INGRID VENINGER is the Director of York University Motion Media Studio (YUMMS) at Cinespace. She the holds an MFA from York University and has been a full-time faculty member of AMPD (School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design) in the department of Cinema & Media Arts since 2019.
Born in Bratislava and raised in Canada, Ingrid has produced fifteen feature films with premieres at TIFF, Rotterdam, Locarno, Busan, Slamdance, Whistler, Rome, Hot Docs, Karlovy Vary and MoMA in New York, amongst othters. Ingrid received the WIFTS International Visionary Award, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Award for “Best Director” and the Jay Scott Prize awarded by the Toronto Film Critics Association with retrospectives in Ottawa at the Canadian Film Institute and Santiago, Chile at FEMCine. A Director member of the Directors Guild of Canada and participant in the inaugural TIFF Studio, Berlinale Talents, and Rotterdam Producer’s Lab, Ingrid has been a mentor at the Canadian Film Centre and Screenwriter-in-Residence at the University of Toronto. An advocate for gender parity, Ingrid initiated the pUNK Films Femmes Lab to foster narrative feature films written and directed by Canadian women, sponsored by Academy Award winner Melissa Leo. On April 1, 2020, she launched a collaborative feature film project, ONE(NINE) wherein 9 women filmmakers from different parts of the world (China, USA, Germany, Spain, South Africa, and across Canada) co-created a feature film and interactive web project, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently, Ingrid is developing three feature film projects and is travelling to film festivals with her recent short works. Research interests: DIY-based methodologies, collective creation, authentic leadership, feminist film, hybrid cinema and new pedagogical modalities.
BETHANY MINOR is the Program Coordinator at the York University Motion Media Studio (YUMMS) at Cinespace. She holds a BA in Sociology from Concordia University as well as a Diploma in Dance from George Brown College. She is currently working towards a Project Management (PMP) certification.
With a background in performance art and early career work in customer service, Bethany has over 15 years of experience in coordinating between various artistic, event, non-profit, and educational organizations. Since 2018, her focus has been on film & television-based education and training.
As the Program Coordinator, Bethany manages operational support for the activities at the York University Motion Media Studio. Liaising between York U faculty, students, industry, community partners, and Cinespace Film Studios, she oversees and coordinates bookings, documentation, and event space requirements. She works closely with the Director to help organize and implement YUMMS policies and procedures.
Bethany is excited to be part of the team and looks forward to continuing to help develop the programs and offerings at YUMMS.