Zehra Nawab is a journalist and filmmaker. She has writes regularly on culture, art and film, for which she received the National AGAHI Award for journalism. Zehra is a GEMS Directors Lab fellow and was part of the Creators of Colour cohort through which she presented her work at Toronto International Film Festival’s Big Pitch (2024). Her documentary The Dance of Resistance (2027), is a grant recipient from Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (SOC) Films. She co-directed documentary film Mad Mad Mad Filmy World (2021), which is part of the permanent collection with the Contemporary Art Gallery Vancouver. Short film Farzana (2022) was recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts grant. For her direction and acting work Zehra was nominated for the Waterloo Arts Awards (2024) and has received the SACFF Fellowship for EXNW 2026. Zehra is delighted to write for REELway as it’s a crossroad where her journalism and film background intersect.
Amreen Ghouse, creator of Boys in the Basement (finalist of the WIFT Incubator), is an emerging director and producer with a successful background in advertising and film. At Think Brown Media Inc., she has written and directed commercials for top brands like Coca-Cola, Canada Dry, and Nestlé. Her short film Who’s Next? won Best Short Film at the CineFAM Film Festival. Amreen has produced Slam, Dunk, Sehaj! (CBC Gem) through the CFC/Netflix Calling Card Accelerator, created content for Zee TV Canada, and directed a music video with 1.5 million views. Her upcoming short documentary series, Everyday Muslim Heroes, highlights unsung individuals who selflessly improve others' lives.
Kavita Musty is an Indian-Canadian actor, writer, filmmaker. She is best known for her lead role as Ruby in Potluck Ladies on Amazon Prime and has appeared in numerous short films and commercials.
As a writer, she explores a range of genres, including comedy, drama, and suspense. Her stories often center on South Asian characters, delving into themes of immigration, family traditions, generational trauma, and universal aspects of the human experience.
Collaboration is at the heart of Kavita’s creative philosophy. She is deeply committed to uplifting fellow artists and fostering diverse creative teams.
More diversity = More Perspectives = More Insight = Impactful Storytelling
Michael Duboff is a lawyer at Duboff Edwards Schachter Law Corporation. Michael specializes in entertainment law – providing services in industries including film and television, publishing, and music – while also carrying on a broader commercial and corporate practice.
Prior to starting his legal career, Michael was in an alternative rock band recording and touring for four years. He also studied film production at TMU (formerly Ryerson) and worked on independent productions across Toronto and Vancouver as a director, writer, and producer. Michael lives in Toronto with his wife, son, and dog.
Priya Chopra has worked in radio as an RJ and media for the past 20 years. She had a show called the Junction with Priya, representing the intersection of identities as a Canadian and South Asian in the arts. Priya is part of the South Asian Canadian Filmmakers Federation (SACFF) and has a passion for film and media. She is an educator and has worked on a few kids' shows for TVO as a Cultural Consultant. Priya has also been a guest writer for Jugni Style and Fusia Magazine, covering film festivals, culture, and the arts.
Virinder Singh writes at the crossroads of journalism, documentary film, and the human mind. His work draws on years of reporting and storytelling for the screen. He writes short stories, feature screenplays, and plays in three languages, often testing how far character and dialogue can carry an idea.
Educated at a Cambridge school and later at the University of York in psychology and criminology, he explores geopolitics and identity through lived experience across several countries. He was part of a delegation that spoke at Harvard University as a member of the model United Nations. His honors thesis examined how social media shapes personal identity and he has been intrigued by this concept ever since.
Today, he moves through international film markets with his passion projects that tackle poignant topics of societal imbalance, immigration, and stewardship. He is also gathering his essays on Substack, continuing to connect politics, memory, and media. His poems appear in a recent anthology that confronts race and violence, extending his concern with how power writes itself into both public events and private lives.
Rachel Martin is a Toronto-based filmmaker and writer working at the intersection of storytelling and cultural observation. With a background in fine arts and digital media, she has worked across development and production on independent and studio projects while producing and directing her own short films. Her work is drawn to character-driven narratives and the emotional undercurrents that shape how people see themselves and each other. As a writer, she is interested in film and television as both creative mediums and cultural forces — examining how stories are developed, who gets to tell them, and how they resonate with audiences. She is currently supporting showrunner Tassie Cameron on the fourth season of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.
Armin KS has over 18 years of experience as the editor-in-chief of Bollywood Film Fame Canada magazine, the leading South Asian entertainment magazine in Canada for over a decade. Through her time there, she spoke to some of the biggest actors, directors, and writers of the Indian film fraternity, including the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and many more. She was a familiar face on the interview circuits and red carpets of various film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival. She hopes to continue to tell stories of those who tell stories through her venture with REELway Magazine.