There was a time, not long ago, when Canada was known mostly for its Mounties, maple syrup and moose. These days, though, what’s grabbing attention is its screen industry: TV shows, films, actors, producers, financiers and filmmakers with a growing grip on the global business. Any country that can turn gay hockey players, Indigenous Arctic comedy and a genial police procedural about a St. John’s detective and his German shepherd into global streaming hits is clearly doing something right.
Behind all that success is a network of women making the money move, the cameras roll and the deals travel: studio executives, public funders, union negotiators, festival chiefs, producers, directors, actors and below-the-line power players who help decide what gets made, who gets backed and how far Canadian stories can go.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s 2026 Women in Entertainment Canada Power List spotlights the executives and creatives shaping the industry north of the border — and, increasingly, everywhere else.
Francesca Accinelli
Chief Program Officer, Telefilm Canada
