The Canadian Film Center (CFC) has named Neishaw Ali, president of SPIN VFX, as its new president and added Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to its board of directors.

Del Toro will be officially named in October. Ali replaces long-time chair Christina Jennings, president and president of Shaftesbury. Jennings has been with CFC for more than 17 years, including ten as president. He will remain a member of the board of directors until October 2024.

Speaking about his nomination today, del Toro said: “As a filmmaker, I was deeply moved by the work of Norman Jewison, someone I know very well. An important part of his legacy is the Canadian Film Centre, a manifestation of his ongoing commitment to helping new filmmakers find their voices. I am very excited to join the board and look forward to working with the other members and the CFC team to help support the next generation of storytellers.

Ali is the founding partner, president and executive producer of SPIN VFX. His television credits include the Emmy Award-winning series Game Of Thrones (HBO), an Emmy-nominated program Umbrella Academy (Netflix), Midnight Mass (Netflix) and Base (AppleTV+). Neishaw’s film credits include Oscar-winning biopic Highlighting (First sight), Escape Room 2: Tournament of Champions (Photos from Colombia), and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Stupefaction). He received the WIFT-Toronto Crystal Award for Innovation Trailblazer in 2023.

The full CFC Board of Directors currently consists of Neishaw Ali (President), Cheryl Hudson (Vice President), Steven DeNure (Vice President), David Middleton (Treasurer), David Zitzerman (Secretary), Councilor Shelley Carroll (ex officio), Kate Alexander Daniels. , Paul Bronfman, Tassie Cameron, Stéphane Cardin, Shirley Cheechoo CM, Duane Green, Harold Gronenthal, Christina Jennings, King Khanna, Anne Loi, John Morayniss, Mark Sakamoto, Hilary Smith and Clement Virgo.

These new appointments come as CFC prepares for its annual fundraising gala.