Staff and Board

Staff

Aaron Brown [Operations Manager]

Aaron Rachel Brown is a Toronto-based arts administrator and film curator. She holds a Master’s degree in Cinema and Media Studies from York University, and did her bachelor’s in Media Production at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). Aaron has a passion for all things film (especially the quirky, the indie, and the avant-garde), although she also enjoys a good book. She has worked with many non-profit arts organizations including aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival, Inside Out, Toronto Fringe, the Toronto School of Art, TIFF, Hot Docs, and now the8fest!

Board Members

Angus Macdonald [Secretary]

Angus O Macdonald is a film archivist and preservationist with a long history of supporting local art events. He is a member of the Association of Moving Image Archivists and a researcher for the Archive/Counter-Archive project, advocating for the re-emergence of under-recognized and unorthodox films by way of artist interventions and curated screenings. He is currently a board member of the8fest small gauge film festival and has aided with film screenings and installations in Peterborough, Ottawa, and Toronto.

Justine McCloskey

Justine McCloskey is a filmmaker, photographer, artist, and writer. She graduated with honours from Toronto Metropolitan University’s BFA Film Studies program in 2013, specializing in directing and production design. In 2012 she won the prestigious Norman Jewison Award for Innovation in Filmmaking. She was also nominated for the 2013 Dean’s Essay Award for her essay “Grete Suffraunce: Dysentery and The Crusades.” After working as a Photographer and Video Producer at THP Agency, Justine went on to attend the University of Toronto where she received her MA in Art History while TA-ing media and photography courses with both UofT and OCADu. 

Justine worked as the Technical Administrator at the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers for four years where she co-curated several member film screenings and aided many independent artists in the production of their work. Her writing and photography have been published internationally, and her first Canada Council grant supported short film is currently underway. She can often be found amidst piles of cookbooks, camera in hand.

Nola

Who am I? I started stand-up comedy at the age of 19 in Calgary, Alberta where I immediately discovered I’m hilarious and should audition for Humber College’s Comedy Writing and Performance program.(You know, to escape from Alberta to Toronto.) I was accepted, therefore, proving that I am, in fact, hilarious. I even won the Eugene Levy Comedy writing award for my 10 minute short play “All For Nothing”. After spending several years at late night open mics in Toronto, I decided to challenge myself to take my unique writing talents in order to turn them into reality using the art of film.

While attending film school, I (re)discovered the beauty in analog film and photography. Okay, that’s just the resume. I suppose now that I’m “such an enlightened being”, I would say I’m a non-binary Southern Sudanese American mother whose current hobby is attempting to get their sailing license in preparation for the end of the world. So I guess I would say I’m a humorist, lens based multidisciplinary artist, and a social media activist with pretty “hot fire”memes? Currently working on my directorial debut CATMAN

Robin Riad [Board Chair]

Robin Riad is an Egyptian-Canadian Toronto-based experimental filmmaker, animator and artist. Robin works primarily with analog mediums, specifically 16mm, Super8, and Regular 8mm film. She experiments with different modes of processing and direct animation for her films. An avid filmmaker, she devotes her time to organizations such as the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, as well as film festivals such as Toronto Arab Film and the8fest Small-Gauge Film Festival. As one of the technicians at the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), she supports many artists and independent filmmakers with their arts practice.

Ghislan Timm [Treasurer]

Ghislan Timm (they/she) (Jiz-lan/Jes-lin) is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Tkaronto. They are currently completing their studies in Integrated Media at OCAD University and are a board member of the8fest Small-Gauge Film Festival. In their artistic practice they are influenced by their Afro-Caribbean heritage, Afro-futurism, sound, and cinema. Frequently they appropriate archival film & imagery to create collages and shape non-linear narratives that often reflect the intersections of their multicultural queer identity in unraveling the mythologies and romanticization of home and home-coming.