Film Festival Connect & Startup Fuel present
AI & Film Forum
Monday, September 14, 2026 • 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Free forum Choose Luma or Eventbrite One registration is enough Confirmation required
The conversation
Where human creativity meets synthetic media
A focused Toronto forum for filmmakers, performers, producers and creative technologists. Explore the human questions behind synthetic performance and identity, then take away practical ideas for responsible story development, production planning and work on set.
Choose Luma or Eventbrite to register free.
1. Register directly: Use either platform below. One registration is enough, and every attendee must receive an individual confirmation.
2. Optional Festival Connect support: Before you leave, you can compare Concierge coordination or an Intro Pass for a reviewed mutual introduction.
A pass is not required for this forum. Luma and Eventbrite are two registration routes for the same free event.
Forum agenda
A purposeful afternoon of ideas and connection
Forum host
Richard J. Railey
Host & Co-founder, Film Festival Connect
Richard J. Railey is Co-founder of Film Festival Connect and host of the AI & Film Forum. He brings filmmakers, performers, producers, technology leaders and creative partners together through independently produced programming designed around major film-festival weeks. At the forum, he will welcome guests, frame the day’s conversations and help connect ideas with practical opportunities across the creative community.
AI and the Human Future of Film
Performance, Identity and Trust in the Age of Synthetic Media
When technology can recreate a face, voice, body, world or performance, how do we ensure film remains meaningfully human? This conversation brings together cultural, performer and ethical perspectives on agency, consent, accountability and trust.
Rupinder Assi — Moderator
Galit ArielGalit Ariel is an award-winning technofuturist, author and creative exploring the imaginative edge of emerging technology. Her work spans location-based augmented-reality art, subversive animation, speculative interactions and art curation, examining the gaps and glitches between digital, physical and cultural spaces to help audiences experience familiar worlds in new ways.
Eric JohnsonWith more than 100 screen credits, Eric Johnson has built a career spanning acclaimed film, hit television, major franchises and interactive entertainment. His work includes Legends of the Fall, Smallville, Vikings, the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, Star Wars Outlaws and Netflix’s I Will Find You.
Sameen AshrafIs an AI ethics, public-safety and global-policy strategist working at the intersection of technology, risk and human resilience. Through Aethics.ai and the Board of Ethics AI, she advances preventative frameworks designed to make artificial intelligence more accountable, equitable and aligned with universal human values.Future Film: From Prompt to Production
AI tools changing how stories are developed, made and brought to the screen
From script analysis and story development to visual planning, production and post, this panel asks how filmmakers can use AI to strengthen the creative process without surrendering authorship, originality or judgment. The focus is on systems as collaborators, diagnostic tools and accelerators—not replacements for filmmakers.
Katisha Shaw — Moderator
Gordon WeiskePanelist — AI Script Doctor enters the scene with Gordon Weiske as a Toronto-born film and television producer whose credits include Good Will Hunting, X-Men, Hairspray, RED and DreamWorks’ Falling Skies. He has also produced more than 50 music videos and several documentaries, including The Last Straw, which premiered at the United Nations. Gordon actively supports emerging Canadian talent through industry events during Toronto's Film Festivals.
Sisi TesserSisi Tesser is a Chinese-Canadian novelist and producer based in Toronto, and the creator of The Lavender Girl, a ten-episode AI-animated fantasy series adapted from her bilingual novels.
Jay GognaJay Gogna is a co-founder and COO of Blawk.ai, an AI-driven music catalog valuation platform. A Grammy-nominated producer with law degrees from the U.S. and Canada, he founded a management company in law school, scaled it to a roster with over a billion streams, and served as Head of Business & Legal Affairs at One Black Umbrella Music before co-founding Blawk.AI on Set—Smarter Food Choices, Human Responsibility
Allergens, craft services and the limits of automation
A practical, scenario-led conversation about how AI can support food choices for cast and crew without replacing human verification, professional judgment or production accountability. Using a 75-person production and a significant food allergy as the shared scenario, the panel will examine what results such as Compatible and Uncertain really mean—and what must happen next.
Farah Majzoub — Moderator
Amir SoleimanianCo-Founder, Pearchy. Amir brings an engineering and product perspective to responsible AI-assisted food decisions through Pearchy, a Toronto-built platform that checks Canadian food labels against household allergen profiles.
Gary WildmanGary Wildman is a food-service sales and category leader whose experience includes Longo’s, Suncor Energy, Cineplex and Couche-Tard. He brings extensive knowledge of packaged goods, food-and-beverage programs, supply chains and high-volume event environments.
Sergio NavarrettaSergio Navarretta is an internationally award-winning director who is fiercely passionate about bringing meaningful content to the screen. He draws inspiration from Italian neo-realism and is fascinated by the human condition.Registration open now
Choose where to register
Register free through Luma or Eventbrite. Choose one platform; every attendee must receive an individual confirmation.
Register on Luma
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Continue to EventbriteSupported by our community
A Big Thank You to Our Sponsors
We are grateful to the organizations helping make the AI & Film Forum possible.
