Telefilm Canada’s board of directors recently welcomed Julie Roy as their new executive director and CEO. Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced the appointment. Roy’s mandate takes effect on 13 April 2023 for a five-year term.
Roy has nearly 30 years of expertise in the Canadian film industry and comes to Telefilm Canada from the National Film Board of Canada where she is currently creation, distribution and marketing director general and programming chief officer since 2020. At the institution, she has designed numerous marketing campaigns and produced some 50 animated works that have stood out on the international scene.
“On behalf of the members of Telefilm’s board of directors, I welcome Ms. Roy who will lead an institution that has been dedicated to the success of the audiovisual industry for over 50 years,” said Telefilm board of directors chair Robert Spickler. “Ms. Roy is a proven bilingual leader who is well versed of the current challenges facing the audiovisual industry. As an ardent advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion on both sides of the camera, she will continue the work already begun by Telefilm and its partners to achieve an inclusive and representative industry.”
“The country’s digital landscape is in a state of change and the challenges ahead are significant and exciting,” said Roy. “There are opportunities ahead of us. We must seize them in order to increase the influence of our talent and our industry. In this context, Telefilm Canada’s mission will be more relevant than ever. I will undertake my mandate by relying on the skills of our teams and the mobilisation of our industry partners.”
Roy’s dual expertise in production and marketing contributes to her public awareness. In charge of the NFB’s French and English-language production sectors across the country, she is familiar with regional, linguistic and cultural specificities. She advocates the importance of diversity and inclusion on and behind the screen and encourages a plurality of voices.
She holds a master’s degree in film studies from the Université de Montréal, has written numerous articles on women in film and the subject of animation, and has served as a guest programmer at many international festivals. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.