TORONTO — Warren P. Sonoda (above) has been elected as president of the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC).
Sonoda and DGC’s new first vice-president, Tracey Deer, were acclaimed on the weekend during the DGC’s national executive board elections, which were conducted online.
“It’s not lost on me that this weekend saw remarkable election results from across North America, and in its own way, the Directors Guild of Canada bent its arc towards inclusion with the historic election of a Japanese Canadian as president and a Mohawk filmmaker from Kahnawake as its first vice-president,” said Sonoda, in a press release.
“I’m honoured to serve our Guild with Tracey Deer and the entire DGC National Executive Board. We will continue our fight to improve the quality of life for our members, not just the economic returns of our livelihoods. We can do this by uniting our country through storytelling while celebrating our specificity of voice which makes us creatively exceptional. I hope this sends a strong signal to filmmakers and film-workers everywhere that the DGC is part of this progressive journey,” added Sonoda.
Sonoda and Deer join returning DGC National Executive Board members Wanda Chaffey (second vice-president), Grace Gilroy (secretary-treasurer), Warren Carr (production department rep) and Paul Day (editing department rep), each of whom was also acclaimed.
DGC’s national executive director, Dave Forget, thanked outgoing DGC president Tim Southam, in the press release.
“In six years as DGC president, and in six years before that as national directors division chair, Tim has led the Guild through a period of immense change that saw our membership more than double and our industry shift into the digital era. Tim Southam is above all a keen intellect, talented artist, stalwart defender of his fellow members and a true champion of Canadian culture. It has been a pleasure for all of us at the Guild to serve under his leadership,” said Forget.
The full list of elections for the DGC’s National Executive Board is available here.
