First Things First - Coming of Age in Canadian Film | Higher Learning

Moderated by film critic Jason Anderson (Sight & Sound), this free panel discussion explores five debut, coming-of-age-themed films at this year’s Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival: Sleeping Giant (represented by director Andrew Cividino), Closet Monster (executive producer Niv Fichman), Canadian Open Vault selection My American Cousin(director Sandy Wilson), short film NINA (director Halima Elkhatabi), and student-short film Menesetung (director Kyle McDonnell).

Post-secondary students may reserve one ticket each to this event. Hit the "sign up" button below to save your space. Remaining tickets will also be available from the Steve & Rashmi Gupta Box Office two hours before the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Faculty members and administrators can reserve blocks of tickets for their classes in advance. Please email hlf@tiff.net for more information.

ANDREW CIVIDINO
Andrew Cividino grew up in Dundas, Ontario and attended the film production program at Ryerson University. His short film We Ate the Children Last (11) was selected by TIFF as one of Canada's Top Ten shorts of 2011. Sleeping Giant (15), based on his 2014 Top Ten short of the same name, is his first feature.

JASON ANDERSON
Jason Anderson writes about film and the arts for such publications as the Toronto Star, Cinema Scope, Sight & Sound and Uncut, and teaches criticism and feature writing at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University. He is director of programming for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, and a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association.

HALIMA ELKHATABI
Halima Elkhatabi is a Montreal-based filmmaker. She graduated from L'Institut national de l'image et du son. She scripted the short La Barricade (11). NINA (15) is her directorial debut.

KYLE MCDONNELL
Kyle McDonnell grew up on a sheep farm outside Goderich, Ontario. He discovered film at an early age and pursued it through high school and into his post-secondary career, first at Concordia University then at Ryerson University, where he graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Studies.

SANDY WILSON
Sandy Wilson was born in Penticton, British Columbia. She has written and directed the features My American Cousin (85), which premiered at the Festival and won six Genie Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and its sequel American Boyfriends (89). She has also directed the feature Harmony Cats (92) and the shorts The Bridal Shower (72), Growing Up in Paradise (77), and My Life in 8 Minutes (00).