Staff
Executive Director
operations@gemsvancouver.org
Membership Coordinator
anna@gemsvancouver.org
Communications Coordinator
rianna@gemsvancouver.org
The Genre Film Lab - Program Director
genre@gemsvancouver.org
Board of Directors
Cindy Au Yeung
Editor / Producer
Elected on September 29, 2025
Cindy Au Yeung is an editor and producer based in Vancouver, Canada, with over a decade of experience from scripted live-action series to documentaries and animation, and often aims to advocate for highlighting marginalized stories and artists in her work. Recent editing works include documentary features such as Muzizi and Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, and scripted features such as Are We Done Now?, a sci-fi thriller feature, Jonah and Mary J. Blige’s Family Affair. Her co-producing work with filmmaker Quentin Lee in a stand-up comedy series called Comedy Invasion won Best Comedy Special for the episode “Rez Style” at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards with Squamish comedian Keith “Bubbas” Nahanee. She previously volunteered on the board of the Vancouver Post Alliance, and was the co-chair of the EDI committee.
Fernanda Friedrich
Writer / Documentary Director / Policy Consultant
Elected on September 22, 2026
Fernanda Friedrich works across film, research, and policy, usually all at once.
As a documentary director, she’s made films such as Família no Papel, which helped shift the national conversation on same-sex adoption rights in Brazil, with work taking her across four continents and screening in festivals and venues around the world. She’s also written for TV series on The History Channel, SBT, and Amazon Prime. She holds a PhD from UFSC/UBC, where her research developed a new measurement tool for on-screen representation. Over the past years, she’s moved into creative advising, consulting on policy and equity with a growing interest in AI governance and its impact on creative labour.
Sharon Gill
HR Leader / Relationship Manager
Elected on September 22, 2026
Sharon Gill is a seasoned HR leader with more than seven years of experience driving people operations, talent acquisition, and workforce strategy within complex, fast-paced sectors. Currently a Strategic Relationship Manager at Vertical Staffing Resources, Sharon previously spent five years managing operations for EMBERS Staffing Solutions, a leading Canadian social enterprise. Furthering her commitment to social impact, she is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Carleton University. Sharon looks forward to leveraging her expertise in human resources, equity-centred workforce practices, and nonprofit governance to support the mission of the Gender Equity in Media Society (GEMS).
Negar Ipakchi
Filmmaker / Theatre Artist
Elected on September 22, 2026
Negar lpakchi is a Vancouver-based filmmaker and theatre artist whose work moves between creative practice and academic research. Her professional practice spans filmmaking, theatre, and post-production, with experience as an editor and assistant editor. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Media Arts from Simon Fraser University and is a researcher whose academic work spans art history, theatre, and cinema, including research focused on women. Negar is interested in gender equity and in the possibility of enriching a language of women within the arts, one shaped by how women think, approach, create, and engage with the world. She hopes to bring her experience in research and creative collaboration to GEMS and contribute to the continued development of this language.
Marina Jagbandhansingh, GPC.D, Pro.Dir
Paralegal / Professional Director
Elected on September 22, 2026
Marina is a Calgary-based Paralegal with more than a decade of experience in corporate governance across the healthcare and oil and gas sectors. She holds the Governance Professionals of Canada designation (GPC.D) and a Professional Director designation (Pro.Dir), reflecting her commitment to governance excellence and effective board practice.
Marina brings practical board and committee experience, including service as Vice Chair, Board Secretary, and Governance Committee Chair. Through these roles, she has supported strong governance practices, effective board administration, and sound oversight within complex organizational environments.
In addition to her professional governance work, Marina is a dedicated community volunteer with a longstanding commitment to animal welfare. For more than ten years, she has volunteered as a dog walker with the Calgary Humane Society, contributing to local community service while gaining meaningful insight into non-profit operations and stakeholder engagement.
