BIPOC Filmmakers Bring Their Future of Work to Canada

“We cannot see the world clearly until we see it through everyone’s eyes,” says actor, producer and screenwriter Lena Waithe. “And we have not seen it through everyone’s eyes yet.”

Indeed’s Rising Voices, now in its third season and making its Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) debut, invests in and amplifies stories created by BIPOC filmmakers. Created in collaboration with Emmy-award winner Waithe, Hillman Grad Productions, Ventureland and 271 Films, each season of Rising Voices provides 10 filmmakers with $100,000 each to produce a short film — in addition to a $10,000 writing and directing budget, access to a production line crew and mentorship from renowned creators like Waithe. 

“Of all the places where bias and barriers exist, Hollywood has been an incredibly insular industry for as long as it’s been around,” says Indeed CEO Chris Hyams, “and we're trying to give a vision of what the future face of Hollywood might look like.”

But what does this high-profile, influential industry look like today?

Creating Opportunity Changes Culture

A McKinsey study on Black representation in film and TV reports that Black creators hold most of the responsibility to make opportunities for other people of color in roles such as writers, producers and directors. Black-led stories and projects are consistently underfunded and overlooked, regardless of their earnings. Only 18% of the Directors Guild of Canada, where TIFF is being held, identify as BIPOC, compared to 27% of the Canadian population.

While on set creating his season three Rising Voices film, “The Ballad of Tita and the Machines,” Miguel Angel Caballero says, “The biggest takeaway from the program is how important it is to build our community, to tell our stories.”

The idea that talent is universal but opportunity is not is at the core of Rising Voices, and its productions are “continuing to expand the creation of sustainable job opportunities for underrepresented creatives,” says Aidan McLaughlin, director of environmental, social and governance (ESG) brand at Indeed. Over 30 films and three seasons, the Rising Voices program has created more than 2,000 jobs for cast and crew. 

Season three filmmaker Hannah Bang says, “This [is] an opportunity for us to become somebody who can give opportunity to other people.”

In 2022, season one director Shelly Yo won the $1 million grant from AT&T, which is awarded annually to underrepresented filmmakers, to turn her Rising Voices short, “Soft Sounds of Peeling Fruit,” into a feature film. Yo also won best U.S. screenplay and best U.S. performance (actress) at Tribeca this year with “Smoking Tigers.” Meanwhile, season one filmmaker David Fortune won this year’s $1 million AT&T grant to produce a full-length feature.

Inequitable access to these kinds of financial resources leaves many creators out of the conversation. In an episode of the Indeed podcast “Here to Help,” Hyams spoke with Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions CEO Rishi Rajani about how they work together to leverage company resources to create opportunities for new and underrepresented artists.

“One hundred thousand dollars for each filmmaker is going to give them something where this is not a job,” Hyams said. “It's the entryway to a sustainable career.”

“I think for a lot of people in Hollywood, that's taking a big risk,” Rajani said. “For us, it's the only way to actually change the culture.”

Unifying the Vision of Work

This year, the 10 Rising Voices filmmakers were asked to base their individual projects around their vision of the future of work. The resulting 15-minute stories showcase modern workplace concerns as well as opportunities to help people thrive. Plots range from the impact of climate change on a family’s livelihood in a small Alaskan town to a musical about the toxic workplace of a talk show. 

The common thread among themes of environmental sustainability, technological innovation and work wellbeing? That the decisions business leaders make have a far-reaching impact — not just for their own people but for the world at large. That’s why it’s critical to give traditionally underrepresented groups a seat at the table. In fact, research shows that 87% of business decisions made by diverse teams have better outcomes than those made by less diverse teams, with their results twice as likely to meet or exceed expectations.

“For so long, when we think about the future of work, we tend to go to the power structures that already exist: the big consultancy firms, the big think tanks. Yet they give us only one version,” McLaughlin says. “Rising Voices allows us to understand the rich tapestry of views out there. By listening really actively to the stories we're being told, we can build a more inclusive future.”

Take a look at how 10 filmmakers are experiencing the evolution of work in the trailers below. To watch the full version, click the film's title.

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Mara Has Three Jobs in San Juan, Puerto Rico by Ana Verde

After the loss of her father, a young woman takes on a third job to make ends meet in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Sorry Grandpa Hsiao by Candace Ho

Desperate for a promotion, a Chinese American woman enlists her “perfect” brother to help exploit her grandpa’s death anniversary for her company’s AAPI heritage month social takeover.

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My Nights Glow Yellow by Hannah Bang

A platonic companion for hire wrestles with her own longing for true connection.

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Order for Pickup by Jackie! Zhou

Trapped in a cycle of work and self-isolation, burnt-out Kelsey’s reality starts to blur until an irregular order for pickup disrupts everything.

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Rocky Road on Channel Three by James Rogers III

A man has a life-changing encounter with an otherworldly ice cream truck.

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In Your Light, Do We See Light by Joey Zhao

A promising Asian photographer fighting against the last stage of her sudden vision loss needs to prepare for her biggest exhibition before completely losing her sight.

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Sarajin by Justin Kim WooSŏk

An immigrant fishing family is forced to decide whether to stay or leave Alaska behind after the snow crabs disappear.

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The Gag by Larry Owens

A wicked talk show host faints on air and wakes up in the nightmare of her mind in this musical thriller.

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Last Days of the Lab by María Alvarez

A mother and daughter sift through old memories as they prepare to permanently close down their family's photo lab.

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The Ballad of Tita and the Machines by Miguel Angel Caballero

When Tita, an elderly fieldworker, reluctantly hires an AI humanoid to fill in for her picking strawberries, she attracts the engineers' attention because their humanoids cannot do her back-breaking work.