Evolution of the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative

Building on eight successful years of impact, during which the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative provided 775 opportunities to Canadian producers and creatives since 2018, and following consultation with key stakeholders and the communities that the program serves, we are announcing a new format in 2026.

Diversity of Voices Elevate

Diversity of Voices: Elevate is a new, highly selective program dedicated to focused access and career acceleration. The new program will include 10 (ten) mid-career to established producers, directors and writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and those from intersectional communities within these groups.

Program Focus and Impact

This reimagined initiative shifts from broad support to a more concentrated approach offering:

• Deeper Impact and Increased Prestige: Elevating a select cohort of exceptional professionals
• Intentional Career Acceleration: Bespoke access to the global industry through the Banff World Media Festival (BANFF)
• Elevated Industry Profile: Powerful promotion, marketing and PR value across the Canadian and international industry via Playback + BANFF channels

NEW! DOV Elevate Podcast

Spotlighting participants of the program in conversation with industry icons, this multi-episode podcast will explore emerging trends, pressing challenges, and key opportunities shaping today’s screen-based industries. Through candid conversations with established leaders and creatives, the series will offer timely insights into the evolving media landscape. The podcast will be distributed nationally by Playback and internationally through the Banff World Media Festival’s extensive reach to a global network of influential entertainment-industry decision makers, in addition to being available across major podcast platforms.

Attendance at Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) will provide participants with unparallelled access to the Canadian and international industry, giving them a platform to pitch their projects, gain insight into the key issues and trends affecting the industry today, and network with senior decision-makers with the power to move their projects and careers forward. Over the long term, the festival aims to foster a legacy of greenlights and international sales for the program participants and the partners who work with them.

The Diversity of Voices Initiative is open to candidates of all genders and abilities who identify as being from one or more racially diverse groups, such as African, Black, Caribbean, East Asian, First Nations, Inuit, Latinx, Métis, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander, South Asian, and Western Asian. The program has a key intersectional mandate to increase accurate and meaningful disability representation on and off screen throughout the Canadian media landscape. It is also designed to support Canada’s francophone production community.

Learn more about program Eligibility and Submission Guidelines.

SUPPORTING PARTNERS