Netflix Canada & ACE Announce Shortlist & Annecy Screening

Netflix and the Animation Career Excelerator (ACE Canada) Society are pleased to announce the short-listed candidates for the ACE Canada Program’s fifth iteration with Netflix Canada as the premiere sponsor.

The program is an immersive Animation Career Excelerator training program, for animation professionals who identify as women, non-binary and Two-Spirit.

The Depth, Diversity and Creativity

A jury of industry professionals selected the top five candidates for each position in the program, The 45 shortlisted candidates will receive a series of workshops and training to further prepare them for their roles and then present to a final jury who will select the nine participants for the fifth ACE cohort.

“ACE 5’s cohort drew 126 applicants from across six provinces, reflecting the depth, diversity, and creativity of Canada’s animation community while underscoring ACE’s role as a trusted program where animation professionals can grow, connect, and fundamentally advance their careers,” says Founder and Co-Executive Producer of the ACE Canada Program, Rose-Ann Tisserand. “Brought full circle by the screening of ACE 4’s completed film Rocketship Mai at Annecy Film Festival in France, which shows how meaningful support and mentorship can elevate underrepresented filmmakers.”

Rocketship Mai

ACE Canada has also announced they will host a private screening of the ACE 4 cohort’s completed film Rocketship Mai at the Annecy Film Festival Wednesday, June 24th in the Rotonde de l’Europe at the Imperial Palace. ACE will be highlighting the work of its filmmakers on an international stage. The event will include special guests, and a panel conversation with a focus on the power of mentorship in the animation industry. While at Annecy, ACE will also support the ACE 4 filmmakers with valuable networking opportunities, helping them forge global relationships as they continue building their careers.

ACE was created with a focused intention to support mid-level professionals to advance into key creative and senior roles and create opportunities for new and diverse voices to tell their unique story. The program provides participants a key credit in the creation of their own short film, as well as mentorship and training to ensure their success.

ACE Canada is made possible with the support of generous sponsors including Netflix Canada, Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, Toon Boom, Autodesk Technology Impact Program, The National Film Board, Atomic Cartoons, Canadian Media Producers Association – BC Producer’s Branch, SyncSketch, 708 Sound Studio, WildBrain Studios, VIFF Amp, Producer Essentials, the Research House and Pender PR.

ACE CANADA Cohort 5 Shortlisted Applicants

WRITER
Kara O-Donnell (ON)
Georgia Touchette (BC)
Goun Lee (ON)
Natalia Delgado Avila (QC)
Tammy Tsang (BC)

DIRECTOR
Alice Roncier (BC)
Alice Manieri (BC)
J Meeka Stuart (ON)
Francesca Natale (BC)
Sima Naseem (ON)

PRODUCER
Asli Bulut Ahatoglu (ON)
Noushin Emami (BC)
Collette Whyte (BC)
Paulette Shnier (MB)
J Meeka Stuart (ON)

HEAD OF STORY
Sara Mota (BC)
Chloe Lemay (BC)
Debra Rengga (BC)
MJ Barros (BC)
Sophie Whittingham (BC)

ART DIRECTOR
Paulette Ordonez (BC)
Dorothy Yang (BC)
Jennifer Wu (BC)
Roz Stockton (ON)
Sujin Kim (BC)

ANIMATION DIRECTOR
Calista Antonio (QC)
Anamika Baruah (BC)
Diane Aarts (ON)
Jade Laflamme (AB)
Reem EIShaer (BC)
Vanessa Foermer (BC

EDITOR
Kate Brascoupé (ON)
Sarah Fricker (BC)
Rachel Guergis (BC)
Vanessa Seecharran (BC)

COMPOSER
Chihiro Nagamatsu (ON)
Diane Vallesteros (ON)
Eimear MacCarrick (BC)
Ally Fiola (NS)
Olivia Korosak (ON)

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Helen Lysenko (BC)
Clara Chang (NS)
Anja Wacke (BC)
Collette Whyte (BC)
Reem EIShaer (BC)

The Rocketship Mai screening at the Annecy Film Festival will take place on Wednesday, June 24th from 12:45 to 1:45 pm in the Rotonde de l’Europe at the Imperial Palace

About The Animation Career Excelerator (ACE Canada) Society
ACE Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the Canadian animation industry by supporting underrepresented professionals through career training, education, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Its signature initiative, the ACE Program, is a nationwide training program designed to advance the careers of mid-level animation professionals who identify as women and non-binary. Through mentorship, training, and hands-on experience, the program prepares participants to step into senior and key creative roles while creating original intellectual property telling their authentic stories.

For more information about the ACE Program, please visit:

ACE Canada / Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn