Vancouver, B.C. (February 12, 2025) – Creative BC announces $250,000 in funding to support 25 projects led by emerging and/or equity-seeking filmmakers in British Columbia. Designed to address systemic barriers in the motion picture industry, the Equity and Emerging...
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AFCI 2025 Board of Directors, Board Leadership and Advisory Board Changes Announced

See the original release from the Association of Film Commissioners International here.
The Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) has announced the names of its 2025 Board of Director members. A geographically diverse group of 16 candidates ran for six, two-year term openings. The candidates represented regions located in Africa, Canada, Europe, the Oceanic territories, South America and the United States.
Stepping into seats on the board of directors for the first time are Rochelle Bussey (Senior Program Manager, New Mexico Film Office) and Henrik JP Akesson Ruben, CFC (Film Commissioner, Blekinge region, Southern Sweden Film Commission.) Returning to the board of directors for a fourth term after a two-year hiatus is Donne Dawson, CFC (Film Commissioner, Hawaii State Film Office.) This will be the first time Southern Sweden will be represented on the AFCI Board of Directors, while New Mexico and Hawaii State have both had a long-standing presence held by previous representatives in past board terms.
Bussey, Ruben and Dawson will join re-elected board members Luke Azevedo, CFC (Calgary Film Commission), Steven Davenport (Screen Ireland) and Philippa Mossman (New Zealand Film Commission.)
Davenport, Head of US Productions and Partnerships for Screen Ireland, will begin his third consecutive term. Luke Azevedo, CFC (VP, Creative Industries, Operations and Film Commissioner for Calgary Film Commission), and Philippa Mossman (Head of International Attraction and Marketing at New Zealand Film Commission), will each begin their second term.
The newly elected officers will join those officers currently beginning the second term of their two-year appointment. They include: Gina Black, CFC, (Screen Industry Advisor/Film Commissioner, Gold Coast FIim Commission), Marnie Gee, CFC (BC Film Commissioner, BC Film Commission at Creative BC), Bega Metzner, CFC (Film Commission Director, Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission), Nina Parikh, CFC (Director, Mississippi Film Office) and Stefan Roesch, CFC (Film Office Lead, Film Dunedin.)
During the first board meeting of 2024 on January 25th, the board members held an election to determine which members would assume an officer role. The results of the election resulted in a retention of the members of last year’s officer positions, providing a consistency of operations into 2025:
- Chair: Marnie Gee (BC Film Commission at Creative BC)
- Vice Chair: Luke Azevedo (Calgary Film Commission)
- Second Vice Chair: Nina Parikh (Mississippi Film Office)
- Secretary: Gina Black (Gold Coast Film Commission)
- Treasurer: Steven Davenport (Screen Ireland)
In addition to welcoming new and returning board members, AFCI expanded the representatives on the organization’s Advisory Board presence with four additional studios: Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate, Netflix and Paramount. The AFCI Advisory Board is composed of executives from major production studios and consulting firms who lend counsel to AFCl’s Executive Director on industry-wide best practices and relevant points of engagement that would provide education and development for the AFCI membership.
The new members of the 2024 AFCI Advisory Board include Sevan Abrahamian (Paramount Pictures Corp), Melissa Heuer (Amazon MGM Studios), Mike Jean (NBC Universal) and Matt Leonetti (Lionsgate Motion Picture Group). Andy Weitman returns to the Advisory Board with a new role at Netflix. They join additional returning Advisory Board Members Joseph Chianese (Entertainment Partners), Laurence Franks (Apple), Bruce Hendricks (Independent Producer), MaryAnn Hughes (The Walt Disney Co.), Kristin Larson (Sony Pictures Entertainment), Jay Roewe (HBO/HBO MAX/Warner Media) and Michael Walbrecht (Warner Bros.)
“We’re thrilled to welcome this distinguished group of leaders to AFCl’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board as we head into our 50th anniversary year. We are equally excited that our Board Executive remains unchanged for 2025, ensuring continuity and steadfast support for our ongoing strategic initiatives,” said Jaclyn Philpott, Executive Director of AFCI. “This milestone year presents an incredible opportunity to honor AFCl’s legacy while embracing the future with initiatives to include a digital transformation project, aimed at enhancing member engagement and delivering greater value to our global network. Additionally, we are eagerly preparing for Cineposium in Cincinnati, where our members, industry partners, and thought leaders will come together to celebrate AFCl’s achievements and explore new opportunities for growth and collaboration in the ever-evolving screen industry.”
Board Chair Marnie Gee said, “2024 was transformative. AFCI not only strengthened collaboration among film commissioners worldwide but also elevated our efforts to drive innovation and sustain the ever-evolving global motion picture industry.” Gee added, “I’m proud to welcome these esteemed new and returning board executives and members, who will help us continue to advance AFCl’s mission.”
The current board will serve throughout 2025. In September 2025, an election will take place for those board officers whose two-year terms conclude at the end of the year.
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