About Us

Board Of Directors

Founders

Sylvia Lustgarten

Co-Founder

Born in Montreal in 1926, Sylvia grew up immersed in the Yiddish world of her father, noted poet J.I. Segal. After receiving her M.S.W at McGill University, Sylvia studied art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts under Arthur Lismer and taught in their children’s art classes.

Sylvia was the director of the Committee for Yiddish at the U.J.A. for 10 years. Sylvia is dedicated to ensuring accessibility.

She led a group that established assisted living apartments in Toronto. Recognizing the prevalence of ageism, Sylvia realized a film festival could be the an affective tool to draw attention to and combat this form of discrimination.

Judy Gladstone

Executive Director / Co-Founder

Judy Gladstone was the Executive Director of Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) for 15 years. While at Bravo!FACT, she commissioned thousands of short-form film and video projects from across the country. Gladstone’s commitment to identifying talent and innovative ways to exhibit screen work gained her a Crystal Award for Outstanding Achievement, a Leadership Award from Women in Communication Canada and a Maverick Award from the Female Eye Film Festival. The works she commissioned were honoured with a Prix de Jury de Cannes, an Academy Award nomination, an Emmy and a nomination for an International Emmy. Gladstone served as the first CEO of Vucavu, launching a streaming platform for Canadian filmmakers from coast to coast to coast, and as ED of the Documentary Organization of Canada. She has been invited to speak at industry events around the world such as Dance on Film (Lincoln Centre, NYC), Banff Centre, Mobile World Congress (Barcelona), World Film and Television Film Forum (Paris) and film markets in venues as diverse as Cannes, Rio de Janeiro, Banff and Mumbai.

Board Of Directors

Nicole Brooks

Chair

In the cultural industries, Nicole Brooks is beyond a triple-threat. Her extensive accomplishments include: filmmaker, director, performer, singer, playwright, composer, curator, teacher and ‘art-ivist’. Brooks has devoted over 20 years producing innovative content (for the stage and screen), with a focus on narratives that illuminate the peoples of the African Diaspora. In 2012, Brooks officially added playwright to her list of talents. Her debut theatrical work Obeah Opera - which she created, wrote, composed and performs in - has been staged in various incarnations from festivals to staged workshop productions in Toronto between 2009 and 2014. Honoured with a Dora nomination for Outstanding New Opera/Musical in 2012 and with continued development thereafter, an updated version of Obeah Opera premiered in August 2015, as a prestigious commission from the cultural arm of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games. Its final incarnation mounted in June 2019 as part of the critically acclaimed roaster of the Luminato Festival (Toronto) and was honoured with two additional DORA nominations in 2020 for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Feature Performance.

Shantay Parsons

Vice-Chair

Shantay Parsons is a Production Coordinator at Corus Entertainment. She also provides opportunities for emerging talent, and creates space for collaboration within her community. She specializes in marketing which has aided her to create a consultancy to provide knowledge to upcoming business owners and artist professionals. This experience has also led her to launch Black Creative Alliances. Black Creative Alliance is an incubator organization focusing on the success and collaboration of Black Artists and Black Creative Professionals. Her podcast, “Tea With Tay”, explores topics including social justice, equity, and mental wellness which has allowed Shantay to be affiliated with projects such as SPARKTHAT, a Peel-based organization building a marketplace for creatives around the within North America, UK, South America, The Caribbean, and Africa, be a panelist on a series of conference conversations hosted by the City of Brampton and be a mentee for Black Leaders of Tomorrow, a mentorship program providing a funnel of success for Black entrepreneurs.

Rasika Tyagi

Treasurer

Rasika Tyagi wrote, cast, and directed two award winning docu dramas on Indian television after graduating from university. She launched and helmed 3 news channels across India and even one in Nigeria, developing deep insights into the geopolitical and human cost of story telling.

In 2008 Rasika was appointed head of the English entertainment channels run by 21 Century Fox, later Disney, in India. A decade later, Rasika moved to a digital production house in Mumbai where she led the creative team to deliver 8 comedy shows for Amazon Prime.

Rasika has recently moved to Canada where she hopes to continue to tell stories, across formats and work with diverse storytellers who bring unique perspectives and challenge the status quo of the news and entertainment industry.

Susan Walker

Susan Walker is a freelance editor, writer and arts blogger based in Burk’s Falls, ON and Victoria BC. Susan was the founding editor of Canadian Art and before that editor and publisher of Quill & Quire.

As an editor of fiction and non-fiction books, she is known as Book Doctor. As a journalist and reviewer, Susan pursues her interest in books, visual arts, dance and theatre on the website www.susanwalkerartsblog.com

Eden Gladstone Martin

Programmer

Eden has a background as a bilingual child actor, professional experience as a community health instructor for seniors, and an academic interest in community health. Eden’s focus is the wide array of health challenges and disparities in access to healthcare affecting aging populations around the world.

By showcasing the more intimate health experiences of older individuals on screen, Eden hopes that audience members will become more knowledgeable advocates for the delivery of accessible, complete, and patient-centred healthcare that optimizes the experience and wellbeing of aging individuals and their families.

Intern

Sarath Chammincheri

Administrator

Sarath Chammincheri, a passionate film enthusiast and MBA graduate with extensive experience in management-related fields, is currently overseeing administrative operations at the Ageless International Film Festival.

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Ageless appreciates our audiences' support immensely. Donate to Ageless International Film Festival today to help us program amazing films and events!

Ageless International Film Festival is a tax exempt charity. Donators will receive a donation receipt.772396941 RR 0001

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