SHADES is a film series and platform for support dedicated to centering, supporting, and celebrating the voices and lived experiences of Black women, women of the Global Majority, and LGBTQIA+ individuals in Calgary, Alberta. We highlight emerging creatives and changemakers and their experiences, perspectives, passions, and hopes.

SEASON TWO CAST

Bea (she/her) is a performer, producer, and educator in the art form of burlesque. For the last 17 years, she has been showcasing her art and representing Calgary on stages across Canada and the United States. She strives to combine her unique identities (queer, Filipino, disabled, and intersex) into her art form.

Cece (she/her) is a Mohkinstsis-based visual artist connecting people through her work with plants and a filmmaker connecting people through story. She is a trans model and an advocate for positive Asian, queer, and trans representation.

Ebony (she/her) is an emerging artist, filmmaker, and activist. She won Audience Choice at The Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival for ‘His Hands, His Art’. With a passion for storytelling and a commitment to social justice, she uses film as a means of exploring and exposing the experiences of marginalized communities.

Livvy (she/her) is a thrill-seeking, fun-loving, music-bumping roller skater based in Mohkinstsis. Her passion to roll has taken her across Canada, the US, and to London and Scotland where she was able to train with master skaters. She hopes to create a skate army of BIPOC folk on wheels.

Rooted in Cuba, Mara (she/her) is an educator, dancer and choreographer. She started her professional career in 2008 after graduating from the National Ballet School in Havana. She has been an active member of the arts community in Calgary since 2015, after moving to Canada a year earlier. Mara is spirited to dig deeper into her mixed-race identities (Asian, African, and Hispanic) and discover how all these different backgrounds influence her artistry.

Priscilla (she/her) is a social artist and mental health peer support specialist. She is a programmer with CJSW 90.9 FM and CKUA 93.7 FM and a lead organizer and board member at large with TEDxYYC. In 2023, she launched her childhood dream of having a live interactive talk show and The Oratory was born.

Season One - Alumni

DELA HINI
Actor and writer. Since filming, Dela moved from Calgary to the UK to launch her acting career. She has taken the Professional Freelance Journalism Course at the British College of Journalism with financial aid from Humainologie.

 

KATE MAK
International yoga teacher. Since filming, Kate has traveled to Indonesia to lead the SoulRockers Alumni Retreat with Michael Franti. She was also recruited to join Humainologie's Board of Directors.

 

LISA JACOBS 
Multi-instrumentalist and music therapist. Since filming, Lisa has continued to perform all over Alberta, including the 2022 Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Country Music Awards.

 

SINZERE
Rap/soul artist. Since filming, Sinzere released her debut album, Tabula Rasa, and received two YYC Music Awards. Humainologie collaborated with Sinzere on the music video release of 'The Mission', as well as a music video for the track, Ric Flair Flo, which was released in July 2023.

 

SUBIKSHA SUBRAMANI 
CPA and Finance & Performance Consultant. Since filming, Subiksha and her partner, Tina, traveled to India for their wedding ceremony. As part of the South Asian 2SLGBTQ+ community, their union was featured prominently in media, including Vogue India and BBC India. Subiksha has recently started working with Humainologie to launch her own podcast and has joined the Board of Directors of Humainologie.