CaribbeanTales Youth Film Festival

Most recently Executive producer of Echo, a 78 episode documentary series for Sun T.V. and Co-Producer on a feature film How She Move with Canadian Independent Sienna Films, Claire Prieto has built a remarkable reputation for consistently putting her skills to work developing the talents of new and emerging filmmakers of colour in Canada’s film and television industry. As producer of the New Initiatives in Film program at the National film Board of Canada in the mid-nineties, she helped launch the careers of many Women of Colour and Aboriginal women.

In addition she was the architect of The Special Mandate Team of Cultural Diversity at the NFB which placed producers of colour within the NFB ensuring that that filmmakers of colour had a portal directly into the organization. The Special Mandate Team remains one of the most effective initiatives created thus far for implementing diversity in a large media organization.. The program boasts a variety of award winning documentaries, among them are Bollywood Bound by director Nisha Pahuja – Unwanted Soldiers directed by Jari Osborne. Claire’s unwavering belief in “passing it on” is also shown in her consistency in building diversity through mentorships, apprenticeships and hiring on all her productions.

In the early 90’s as Founding President of the Black Film & Video Network, Claire approached the Canadian Film Centre about partnering with that organization to offer advanced training for filmmakers of colour. The Fall Lab was born from those conversations and became one the CFC’s most successful initiatives launching the careers of some of Canada’s most successful, award winning filmmakers and producers – Clement Virgo, Stephen Williams, Joan Jenkinson, Karen King, Mina Shum, The Adetuyi brothers Alfons & Rob, Damon D’Olivera, Midi Onodera, Michael Jenkinson to name a few.

On the production side, In 2003 Ms. Prieto produced, line produced and production managed Lord Have Mercy, a 30 minute sitcom series for Leda Serene Films.

1996 saw Claire acting as co-producer on Love Songs, a movie-of-the-week written and produced by Charles Fuller for Showtime Networks in the U.S. Since then she has worked as a production manager on Raizin’ Kane for the National Film Board – director Alison Duke, production supervisor on the dramatic shorts at the Canadian Film Centre in 2001 and production manager on two years of Exhibit A – Secrets of Forensic Science a docudrama series for Discovery Channel.

Ms.Prieto’s dramatic work began in 1991 when she Co-Produced with Director Alfons Adetuyi a short drama on AIDS – Survivors – for the Black Coalition on Aids Prevention. The piece aired on the CBC, won the Golden Sheaf Award for Best Drama over 30 minutes at the Yorkton Film & Video Festival and the Chris Statuette – 1st Place at the Columbus International Film Festival. From 1988 through 1990 Claire took a sojurn from her company to co-direct thee awaqrd winning Black Mother Black Daughter and direct Older Stronger Wiser for the NFB. They were both broadcast and screened at festivals internationally.

As a partner in Prieto-McTair Productions in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s Ms. Prieto was producer, co-director, production manager and researcher on a number of award winning documentaries which explore the lives of Blacks in Canada. Included among them are: Some Black Women (1977) – director Roger McTair – which has the honour of being the first film made by independent Black filmmakers in Canada and It’s Not an Illness (1979). Winner Red Ribbon at the American film & video festival. Produced and co-directed with Roger McTair. Home to Buxton (1987) re-visited the southern Ontario community of Buxton settled by Blacks fleeing slavery in the American south. The film was aired PBS stations across the U.S. In 1991, Prieto produced Jennifer Hodge: The Glory and The Pain, a journey through the work of Black Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Hodge. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and aired on on T.V. Ontario, Vision T.V., CBC Newsworld.

Ms. Prieto has also received various awards for her work in Canada. The “Award of Merit” from the City of Toronto. She is a “Woman of Distinction – Arts & Entrepreneurship” – YMCA Toronto, and more recently “The Industry Angel Award” from the Reel World Film Festival.

Ms. Prieto was a founding member of the Black Film & Video Network, and is presently a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Women in Film & Television – Toronto.

Photos: Claire Prieto; and receiving an Aroni Award in 2007