Toronto, ON (September 15, 2026) – Shant Joshi and Cameron Pictures Inc. were celebrated Monday, September 14, 2026, at Victoria College Chapel at Victoria University in the University of Toronto as the 2026 Sandi Ross Award recipients. During the presentation, Joshi and Cameron Pictures Inc. Co-Founders Amy Cameron and Tassie Cameron accepted their honours. The awards were presented by ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs Krystle Ferdinand and Indy Saluja.
ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs: “We are honoured to celebrate the 2026 Sandi Ross Awards this year, which also happens to mark 10 years since Sandi’s passing. The awards are a tribute to Sandi’s legacy as a leader, changemaker and outspoken advocate of diversity and inclusion within ACTRA and the broader artist community. Sandi was a trailblazer who understood that creating meaningful change requires not only opening doors but changing the systems that determine who can walk through them. Like Sandi, this year’s recipients, Shant Joshi and Cameron Pictures Inc., have exemplified their unwavering commitment to create positive change within the film and television industry by uplifting BIPOC artists and filmmakers.”
“Shant’s continued advocacy for equity, representation and systemic change across our industry is deeply aligned with Sandi’s legacy,” said ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chair Krystle Ferdinand. “Through his work as a producer, advocate and leader, Shant consistently champions equity-deserving creators and works to create greater opportunities for diverse voices to be heard. From his leadership on the BIPOC TV & Film Board and REDI Action Committee to his work advocating for systemic change through industry regulatory discussions, Shant continues to demonstrate a commitment to transforming the structures that shape our screen industry. Through Fae Pictures, he is also advancing a vision to decolonize Hollywood and create space for stories and filmmakers who have historically been excluded. We are thrilled to recognize his leadership, vision and unwavering commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers.”
Said Joshi: “This award recognizes a mission I’ve built my career on decolonizing Hollywood and opening doors for overlooked stories. That mission depends on the inclusion of streaming platforms into our rules-based system for the Canadian screen sector — a principle that risks being undermined amid changing political winds. I’m honoured by ACTRA Toronto, and more determined than ever to keep fighting for inclusive Canadian stories and productions.”
Amy Cameron, Tassie Cameron and the entire Cameron Pictures team have never treated their commitment to inclusion as a checkbox or obligation,” said ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chair Indy Saluja. “They’ve approached it as a genuine commitment to building a stronger, more representative industry for everyone. Their leadership continues to raise the bar for Canadian production and serves as an example to our entire industry. Through multiple acclaimed and award-winning productions, Cameron Pictures has consistently championed diverse voices both on screen and behind the scenes. Their dedication to inclusion goes far beyond representation alone – from inclusive hiring practices, such as hiring EDI consultants, to writers’ room representation and advocacy for hair and makeup equity, they have embedded diversity and inclusion into every level of production.”
“We are incredibly moved and honoured to be receiving the 2026 Sandi Ross Award,” said Amy Cameron and Tassie Cameron. “It is truly one of the highlights of our collective career. Diversity and inclusion have been an inherent, organic part of Cameron Pictures’ mission statement since we started 10 years ago, but doing the right thing was never something we imagined we’d be celebrated for. So, to be recognized in this way by our peers and colleagues is a huge surprise and a massive honour. As a small company — founded by two sisters during a time of complex societal change, including Me Too, George Floyd, Truth and Reconciliation, and a global pandemic — we have done our damnedest to listen, learn and lean in. And while we’re still learning and listening, we are extremely grateful our efforts have made even a small difference to the production community that we love so much.”
“It is wonderful to recognize the amazing work Shant Joshi and Cameron Pictures Inc. are doing to further diversity, equity and inclusion in our screen-based industry,” says Kate Ziegler, ACTRA Toronto President. “Honouring them as the 2026 Sandi Ross Award recipients is not only a celebration of Sandi’s legacy but helps us continue to pave the way for increased inclusion in our industry and on our screens.”
