GEMS Reel Talks

Sara Wylie (she/they) is a filmmaker, producer and researcher from the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (aka Vancouver, BC). Her work focuses on archives and counter-archives, radical histories, embodied methodologies, disabled ecologies and crip intimacies.

As a director, Sara’s award-winning short documentary and experimental films have screened at film festivals around the world. She graduated with distinction from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Documentary Media MFA Program in 2019, and her projects have been supported by Field of Vision’s IF/THEN Shorts, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and SSHRC.  

As a producer, Sara has worked on award-winning short and feature films, most recently producing Sophy Romvari’s lauded debut Blue Heron (2026), premiering at the Locarno Film Festival and distributed by Janus Films and Blue Fox Entertainment. Register above for this month’s GEMS Reel Talk to hear more about Blue Heron and Sara’s journey as a filmmaker. Blue Heron is currently playing across Canada and the United States. Click here to find a theatre near you!

Moderating, we have the wonderful Sara Blake of Ceroma! Sara Blake is an award-winning producer (Indiescreen Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award) with a focus on director-driven works and refreshing stories. Her company Ceroma Films produces noteworthy features including: Seagrass (FIPRESCI Winner at TIFF 2023, Most Promising Feature Film Winner at FNC ‘23), Swiss-Canadian Co-Production Until Branches Bend (TIFF ‘22, PÖFF ‘22, SXSW ‘23, Locarno ‘23), Raf (TIFF ‘19), and Be Still (VIFF ‘21). She is a Banff Spark Alumni, has mentored through NSI and SPYA and is the founder of non-profit Filmable – a casual networking space to uplift the amazing talent in British Columbia.