Industry
Atlantic Momentum Program
Overview
Atlantic Momentum Program
Atlantic Momentum Program
Building on Lunenburg Doc Fest’s DOC Atlantic Breakthrough and The Launch initiatives, the Atlantic Momentum Program (AMP) supports six mid-career Atlantic Canadian IBPOC filmmakers who are ready to move their one-off feature documentaries from development into production.
AMP is designed for filmmakers with strong projects who face barriers accessing national funding, industry networks, and professional support. Through mentorship, funding guidance, and industry access, the program helps participants strengthen their projects and build a pathway toward production.
Meet the six inaugural Atlantic Momentum Program participants:
Israel Ekanem
(he/they)
Israel is a storyteller, filmmaker, and founder of Ubuntu Media, a Halifax-based production company committed to amplifying diverse voices through film. Shaped by his grandmother's gift for storytelling, he has written, directed, and produced work for CBC, Bell, and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, with films screening at the Toronto Black Film Festival and festivals across North America. His award-winning shorts include Kill Your Masters and Drown the Lovers. His feature The Space Between was selected for Berlinale's EFM Fiction Toolbox Programme. He founded All Voices Society because stories have the power to change the world, one person at a time.
Israel Ekanem
(he/they)
Israel is a storyteller, filmmaker, and founder of Ubuntu Media, a Halifax-based production company committed to amplifying diverse voices through film. Shaped by his grandmother's gift for storytelling, he has written, directed, and produced work for CBC, Bell, and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, with films screening at the Toronto Black Film Festival and festivals across North America. His award-winning shorts include Kill Your Masters and Drown the Lovers. His feature The Space Between was selected for Berlinale's EFM Fiction Toolbox Programme. He founded All Voices Society because stories have the power to change the world, one person at a time.
Jessica Brown
(she/her)
Jessica Brown
(she/her)
Jessica Brown
(she/her)
Maria de Fátima Lima
(she/her)
Maria is a Brazilian Canadian emerging documentary filmmaker and screenwriter based in Atlantic Canada. Her creative work explores identity, memory, mental well-being, migration, and belonging, with a focus on the human stories behind social issues. Her documentary series Crossing Borders examines the lives, contributions, and experiences of newcomers in Atlantic Canada, asking what happens when a community truly makes room. Through filmmaking and writing, I’m interested in creating intimate, thoughtful stories that foster connection, challenge assumptions, and give space to voices and experiences that are often overlooked.
Maria de Fátima Lima
(she/her)
Maria is a Brazilian Canadian emerging documentary filmmaker and screenwriter based in Atlantic Canada. Her creative work explores identity, memory, mental well-being, migration, and belonging, with a focus on the human stories behind social issues. Her documentary series Crossing Borders examines the lives, contributions, and experiences of newcomers in Atlantic Canada, asking what happens when a community truly makes room. Through filmmaking and writing, I’m interested in creating intimate, thoughtful stories that foster connection, challenge assumptions, and give space to voices and experiences that are often overlooked.
Man Long Ho
(he/him)
Man Long “Norman” Ho is a Hong Kong born writer and director based in Nova Scotia. He is an alum of ReelWorld Emerging 20, RBC YFF Mentorship, and DOC Atlantic Breakthrough Program, as well as a 2025 writer in residence at Eyelevel Artist Run Centre. His debut short documentary, Spud Island?, was nominated at the 76th Yorkton Film Festival. His works have received the 2026 Charles R. Saunders Prize, the 2025 ScreenCraft Family Screenplay Competition Grand Jury Prize, and the 2022 IRSA Newcomers to Canada Award.
Man Long Ho
(he/him)
Man Long “Norman” Ho is a Hong Kong born writer and director based in Nova Scotia. He is an alum of ReelWorld Emerging 20, RBC YFF Mentorship, and DOC Atlantic Breakthrough Program, as well as a 2025 writer in residence at Eyelevel Artist Run Centre. His debut short documentary, Spud Island?, was nominated at the 76th Yorkton Film Festival. His works have received the 2026 Charles R. Saunders Prize, the 2025 ScreenCraft Family Screenplay Competition Grand Jury Prize, and the 2022 IRSA Newcomers to Canada Award.
Obediya Wonderful Jones-Darrell
(he/him)
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Obediya Jones-Darrell is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who is classically trained as a music composer & sound design artist. In addition to being an alumnus of the DOC Atlantic Breakthrough documentary program, Reelworld E20 Program, and the Warner Bros. Diversity Showrunner bootcamp, he studied writing for animation at Vancouver Animation School, music composition at Simon Fraser University, and sound engineering at Douglas College. As a documentary filmmaker, he primarily focuses on stories that connect music and culture with our understanding of the human condition.
Obediya Wonderful Jones-Darrell
(he/him)
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Obediya Jones-Darrell is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who is classically trained as a music composer & sound design artist. In addition to being an alumnus of the DOC Atlantic Breakthrough documentary program, Reelworld E20 Program, and the Warner Bros. Diversity Showrunner bootcamp, he studied writing for animation at Vancouver Animation School, music composition at Simon Fraser University, and sound engineering at Douglas College. As a documentary filmmaker, he primarily focuses on stories that connect music and culture with our understanding of the human condition.
Chan Polchies
(he/him)
Chan is a Wolastoqiyik filmmaker, Co-Director and Writer of a documentary exploring the legacy of Ned Bear’s cultural and artistic teachings through Gordon Sparks’ life and arts practice. He recently directed his first short film, Apathy is a Blueberry, and edited the short film Expresso, both airing on Bell Media. His next project is a TV series script. Chan’s storytelling is informed by his experience as an Indigenous Two-Spirit person navigating religion, mixed-race identity, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Chan Polchies
(he/him)
Chan is a Wolastoqiyik filmmaker, Co-Director and Writer of a documentary exploring the legacy of Ned Bear’s cultural and artistic teachings through Gordon Sparks’ life and arts practice. He recently directed his first short film, Apathy is a Blueberry, and edited the short film Expresso, both airing on Bell Media. His next project is a TV series script. Chan’s storytelling is informed by his experience as an Indigenous Two-Spirit person navigating religion, mixed-race identity, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Building on Lunenburg Doc Fest’s DOC Atlantic Breakthrough and The Launch initiatives, the Atlantic Momentum Program (AMP) supports six mid-career Atlantic Canadian IBPOC filmmakers who are ready to move their one-off feature documentaries from development into production.
AMP is designed for filmmakers with strong projects who face barriers accessing national funding, industry networks, and professional support. Through mentorship, funding guidance, and industry access, the program helps participants strengthen their projects and build a pathway toward production.
Atlantic Momentum Program
Press Release 09/24/2024:
The Launch 2024 Winners Announced