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Emma Buchanan

@emma.buchs

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📍Toronto/Ottawa
🎬 Non-Profit & Campaign Video Creator, Documentary Filmmaker
📌 Senior Video Producer @thebreachcommunity
🎥 Full portfolio here 👇🏻

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So very excited to announce that our short doc "S.H.A.R.E" will be premiering @reframefilmfestival 2026!

S.H.A.R.E. follows a day in the life of dogged coordinators and participants of a life-saving, grassroots Winnipeg program: Sex Workers Have Access to Resources Equitably.

In exploring how this drop-in program for current and former sex workers is run, we learn about the systemic challenges faced by sex workers in Canada, what it means to be a sex worker, and what it truly takes to advocate alongside them.

S.H.A.R.E. will be screening at Reframe Film Festival, a social and environmental justice doc festival, in Peterborough / Nogojiwanong on Saturday, January 31st at 12:30 pm before BFI London Audience Award Winner for Best Doc @holloway_film ! It will also screen as part of Reframe's online festival from February 3rd to 8th. Get tickets & festival passes at reframefilmfestival.ca

Stay tuned for other screenings!

This project was such a labour of love; made with a tiny team on the micro-est of micro budgets. Huge thanks to Oxfam Canada and Lisa Gunn for inviting me to work on this project, to Jordan Molaro for capturing so much amazing footage in only one day as a one-man show, and to S.H.A.R.E. staff and program participants for... truly just being amazing people.

This film is dedicated to:
Laurel Dawn Cassels
1967-2025
S.H.A.R.E. founder and program coordinator, community harm reduction advocate, creator of safe spaces, remover of shame, and hilarious, loving, unstoppable badass.

Safe journey Laurel. You will be missed by many.

Directors
Emma Buchanan @emma.buchs
Jordan Molaro @numediafilms

Executive Producer
@oxfamcanada

Project Manager (for Oxfam Canada)
@toweroflisa

Camera & Sound
@numediafilms

Editor
@emma.buchs by @emma.buchs

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10 months ago

"Climate action might be the easiest thing you do all day..." |
For Our Kids (@forourkidscanada) Digital Ad

Knowing how, when, and where to take climate action is already so daunting - but when you're a busy parent? Where are you supposed to find the time?

With this piece, the For Our Kids team and I wanted to show that (compared to parenting!) learning about climate change, signing a petition, or attending a climate event isn't as difficult or time-consuming as you may think. And, it's not only worth it, but needed to protect our children's futures on this planet.

This is the first of 3 videos I worked on with For Our Kids in 2024 - huge thanks to their staff for being such amazing clients. If you have kids, grandkids, or simply want to advocate on behalf of future generations, give them a follow and learn how you can get involved with one of their local parent-led teams across the country.

Thanks to my small but mighty team for your work on this one! Stoked to see it get get 17k+ views on YouTube!

Director/Writer/Editor/Actor: @emma.buchs
Production Design & Directing Assist: @zedrickzedward
Cinematography & Colour Grade: @ahmed.barakaat
Voiceover Artist: @its.rachel.cairns
And my (almost 4-year-old) buddy Parker Christlan in her voice acting debut (@alisonamilan @c.p.christensen ) by @emma.buchs

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2 years ago

Remember when I posted those stories back in the summer looking for a way to revive deleted YouTube content? This project was the reason...

My largest project to date under Visual Change Video, this video w/ @envirodefence is a direct mock of a Pathways Alliance ad (Pathways Alliance = conglomerate of the 6 largest Canadian oil & gas companies). The ad tried to sell carbon capture & storage and other lies that the oil & gas industry can be ~*carbon neutral*~ to the Canadian public. When the greenwashing bill passed in Parliament earlier this year (i.e. banning companies from making false or misleading claims about their emissions and impact on the environment), the Pathways Alliance deleted basically their entire website and took down most of their social media marketing. Really makes you think about the content they were sharing...🙃

Anyway, here's our mock debunking their claims and spreading *real* information about the oil & gas industry and the new pathway we need - away from oil & gas and towards clean, reliable renewable energy.

Big ups to my AMAZING crew who made magic on a non-profit budget:

Writer/Director & Production Manager: Me 🙋‍♂️
DoP: @sof.pompei
1st AC: @siddharthmehta9
Gaff/Grip: @zacharyjguy
2nd AC & DMT: @zitesh_kaushal
Sound Mixer/Boom Op: @doubledogdroog
Production Designer: @rolli.polii
Hair & Makeup: @facebyforgie
Set Dresser & PA: @propsbambino
BTS & Stills Photographer: @sara_reza

Editor: Me 🙋‍♂️
Colourist: @zitesh_kaushal by @emma.buchs

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2 years ago

Our little film that could, S.H.A.R.E., is an official selection of the 2026 Social Justice Film Festival in Seattle, run by the Social Justice Film Institute!