Nathalie Lopez
Screenwriter / Director / Educator
Elected on September 22, 2026
Nathalie Lopez-Gutierrez is a bilingual (Fr. and Eng.) screenwriter and director based in Vancouver. Her documentary films center around themes of migration, exclusion, and cultural and linguistic identity, all from a feminist perspective. Giving voice to marginalized groups is what motivates her in both her writing and directing projects.
Committed to issues of social justice, Nathalie is also an educator that created a series of workshops for the francophone school system. The workshops are based on addressing systemic bias around gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and/or age, explored through theatre and the creation of short films.
Member of the Directors Guild of Canada, as well as the SARTEC and RACCORD, she recently obtained a Canada Council Arts grant to write her first fiction film based on the lived experiences of undocumented migrant women, keeping with her commitment to tell stories that matter and that shift attitudes and expand awareness.
Shasha McArthur
Filmmaker / Media Artist
Elected on September 20, 2022
Ą́ba wašte, my name is Shasha McArthur. I’m a Nakota and Nehiyaw filmmaker based here in Vancouver, BC on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam people. I joined the film industry to contribute to changing the under-representation and often misrepresentation of Indigenous crew, talent and creatives within the film industry. Sharing Indigenous narratives and traditional stories whether they’re fiction, or nonfiction often requires protocols and respect for the nation from which the story came. A respectful and mindful preservation of tradition is what I want to achieve with each project I undertake. I would like to say Thank You to the amazing Indigenous creatives that came before me, their tenacity and passion is what has created the path we all walk today.
“Nothing about us, without us.”
Dr. Zareen F. Naqvi
Executive Director / Policy Development
Elected on September 22, 2026
Dr. Zareen F. Naqvi has recently retired as the Executive Director of Institutional Research and Planning at Simon Fraser University (SFU). She worked at SFU during 2013-2026 and has worked in similar positions at other B.C. institutions (University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) and British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)) during 2007-2013.
Zareen completed her PhD in Economics from Boston University and worked as an academic and an international development professional at The World Bank. She has extensive experience of applied research and policy development with governments, community organizations and academic institutions.
She is a member of the provincial Anti-Racism Data Committee (ARdC) that is implementing the mandate of the Anti-Racism Data Act in B.C. She led the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Data Taskforce & co-chaired the Data Governance Council at SFU. She was also a member of a number of provincial committees on data and research in B.C. (e.g. BC Outcomes Forum Management Team, Performance Measures Working Group, BCCAT Research group). She is the President of a small charity organization to advance educational opportunities and to promote multi-faith alliance in the culturally diverse Surrey community. She is a member of the Board of the Canada Urdu Association.
Twila Schembri
Manager / Fundraising
Elected on September 22, 2026
Twila Schembri is a Manager at Vancouver Foundation where she works in fund management and donor relations, building relationships with donors, fund advisors, nonprofit organizations, and community partners. She brings experience in fundraising, donor stewardship, grantmaking, and community engagement with a relationship-focused approach to building sustainable support for organizations doing meaningful work across BC. As a queer woman and lifelong lover of film and storytelling, Twila is passionate about whose stories we get to see on screen and who gets the opportunity to tell them.
A particular lover of science fiction, she is drawn to storytelling’s ability to challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and imagine diƯerent possibilities. She is excited to bring her experience to GEMS and its mission of advancing women and gender-diverse people in film and media.
Twila also loves exploring and camping around BC with her wife, spending time with her
dogs and getting lost in a great sci-fi story.
Karen (Kaz) Twomey
Production Executive
Elected on September 22, 2026
Karen Twomey is a Vancouver-based production executive with over 10 years of experience delivering award-winning film, television, and documentary productions across Canada and Ireland. She currently serves as Line Producer on CBC’s The Assembly, an innovative series in which 30 autistic adults interview some of Canada’s most recognizable public figures.
Her previous credits include the Peabody Award-winning Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), the I AM documentary series, and numerous acclaimed factual and documentary Productions. Karen previously served on the Board of Directors of Rumble Theatre, contributing to the organization’s governance and strategic direction, while supporting Vancouver’s independent theatre community. Karen is excited about the opportunity to serve on the GEMS Board of Directors and help advocate for the organization, increase membership, strengthen partnerships, and support GEMS continued overall growth.
