Lanette Ware-Bushfield is no stranger to reinvention. An accomplished actor and seasoned producer, she has spent decades navigating the film industry.
Today, she leads her own production company, WWB Production Inc., and was recently recognized as part of TIFF’s prestigious Series Accelerator program. Her story is one of determination and resilience, and her mission today is clear: to open doors for the next generation of filmmakers and create opportunities for underrepresented voices.
Barriers and Breakthroughs
Early in her career, Ware-Bushfield learned just how steep the path can be for women in film. At one of her first major auditions, she entered a room filled with men she revered — only to be asked to remove her blouse. She turned and walked out, fully aware she was leaving behind a life-changing role. But she also knew she was trading that opportunity for dignity. The experience crystallized her understanding of the inequities built into the industry, but it wouldn’t be the last time she faced them.
From auditions to boardrooms, Ware-Bushfield has seen how sexism and discrimination can hold back careers. Her experience reflects a broader reality: in 2021, only 12.7% of the top-grossing North American directors were women (and just three were women of colour). And, of the 100 top-grossing films that year, only 11 featured a woman or girl of colour as the protagonist.
In Canada, however, some organizations are working to change that narrative by helping more women share their stories, both behind the camera and on screen. Ware-Bushfield herself was recognized in 2024 as a Donette Chin-Loy Chang Fellow and joined TIFF’s Series Accelerator delegation, which pairs creators, writers and showrunners with seasoned industry veterans to take their projects to the next level.
The Power of Community
One of TIFF’s most impactful initiatives is Share Her Journey (SHJ), launched in 2017. Since its inception, it has supported over 80 emerging talents with mentorship by established filmmakers and networking opportunities within the global filmmaking community. In 2024 alone, six SHJ-supported artists had films in the official festival selection.
“We heard a recurring theme of women wanting a community they could reach out to for help developing their projects, more funding for women-led work, and greater opportunity for hands-on training,” says Jane Kim, producer of industry programmes with TIFF. “We knew that more diverse programmes were needed to truly create a more equitable industry.” SHJ’s mandate includes professional workshops, pitch training, peer-to-peer networking, project grants, and individual fellowships for women and non-binary creators pursuing careers in screenwriting, directing, acting, and producing for film and television.
TIFF board member Betty-Ann Heggie agrees. A retired corporate executive, she co-founded an SHJ Giving Circle in 2020. “I wanted to see more female stories on the big screen,” she says. “Stories create our culture, and women need to be presented as multifaceted creatures.”
Breaking Through Doubt
For filmmakers like director Haya Waseem, SHJ has been pivotal. The Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker debuted her first feature, Quickening, at TIFF in 2021, where it received critical acclaim. Still, she notes, “There is an assumption or skittishness to imagining that a woman could run a big production, with any sort of scale to it. There’s added pressure and having to work twice as hard to convince skeptics, not only to buy into my vision, but to get past their biases of me to begin with.”
The challenges have only sharpened post-COVID, with fewer opportunities for women as major directors. Yet Waseem refuses to be deterred. “Beyond gender, race, and identity, emotions are universal,” she says. “I am focused on instilling humanity through film.”
Pushing for Change
Ware-Bushfield has also turned frustration into action. In early 2024, she introduced a new policy at WWB Productions: for every key hire, a junior female or BIPOC creative under 25 must be brought on to shadow. The results were immediate. “We didn’t lose any time or money, and no one’s ego was bruised,” she recalls. “Every time I looked over my shoulder, another head of department was taking a moment to explain something to an eager person in waiting. My heart sang at every glorious sight.”
Still, change doesn’t come easily. Ware-Bushfield has faced skepticism from executives who question her motives for uplifting women and people of colour. “As if there is something wrong with wanting to reach out and hold a door open to those who have been shut out for so long, as I have,” she says. Too often, she adds, she enters meetings where her experience is underestimated. “I’m made to feel as though I couldn’t possibly have substantial things to offer, when in fact I tend to be overly prepared. The shock ends up being in how flummoxed folks become when I speak and prove I am someone with brains as well as creative ideas they can’t ignore.”
The Broader Vision
For Kim, the stakes extend beyond equity. “These initiatives aren’t just about gender parity,” she says. “They’re about enriching the film landscape with a broader and more authentic range of perspectives and stories for audiences to enjoy.”
Ware-Bushfield describes SHJ as “a remarkable recognition but also a beacon of hope. The support and celebration of our work made me feel that anything was possible.”
For Waseem, the impact is both professional and personal. “SHJ puts a spotlight on filmmakers. It gave me confidence and a stamp of approval to keep going on the path I am on,” she says.
And yet, she adds, the real proof will come through the work itself. “As an artist, I want to make films that speak to people on an emotional level, that allow them to feel seen and understood. I can complain and get sympathetic nods, or I can work and prove the benefits through results. Let the work do the talking. This is the world we live in—it’s up to us to change it.”
