Board of Directors

Janine Windolph (Atikamekw/Woodland Cree) is a Saskatchewan-based filmmaker, Interdisciplinary artist, curator and storyteller. She is working at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as the Associate Director of Indigenous Arts. Prior, Janine was the Curator of Community Engagement at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan. Filmography includes Stories Are In Our Bones (Director and Writer) Lifegivers: Honoring Our Elders and Children (Director and Writer), The Land of Rock and Gold (Co-Director, Co-Writer and Co- Producer), Ayapiyâhk ôma niyanân “Only us, we are here at home” (Production Mentor and Narrator), From Up North (Producer) and The Beacon Project: Stories of Qu’Appelle Valley (Production Support, Storyteller and Producer) available on CBC Gem. Janine also worked on RIIS from Amnesia: Recovering the Lost Legacies (Co-Director and Co-Producer), a feature-length documentary that explores the history of the Regina Indian Industrial School (RIIS). Janine is working on a 20-minute documentary called Our Maternal Home: Waswanipi (Director, Writer and Narrator). She continues to homeschool and collaborate with her sons, Dawlari and Corwyn, who are working on the Buffalo Mountain Video Project. Janine had served Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative, mispon: A Celebration of Indigenous Filmmaking Inc., RIIS Commemorative Association, Inc., Common Weal, and Reconciliation Regina. She is currently a board of director for Prince of Trust Canada and volunteers for Buffalo Mountain Banff.

John Thimothy is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker, film executive, and the founder of the Regina International Film Festival & Awards (RIFFA). During his 12-year tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer, he led the organization from a grassroots community initiative to Saskatchewan’s largest film festival and one of the Prairie Provinces’ leading Canadian Screen  Award® Qualifying film festivals. He currently serves on RIFFA’s Board of Directors, continuing to support the festival’s creative vision, strategic direction, and long-term development.

As a filmmaker, John’s directorial work has received international recognition with official selections at more than 38 film and media festivals worldwide. His work was nominated for the Golden Sheaf Award at the 72nd Yorkton Film Festival, was a semi-finalist at the 67th Columbus International Film Festival, and was an Official Selection at the 41st Big Muddy Film Festival.

John served as a feature film juror for the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards, Canada’s premier national film, television, and digital media awards program, appointed by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. He has also contributed to the film industry through programming and advisory roles with the San Diego International Film Festival, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, and Outfest Los Angeles – an Oscar® Qualifying festival and one of the world’s most influential platforms dedicated to LGBTQ+ cinema and storytelling.

In recognition of his contributions to arts, culture, leadership, and community development, John was awarded the CBC Future 40 People’s Choice Award in 2016, was nominated for the Ontario Premier’s Award for Outstanding College Graduates, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal from the Government of Saskatchewan in 2022.

Dilani Rabindran (she/her) is the Founder of Viewfinder Film Productions (VFP) Inc., a marketing & production company headquartered in Toronto devoted to the international promotion of creators, especially those of South Asian descent. Dilani has creatively consulted on & represented 45+ films, securing over 120 official festival selections; many VFP films also went on to Indian National Awards and are now available on international streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video. VFP has also produced award-winning short films and is in the process of developing new film and TV projects for international platforms and broadcasters. Dilani was one of 12 candidates selected from across Canada for the inaugural 2021 Reelworld Producer Program, presented by Bell Media and was honoured by the City of Toronto as one of the “Top 40 Under 40 Tamils in Commerce” in 2023. In her full-time role she is the Senior Manager of Marketing Partnerships for Cineplex Entertainment Ltd., and also volunteers her time as the Director, Programming for In-Competition & Non-Competition Films for RIFFA’s annual festival.

Philip Charrier is Head of the History Department at the University of Regina and has served on the RIFFA Board since 2016. He specializes in processes of modernization and development in Asia, with particular focus upon visual culture in twentieth century Japan. His research addresses the tensions between artistic and documentary modes of photographic and cinematic expression, individual creativity and the broader influence of socio-cultural context, intention and reception, subjectivism and anti-subjectivism, and ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ cultural historical constructs.