September 2, 2025 — The Independent Production Fund (IPF) is proud to announce the selected participants for the second edition of the Pre-Application Training Program for Northern Producers. Following the success of the inaugural program in 2024, this initiative continues to strengthen the capacity of northern-based producers to prepare competitive series development funding applications.

Delivered in partnership with the Whistler Film Festival Society, the program offers a series of workshops and personalized mentorships led by industry experts across Canada. The participants, representing the Northwest Territories, and Yukon, will receive tailored training and support to deepen their understanding of the requirements for funding applications.

Based on their potential for securing funding for their project, as well as their previous experience and demonstrated commitment to advancing their skills and contributing to the northern screen sector, the following candidates have been selected:

Barbara Dunlop Yukon	Barbara Dunlop is a former Yukon Film Commissioner and Executive Producer of the adventure web series Yukonic! She is a USA Today bestselling author of 70 lighthearted romance and romantic comedy novels. Several of Barbara’s books have been optioned for film, including for the movie JINGLE BELL PRINCESS released in 2021.
Lily Gontard Yukon	Lily Gontard is a settler grateful to be living in Whitehorse, Yukon, the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council. She’s a filmmaker with a background as a writer, editor and event organizer. She co-wrote PERFECT FAMILY (optioned by 3DEvolution). She produced and directed the short documentaries “WHALEFALL” (2022) and “INSPIRATION IN NATURE” (2021) which screened at film festivals in North America, South America, Europe and the UK. She was on the writing team of season one of the puppet show NORTHERN TAILS (Little Brown Bird Entertainment Inc, 2025) and is the author of the award-winning non-fiction book ‘Beyond Mile Zero: The Vanishing Alaska Highway Lodge Community’ (Harbour Publishing 2017).
Michaela Crook Northwest Territories	Michaela Crook is a Sahtu Metis/Cree multimedia producer from Hay River, Northwest Territories. She completed the Indigenous Digital Filmmaking program at Capilano University in 2020. Michaela worked on award-winning CBC Gem documentary, KaYaMenTa: Sharing Truths About Menopause (2020) as assistant director, segment director and associate producer. She was also assistant director on the short film, MisTik (2021). In 2019 and 2020, Michaela worked for CBC North as a reporter to produce stories for radio, web and the TV show, Northbeat. Michaela is confident working in a production office and on a film set. She continues to earn industry experience as she develops her own scripts for film and TV. Michaela plans to write, direct and produce her own projects.
Naomi Mark Yukon	Naomi Mark is a filmmaker based in Canada’s Yukon Territory. An alumni of Women in the Director’s Chair, the CMPA mentorship program, Hot Docs Accelerator and Telefilm Talent-to-Watch, Naomi works as a director and producer in both narrative and documentary film. Her producing work includes the award-winning documentaries THE ARCTICS, HOW TO BEE and AIM FOR THE ROSES.
Whitney Horne Yukon	Whitney (Shâwatgha’xhí) Horne is a multidisciplinary writer, director, producer, and editor of Inland Tlingit, Irish, and Scottish descent, belonging to the Dakh’ławeidi (Eagle-Killerwhale Clan) of the Teslin Tlingit Council — a Self-Governing First Nation in the Yukon. Her creative practice is rooted in land-based sovereignty, matriarchal legacy, and Indigenous futurism. Horne is the founder and Creative Director of Native.tube, a groundbreaking Indigenous streaming and education platform, and Wooshdu Heen Studio, a home for original documentary films and series that center First Nations voices, resistance histories, and living archives. Through her work, she reclaims erased narratives and maps memory back onto territory — with a voice that is bold, cinematic, and unapologetically grounded in community. Her current docuseries, THEY NEVER MAPPED US, exposes the colonial lies behind land claims and mapping in the Yukon, centering the true story of her great-grandmother Annie Geddes and their family homestead at 12 Mile. Horne’s work spans documentary, experimental nonfiction, podcasting, and immersive storytelling. She is committed to building Indigenous-led media systems, training youth in digital storytelling, and decolonizing both form and infrastructure from the inside out.

“Congratulations to the talented creators selected for this year’s Program. We are thrilled to support Northern storytellers as they grow their skills, strengthen their voices, and share their unique perspectives. This program reflects the IPF’s commitment to fostering creativity across all of Canada, including Canada’s Territories, where the varied cultures and viewpoints provide unlimited potential for screen based storytelling, ” says Jon Taylor, CEO of the IPF.

The program begins on September 9, 2025, with 13 weeks of online workshops and mentorship. All materials developed will be finalized by early 2026 in preparation for the IPF Short Form Series Development Program deadline in the beginning of March, 2026.

For more information about the IPF Pre-Application Training Program for Northern Producers and to learn about future application opportunities, please visit the Whistler Film Festival website.