It's a bit far from Winnipeg 😉, but if you happen to be in the area, we're screening in the "Shelter from the Storm" block on Friday, April 17th at 2 pm before the feature film "Fire Within".

Featuring a line-up of films on a wide array of important social and environmental justice issues, the Social Justice Film Festival is a home for social justice storytelling and filmmakers. The Festival and Institute serve as a community resource and a critical lens to democratize filmmaking and to make available brave, cutting-edge documentary and narrative stories otherwise absent from the mainstream media.

Thank you so, so much to @socjustfilmfest for this selection, and we wish we could be there in person! taken in Seattle, Washington by @emma.buchs

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7 months ago

✨ Introducing … TOXIC TRIVIA — a creative new way to fight the fossil fuel industry’s lies and build community at the same time ✨

We did a test-run at @levant.pizza in Toronto, but you could easily host your own Toxic Trivia party at home with some friends and neighbours or bring our trivia cards to something that’s already in the works, like a book club or potluck. We’ve designed this to work at whatever scale makes sense for you.

Thanks to generous donations from 350 Canada supporters, and our friends at the @smallchangefund, we’re able to provide a deck of trivia cards to everyone who signs up to host an event – and reimburse you up to $200 for the cost of space, snacks, or other event costs 🍕

Learn more and sign up at the link in our bio!

#cdnpoli #climateactivism #trivia by @emma.buchs

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7 months ago

Just an amazing time at Reframe Film Festival (@reframefilmfestival) last weekend screening S.H.A.R.E., my first short documentary co-directed with Jordan Molaro @numediafilms

I think it was maybe the first time I felt like a “real” filmmaker 🤠

Not enough words to thank the staff, board, programming committee, and volunteers for the selection and for putting on an incredibly well-organized and fun festival full of next-level social justice documentaries. And of course S.H.A.R.E (Sex Workers Have Access to Resources Equitably) program coordinators Katy & Tianna who I met for the first time on stage during our Q&A 😎

It was very cool that a few people wanted to donate to S.H.A.R.E. after watching the film, and even cooler, someone emailed me a couple days later wanting to write an op-ed about how the film changed their perception of sex work within a feminist lens.

Thanks also to my cheerleaders @ohboony and @toweroflisa 👯 taken in Peterborough, Ontario by @emma.buchs

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8 months ago

Thrilled and honoured that our short documentary S.H.A.R.E. (Sex Workers Have Access to Resources Equitably) has received its first two official film festival selections!

This past Saturday, S.H.A.R.E. premiered @reframefilmfestival in Peterborough, the largest social and environmental justice documentary festival in North America, followed by a Q&A with a very thoughtful and kind audience. If you want to watch the film THIS WEEK (Feb 3rd to 8th) from anywhere in Canada, including the full Q&A, go to ReframeFilmFestival.ca and purchase a virtual pass. With a virtual pass, you can also watch about half of the incredible documentaries that screened in-person this past weekend.

Our next screening is at the Social Justice Film Festival (@socjustfilmfest) in Seattle, Washington on Friday, April 17 at 2 pm.

S.H.A.R.E follows a day in the life of dogged coordinators and participants of a life-saving, grassroots Winnipeg program: Sex Workers Have Access to Resources Equitably. In exploring how this drop-in for current and former sex workers operates, we learn about the systemic challenges faced by sex workers in Canada and what it truly takes to advocate alongside them.

Hopefully we’ll have more screenings to announce in the coming months! by @emma.buchs

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8 months ago

✨ S.H.A.R.E., by Emma Buchanan, follows a day in the life of dogged coordinators and participants of a life-saving, grassroots Winnipeg program: Sex Workers Have Access to Resources Equitably. In exploring how this life-saving drop-in program for current and former sex workers is run, we learn about the systemic challenges faced by sex workers in Canada, what it means to be a sex worker, and what it really takes to advocate alongside them.

🎫🎟️ This film is part of both the In-Person and Virtual Programs.
📅 Screening in person on Saturday, January 31, at 12:30 PM at Market Hall.
💻 Available as part of our Virtual Program from February 3 to February 8, 2026.

Link in Bio > 📑 FILM GUIDE

⭐ Production: @share_programwpg
❤️ Thank you to our film sponsor @kwic_ptbo
💗 ReFrame's Women Everywhere collection is generously supported by: @agptbo_ and @newcanadianscentre

#ReFrame2026 by @emma.buchs

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9 months ago

Feeling very grateful for the videos and films I got to work on this year via Visual Change Video! It’s still hard to believe I run my own business and can choose to collaborate with organizations and staff that are laser-focused on social & environmental justice.

It’s not without its challenges though - working freelance is unpredictable, and my mind runs basically 24/7 making sure I have enough work coming in and juggling a huge variety of tasks 🤪

I’ve found I’m putting more and more pressure on myself to create personal projects, get into the film industry, apply for grants, and give my all to my client work, ensuring it meets their needs and makes the most impact possible. I think 2026 will partially be about calming the inner noise and realizing I can only do so much, but it’s allll part of the process of change and learning.

