Short Film
Markham Talent is proud to announce the launch of its newest spotlight category for
Season 3 – 2025 Open Casting Call
Short Film & Online Competition.
Registration Deadline: August 31, 2025 5pm. EST
This innovative competition is open to filmmakers, actors, digital creators, and visionaries from around the globe, bringing together storytelling, performance, and the cutting-edge world of artificial intelligence.
As part of this year’s expanded talent platform, the short film competition will celebrate outstanding creative achievements in both traditional filmmaking and AI-assisted storytelling.
Judging Panel
Meet our Judges
Kaveh Ebrahimpour
Award Winning Canadian Iranian Filmmaker
Head Judge
Kaveh Ebrahimpour is an award-winning Canadian-Iranian filmmaker, writer, producer and creative director known for his cinematic storytelling in both narrative film and branded content. With a BA in Cinema, his films—including Yahya Didn’t Keep Quiet and A Ceremony for a Friend—have screened at TIFF, FNC Montreal, and global festivals. Kaveh is also an innovator in AI-driven media production, crafting films and ads using emerging technologies to tell unforgettable, emotionally resonant stories.
Daniel Pan
AI Creative Professional & Judge
Daniel Pan, Cofounder of Agentize.AI, a certified AI engineer by Stanford University and DeepLearning.AI, and an AWS Cloud Solutions Architect. He serves as a distinguished industry mentor in Applied AI Technology at Qingdao University of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education Group.
James Bae
AI Creative Professional & Judge
James Bae is a business and technology leader with over 12 years of experience across Web3, AI, and digital media. He began his career in academic research, earning a Master’s in neuroscience from the University of Toronto and co-authoring 11 peer-reviewed papers. James built his career leading sales and partnerships at both startups and global tech firms like Oracle, and now serves as Co-Chair of FIRA Canada’s AI League. As the co-founder of Testify, a storytelling platform, he is passionate about working at the intersection of emerging technologies and storytelling as well as equipping the next generation of creators.
Videographer/Digital Creator/Judge
Filmmaker | Content Strategist | Social Media Educator
Emad Assar (Emad Ca)
Emad Assar, also known as
Emad Ca, is a Toronto-based videographer and digital creator behind
Canvers Media. Starting with mobile filming at a young age, he quickly advanced to professional tools like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, developing a unique visual style.