner in the leading entertainment and media law group of Blaney McMurtry LLP, a full-service Bay Street law firm. She advises across film, television, and digital media with a focus on the legal, financial, and strategic frameworks that underpin screen productions. Her practice spans entertainment, corporate, commercial, and intellectual property law, and she represents a wide spectrum of industry stakeholders, including screen producers, institutional lenders, private financiers, distributors, talent, creators, and media companies across the global content ecosystem. A practicing entertainment lawyer since 2014, Divya brings a rare dual perspective to her work as both legal advisor and creative collaborator. She has executive produced several high-profile international productions, including Locked (Bill Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins), Oh Canada (Richard Gere, Uma Thurman) and Dead Man’s Wire (Bill Skarsgård, Al Pacino). This hands-on production experience deeply informs her legal advice, grounding it in

AVI GREWAL – INFLUENTIAL MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT EXECUTIVE & SCREEN CATALYST

Avi Grewal is an accomplished leader at the intersection of business, arts, and screen storytelling, shaping the media and entertainment landscape at the Royal Bank of Canada. At Canada’s largest bank, she navigates the intricate world of film and television production financing, collaborating with studios, production companies, and animation houses. She is particularly committed to championing emerging producers through RBC’s Emerging Producer Program, facilitating access to essential funding and industry opportunities. Her passion for cinema is also evident in her role as Director of Programming, Research & Impact at IFFSA Toronto, North America’s largest South Asian Film Festival. Avi’s influence extends to the broader screen and cultural sector through her board memberships at Sheridan College, a leading Canadian institution renowned for screen industries research & innovation, and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, supporting arts and cultural initiatives across the province. Holding an MBA from Ivey Business School and a BSc from

SUNNY GILL – VISIONARY CULTURAL ARCHITECT AND SCREEN ARTS LEADER

Sunny Gill is a cultural architect and visionary leader with over fifteen years of experience advancing Canada’s screen arts landscape through institution-building and creative innovation. As founder and chief strategist of Canada’s largest 360° South Asian screen ecosystem, he has built a cohesive network of interconnected national platforms that empower creators across disciplines and career stages, including the South Asian Screen Office of Canada (SASO), the South Asian Screen Academy of Canada (SASA), the South Asian Filmmakers Alliance of Canada (SAFA), and the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA Toronto)—North America’s largest South Asian film initiative. Collectively, these platforms form a robust cultural infrastructure that amplifies visibility, professional opportunity, and sectoral participation for South Asian storytellers nationwide. Trained in engineering and later attending business school, with extensive corporate experience, Sunny brings a rare combination of systems thinking and cultural foresight to the arts sector, applying a