It would also be, like, suuuuper cool if politicians, billionaires, and mega corps would stop accelerating climate and social collapse!!! But, either way, we’ll be here, fighting and trying our absolute best.

I’ll be taking on a new part-time video staff role in 2026 while continuing my freelance work. I’ll also (finally!) be releasing more regular political satire content on YouTube - stay tuned for the first vid verrrry soon!

Pictured above:
- Raise the Bar 2025 federal election ads with @leadnowca
- Cap the Crap, a solutions storytelling series inspired by Rick Mercer rants, with @350canada
- Pick a Path, documenting the largest banner in Canadian climate movement history that targeted just the beginning of Carney’s horrible decisions, with @commonhorizoncommun
- Short doc about @share_programwpg with @oxfamcanada (see my previous post for the trailer and premiere screening announcement!)
- Draw the Line Canadian national cross-movement mobilization wrap video with @canraccanada and mural painters/organizers in Ottawa
- Short doc and social media series with @northernbirthwork and @oxfamcanada
- LinkedIn video series targeting CEOs and Board Members of the Big 5 banks and life & property insurance companies with Investors for Paris Compliance
- Homeowners retrofit video series with @re.climate and Durham Greener Homes by @emma.buchs

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10 months ago

The largest banner in Canadian climate movement history?!

Last week, I headed to Ottawa to film and speed-edit in 24 hrs this incredible banner installation with Common Horizon in Major's Hill Park just steps away from Parliament.

A collaboration between @commonhorizoncommun, @canraccanada and @envirodefence, this banner and video asks Prime Minister Mark Carney to pick a path between pipelines and *real* climate action. Carney has been riding an "all of the above" energy strategy since coming to office, saying he will continue to invest in both oil & gas and renewables for the sake of Canada's "energy sovereignty". Understandable as that may seem to some, we know that continuing to invest in fossil fuels is devastating for our future and the planet's future, and the choice to move fully towards climate action *should* be a no-brainer.

A pleasure to follow around and film organizers @haileyasquin and @emilylowan for the day 😉

If you're interested in joining Common Horizon, RSVP to their summer campaign launch call on June 2nd @ 8:30 pm EST at the link their bio. by @emma.buchs

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a year ago

Last Sunday, we got to see my student thesis film, “One Thing A Day That Scares You”, on the big screen at the Paradise Theatre as part of the Toronto Short Film Festival! It was an awesome afternoon with a wonderful and mixed shorts line-up - from the micro short, to complex animated shorts, to other live-action dramas. It’s great to have a platform like the TOSFF so that independent, first-time, and student filmmakers have a chance to show and see their work in a proper theatre.

As a very new filmmaker, I’m now seeing how the process of creating and releasing a narrative film unfolds. It took me a year and a half *after* graduating to finish this piece, and by the time you’ve gotten feedback on the film, finally finished post-production, submitted to festivals, and are seeing it screened to the public, maybe it’s been (many) years since you wrote the script and shot the film. Olivia asked me how I felt seeing it, and while I was definitely excited and grateful, in my mind, I’m kind of already on to the next projects. Which isn’t very *mindful* of me 😜 - but I think we adapt quickly to new realities and possibilities (for better or worse) and our benchmark for success is constantly moving. A couple years ago, getting into *any* film festival seemed impossible and unbelievable, but now, it seems feasible and the idea is almost becoming… normal? Because of this, I really tried to take a moment to tap into my mindset from a few years ago and see that it IS a notable accomplishment. I don’t want to end up devaluing my progress or the amount of time and effort that I and many others have put into this piece.

Anyway! Just some reflections. Maybe you’ve also come to know this feeling recently, or maybe you’ve been making creative work for a while and have known it for a long time. No matter what, it was awesome and I’m SO grateful that our film was included. Here’s to the next 😉 taken in Paradise Theatre by @emma.buchs

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2 years ago

Emissions Cap Call to Action | Video with @cape_doctors featuring Dr. Mili Roy

Continuing with posting a backlog of content finished in late 2024!

As the federal government was set to release the draft "Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap Regulations" to limit the emissions of the Canadian oil & gas industry in late 2024, I worked with CAPE to create this video encouraging their members and the public to advocate for the strongest regulations possible to protect our health and our children's health.

It was so great to work with Dr. Roy - she is an amazing doctor and powerful environmental advocate - and film in a *real* doctor's office. The staff of the Prism Eye Institute were very accommodating and supportive of our little crew and of Dr. Roy's advocacy work.

Really fun to play with the slow zoom-in technique to increase the dramatic effective of the message. I even got to assist Howard (my camera operator for this piece) by operating the Tilta Nucleus for the first time.

Directed and Edited by: me
Camera and Lighting: @wanhoward
Sound Mixing: @doubledogdroog by @emma.buchs

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2 years ago