Get closer to how screen stories get made.

From filmmaking across South Asia and North Africa to working with editors and broadcasters, the MISAFF 2026 Industry Symposium brings the conversations behind the screen into the room.

  • 3x Canadian Screen Award Winner for Best Lead Actor, Hamza Haq is best known for his work as Bashir Hamed on NBC’s Transplant. The series won Best Drama series at the 2021 Canadian Screen Award winner.

  • Toronto-based Indian-Canadian filmmaker. Nisha directed To Kill a Tiger, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Her work has also won at Tribeca and Hot Docs, among other honours.

  • Mo is an Emmy-winning Pakistani filmmaker whose documentary Among the Believers received a News & Documentary Emmy nomination, and his work has received human-rights and documentary awards.

2026 Industry Symposium Schedule

Thursday, October 1, 2026 MISAFF Symposium · Living Arts Centre Mississauga
Time Session Participants
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Opening Remarks Canadian Media Fund Opening remarks
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Courageous Cinema: Documentary Directors A global exploration of production challenges, inspirations, and opportunities in South Asia and North Africa. Habiba Nosheen, Director and Investigative Journalist Mo Naqvi, Director & Producer (Hanging By A Wire) Nisha Pahuja, Director (To Kill a Tiger) Sarmad Khoosat, Director
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Working with Editors Christopher Malanchen, Director & Editor (Big Little Lies) Kathryn Robson, Editor, Writer and Producer Mo Naqvi, Director & Producer (Hanging By A Wire) Nisha Pahuja, Director (To Kill a Tiger)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch Participants are encouraged to grab lunch and prepare for the roundtable session starting at 1:00 PM. —
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Working with Broadcasters: CBC Commissioning and acquisition executives Chloe Sosa-Sims, Senior Advisor, Acquisitions, Unscripted Dahlia Thompson, Manager, Unscripted Programming Jon Montes, Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs Lucius Dechausay, Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM MISAFF Chat with Actor Hamza Haq An intimate conversation on his career, craft, and the evolving landscape for actors in Canadian television. Hamza Haq, Actor (Transplant) and Canadian Screen Awards Recipient
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony Q&A with film team Amar Lohana, Producer Habiba Nosheen, Director