Board of Directors + Executive Team

Luisa Alvarez Restrepo is a Colombian-Canadian film executive, programmer, and creator with deep ties to the international film community. She is currently the Project Manager at WarnerMedia Access Canada where she leads all film festival initiatives. She recently launched Access Festivals, a first-of-its-kind international program that provides filmmakers from underrepresented communities access to a more robust and engaging film festival experience.

Luisa was previously at TIFF where she helped execute one of the world’s biggest film festivals, curated events for Hollywood’s biggest stars, and created cultural programming for major Canadian brands. At TIFF she also launched the Amplify Voices Award which highlights excellence in filmmaking by Canadian and BIPOC filmmakers. As a creator, Luisa’s short film FORBIDDEN TIKKA MASALA won 7 awards internationally, was shown across Canada as part of TIFF’s Film Circuit, and was licensed by TIFF and the CBC.

Luisa was the recipient of WIFT-T’s Meridian Artists Agency Mentorship for 2020 and was selected for WIFT-T’s Connect Mentorship Program. She has been part of the programming teams at TIFF, HAAPIFest, and CGood TV where she advocated for diversity in storytelling. Luisa is often featured as a guest speaker and panelist at events to discuss how to lower barriers for women and BIPOC creators and artisans in the arts.