Ana Serrano: Director of CFC Media Lab, (Canadian Film Centre)

Ana Serrano is the Director of CFC Media Lab, a world-renowned new media research, training and production facility created in 1997 at Norman Jewison’s CFC (Canadian Film Centre).

As director of CFC Media Lab, she provides strategic leadership, fiscal development, program design and creative direction for all of the Centre’s new media initiatives, including the development and production of a diverse range of critically acclaimed interactive narrative prototypes.

In 2003, Ana was recognized for her contribution to Canada’s new media industry with three Canadian New Media Awards including Industry Advocate of the Year, New Media Educator of the Year and New Media Visionary. In addition, she was selected to be the sole Canadian expert panel member for the 2003 and 2005, World Summit Awards, part of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society.

She has also co-developed the Bell Globemedia Content Innovation Network, a partnership with the Banff Centre for the Arts and L’INIS, thus founding the Interactive Project Lab, a unique alliance of knowledge, resources and funding fostering the creation of innovative projects and viable start-up new media companies.

In 2000, Ana produced the Great Canadian Story Engine Project, a national tour and bilingual website that serves as an interactive storytelling community where all Canadians can share personal stories about their experiences in Canada.In 2004, she created Canada’s first interactive feature film program designed to create, develop, produce, distribute and market long form interactive narrative works.

Ana is currently producing the Interactive Narrative Feature Program’s (INFP) first project, in co-production with the National Film Board.Named one of Canada’s 100 Canadians to watch in McLean’s Magazine, Ana is active on the boards of Artscape, Laidlaw Foundation, M3F, and several start-up companies focussed on interactive entertainment and adjudicates awards for the Webby, Resfest, CNMA, and others.

She teaches at York University’s Communication Studies Department and frequently speaks at new media and film festivals throughout the world about the emerging realms of interactive art and entertainment.