Toronto disability storytelling panel set for September 13

The Stories We Tell: Advancing Accessibility Through Inclusive Storytelling will take place on Sunday, September 13, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto. The panel is part of TIFF: The Market’s industry programme and is intended for film industry professionals.

The British Film Institute’s announcement does not state a start time, separate admission price or public booking process. Anyone planning to attend should therefore treat it as an industry-programme session rather than assume general admission is available.

Organised by the BFI Inclusion team with Collective Moxie and Prasanna Ranganathan, the discussion will examine how storytelling can help make disability inclusion a lived reality across the screen industries.

Storytelling moves to the centre of accessibility

The panel’s focus reaches beyond technical standards and legal compliance. Its central question is how films, television and the stories surrounding them can contribute to the cultural and attitudinal changes required for meaningful accessibility.

That distinction gives the session a clear creative and industry-facing purpose. Rather than treating accessibility solely as a production requirement, the programme will consider how representation, narrative choices and professional culture shape attitudes toward disability.

The speakers bring perspectives from activism, performance, filmmaking, production and inclusion work. The announced panel comprises athlete and activist Rick Hansen; BAFTA-nominated actor Ruth Madeley; filmmaker Matthew Kowalchuk; producer and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant Prasanna Ranganathan; Collective Moxie founder and chief executive Julie Ann Crommett; and BFI Inclusion Partners Tahliah Simumba and Melissa Allada.

Their participation also connects the discussion to films and talent represented in TIFF’s official selection, alongside specialists working on inclusion within the industry.

The panel forms part of TIFF’s inaugural Market

This session sits within the first formal market hosted by the Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF: The Market is designed as a meeting place where international film professionals can build relationships, seek financing and buy or sell projects.

The BFI will have a wider presence during the Market. It is supporting six UK Black and Global Majority producers whose UK-Canadian feature projects are in active development: Farah Abushwesha, Yemi Adegbulu, Jumafor Ajogwu, Emma Grazette, Nadine Marsh-Edwards and Chi Thai.

Supported through the BFI National Lottery International Connections Fund, the delegation will use the Market to develop international networks and advance potential co-productions. Ontario Creates is also presenting a programme for UK and Canadian producers that includes market presentations, a Canadian distribution panel, a networking lunch and curated one-to-one meetings.

This surrounding activity places The Stories We Tell within a programme concerned not only with project financing and distribution, but also with who can participate in the international film business and how that environment is shaped.

What prospective attendees can confirm

The confirmed venue is the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and the confirmed date is Sunday, September 13. The source describes the event as part of TIFF: The Market’s industry programme, making film producers, performers, filmmakers and other screen-sector professionals its clearest audience.

No start time, standalone ticket price, booking instructions, transport guidance or event-specific accessibility arrangements were included in the announcement. Those practical details should be checked through the TIFF: The Market industry programme before making plans to attend.

Source: British Film Institute News