Annette Reilly - Secretary
Filmmaker / Actor
Elected on October 8, 2024
Annette Reilly is an award-winning queer neurodivergent filmmaker and actor, known for her role as Diana Spellman, Sabrina’s mortal mother, in Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”. Growing up in small town Alberta, she pursued her love of theatre with a BFA from UVic and was eventually led to film in an effort to bring pressing social justice issues into cinematic storytelling. Annette has developed a wide breadth of production skills working as a Director, Producer, Assistant Director, Production Coordinator, and Asset Coordinator with companies ranging from Independents to Disney, Paramount, and Apple.
Her 2018 film, “A Typical Fairytale” (which she directed, produced, and acted in), finished its 4 year film festival circuit, garnering over 20 wins and nominations across North America. It can now be seen on the US Premiere LGBTQ2+ Network, HereTV, as well as part of the Out-In-Schools program, an in-school initiative to teach diversity and inclusivity to Canadian youth.
Cate Rodrigue
Executive / Sales / Corporate Strategy
Elected on September 22, 2026
Cate Rodrigue is an entrepreneurial executive directing national sales and corporate strategy for a women-owned, Vancouver-based wholesale distributor. She brings a collaborative, people-first approach to commercial scaling, market analysis, and executive communication.
As a relationship-driven leader, Cate excels at harmonizing high-level sales plans and marketing initiatives with complex supply chain networks, while empowering her team to maximize its potential.
Her cross-functional mastery of organizational development and stakeholder alignment uniquely positions her to bring strong corporate governance, strategic foresight, and a creative, revenue-generating vision to the Board of Directors.
Beyond her corporate work, Cate is passionate about storytelling. She is committed to making media art accessible to all creators and audiences.
Lori Watt
Writer / Director / Producer
Elected on September 22, 2026
Lori is an award-winning queer writer, director, producer, and actor. Based on the unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Tsleil-Waututh nations, Lori’s work is driven by a commitment to diverse storytelling and amplifying underrepresented voices.
Her debut short film Henderson, a Page Turner screenplay finalist, earned multiple festival accolades, including awards for Best Director and Actress, at its world premiere at Seattle Film Festival and a Golden Sheaf award nomination for Emerging Filmmaker at Yorkton Film Festival. Additionally, Lesli Brownlee, lead actress in Henderson received a LEO nomination for Best Performance.
With a background in theatre and film, Lori co-founded Frolicking Divas Productions and produced and performed in multiple projects in Vancouver since its creation in 2009 and now develops inclusive film and tv projects through her production company, Triqele Productions Inc. She is alumnae of the Cannes Film Festival Producer’s Workshop, the Banff Diversity of Voices Initiative, and the Whistler Film Festival’s Women in Focus and Producer’s Labs and has memberships in GEMS and the CMPA.
Mary Xie
Marketing Manager / Communications / Events
Elected on September 22, 2026
Mary Xie is a Marketing Program Manager at Boomi, where she leads Virtual Events & Webinars, driving demand generation and pipeline strategy across the company’s marketing organization. Her background spans marketing, communications, and program management at both startups and large organizations, including previous experiences at Velixo and SAP, giving her a well-rounded view of marketing strategy, program management, and event planning. Mary has a longstanding passion for gender equity, reflected throughout her career and volunteer work.
She has led student nonprofit organizations, mentors students through UBC and SFU programs, and coaches undergraduate case competition teams. At 16, she created a documentary on Women Against Violence Against Women (Now named Sexual Violence Support Centre) that won the BC Student Film Festival. It was an early experience that shaped her commitment to gender equity and advocacy through storytelling.
Working committees of board members and member volunteers help to carry out all of GEMS’ events and activities. For information on volunteering for a GEMS committee please contact operations@gemsvancouver.org