The Sandi Ross Awards celebrate one individual and one company/organization each year whose work demonstrates a commitment to inclusion on screen.
Past recipients of the Sandi Ross Awards include Anthony Q. Farrell and Reelworld Film Festival and Screen Institute (2024), Amanda Parris and Jesse Griffiths Casting Inc. (2022), and Tracey Deer and TallBoyz II Men (2021). Please visit actratoronto.com/sandi-ross-awards/ for the full list of past recipients.
About Shant Joshi
Shant Joshi is an award-winning producer and president of Fae Pictures, based in New York and Toronto, on a mission to decolonize Hollywood. His credits include award winners at Sundance (Framing Agnes), Red Sea (In Flames), Iris Prize (Scaring Women at Night), Durban (Runs in the Family), premieres at Cannes, Venice (The Curfew), Toronto, Canneseries (Streams Flow From A River), Aspen (I Live Here), Palm Springs (Diaspora), Hot Docs, Black Star (Noor and Layla), Bentonville, and BFI London, and nominees for the Canadian Screen Awards (Queen Tut). He was also an executive producer on Nisha Pahuja’s Academy Award ®-nominated film To Kill A Tiger, an impact producer on John Greyson’s TEDDY Award-winning film International Dawn Chorus Day, and an associate producer on Ingrid Veninger’s Canadian Screen Award-nominated film Porcupine Lake. Shant currently sits on the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) Regulatory Committee and was previously Co-Chair of the BIPOC TV & Film Board, on the CMPA EDI committee, and co-founder of the Future of Film Showcase. He is an alum of the Canadian Film Centre, Rotterdam Lab, and Osgoode Hall Law School, and was named a MIPTV Producer to Watch, Reelworld Trailblazer, nominated for an Indiescreen Award, and to York University’s Top 30 Changemakers under 30.
About Cameron Pictures Inc.
Cameron Pictures Inc. is an independent Canadian television production company with a focus on scripted content. Established in 2016 and based in Toronto, Cameron Pictures is helmed by sisters Amy Cameron, a television executive, writer and producer, and Tassie Cameron, an award-winning showrunner and executive producer. The company is managed by the Camerons along with executive producer Alex Patrick, who provides expertise in strategy and business & legal affairs. Among Cameron Pictures’ acclaimed series is the hit show Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent for Rogers and in association with Universal Global Television. Season four will air in fall 2026, starring Luke Kirby and Kathleen Munroe. Cameron Pictures’ newest project is half-hour comedy Committed for CBC and BBC Northern Ireland. Season one will premiere in winter 2027. Previous productions include the award-winning Mary Kills People (Global/Lifetime); Little Dog (CBC); and Pretty Hard Cases (CBC/NBCU).
The 2026 Sandi Ross Awards would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of:
AFBS (Title sponsor)
ACTRA Toronto (Lead sponsor)
The Collective Action Group (Lead sponsor)
Ms BA Productions
Black Pledge Collective
ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee
About the Sandi Ross Awards
The awards originally were conceived as the #SharetheScreen Awards by past ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs Sedina Fiati and Farah Merani but were renamed in honour of ACTRA Toronto past president Sandi Ross who passed away just before the inaugural presentation in 2016. Sandi Ross was the first woman and Person of Colour to be president of ACTRA Toronto and was the founder of ACTRA Toronto’s first diverse talent directory, Into the Mainstream. In its current online form, castingdiversity.ca, the directory continues to be a useful tool for producers and casting directors looking for better representation when casting in Canada.
About ACTRA Toronto’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee
ACTRA Toronto’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee advocates on behalf of ACTRA Toronto’s self-identified physically and culturally diverse performers and calls for a more inclusive screen-based media industry.
##
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing over 15,000 of Canada’s 30,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada. An advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
Media Contact: Jennifer McGibbon, Public Relations Officer, 416-642-6710, jmcgibbon@actratoronto.com