Amir Tamadon is a Vancouver-based technology entrepreneur, creative technologist, and community supporter. As co-founder of VRSQUARE, Meshmatic, and Champion, he has spent more than a decade building innovative software products at the intersection of 3D technology, digital media, AI, and industrial innovation, leading work across product strategy, partnerships, and commercialization for clients in architecture, manufacturing, automotive, and education. From 2019 to 2023, he taught Unreal Engine VR/AR as an instructor at Vancouver Film School, mentoring the next generation of creators and technologists. Beyond his professional work, Amir has supported humanitarian initiatives, fundraising, and community events through The Laurier Institution, reflecting his belief in the power of art, technology, education, and culture to strengthen communities. He holds a Bachelor of Animation in 3D and Virtual Reality Applications from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

Arezou Moeini is an Iranian-Canadian multi-disciplinary conceptual artist based in Vancouver. Born in Tehran in 1973, she earned her BFA in painting from Soore University before relocating to Canada, where she continued her studies in 3D media and mold design at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Her work explores how sensory experiences shape consciousness and inform our sense of self and relationship to the world, often challenging viewers to probe their own perceptions through installations that draw on the epiphanic qualities of light, movement, form, and space. In her practice, concept and material exist in a fluid, reciprocal relationship, allowing each work to evolve through multiple layers of meaning. Moeini's work has been exhibited across Vancouver, Tehran, and Crotone, Italy, and she is the editor of Jamal Bakhshpour: Selected Works (1964–2001), a book documenting the renowned contemporary Iranian artist.

Ehsan Mo is a curator, filmmaker, and posthuman folklorist based in Prince George, BC, with nearly a decade of experience in the arts and culture sector. Currently Curator at Two Rivers Gallery, where he develops exhibitions focused on Canadian contemporary art and cross-cultural dialogue, he has previously held curatorial roles at The Rooms and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. His practice spans exhibition development, curatorial research, interpretive writing, and public programming that connects contemporary art with social, cultural, and political questions, working across diasporic practices, lens-based media, installation, sound, and interdisciplinary forms. Ehsan brings a strong academic foundation to this work, holding a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Tehran and completing a Ph.D. in Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, alongside an advanced certificate in cinematography. His curatorial and community work has been recognized through residencies, awards, and grants, and he remains active in film festivals, arts advisory committees, and cultural initiatives across Canada.

Majid Tafreshi is a writer, director, and producer whose versatile practice spans both stage and screen. With more than a decade of experience writing and directing, he brings authenticity and meaning to his work, crafting compelling narratives that have taken shape across film and theatre. His screen credits include writing, directing, and producing short films and pilots in Vancouver such as The Game Warden, Showtime, and Another Time, along with feature screenwriting on The Last Exit. In theatre, he has served as playwright, director, and producer on numerous Vancouver productions, including Waiting for Godot, Three Acts of a Woman, and Love at 752. Trained in acting, screenwriting, and directing at institutions in both Vancouver and Tehran—including the Actors Foundry, VADA College, and Hilaj Film School—Majid is a collaborative and adaptable artist eager to bring his unique perspective to international theatre and cinema.

Saeed Vahidi is an Iranian-Canadian filmmaker, editor, and educator based in Vancouver. He studied filmmaking in Iran before continuing his training in film editing at the Film and Television Institute of India, and has attended workshops with renowned artists including Walter Murch and Abbas Kiarostami. Across a career spanning documentaries, short fiction, and extensive work in editing rooms throughout the independent and professional film industries, he has developed both a commercial and artistic approach to the craft. His Canadian directorial debut, We Were There (2019), earned numerous honours, including the Gold Remi Award at WorldFest-Houston, Best Genre at the McMinnville Short Film Festival, and Best Drama at the Southern Shorts Awards. As an editor, he has received the CCE Award for Best Editing in the MOW category and a 2026 Leo Awards nomination, with recent work including the short film Colour Me Blue. Beyond his own projects, Saeed mentors young editors and supports independent Iranian theatre groups in staging their work in Canada—a devoted film lover who never ends a day without watching a movie.

Shahrzad Jafari is a design researcher, educator, and cultural leader with more than fifteen years of experience across the arts, design, education, and community engagement. Trained as an industrial designer and holding a PhD in Philosophy of Design from the University of Tehran, she has led major cultural institutions—serving as Chairman of the Board and Art Director of Iran's largest private theatre complex, Shahrzad Theater Complex—where she directed artistic programming, produced performances, and organized independent theatre festivals and gallery exhibitions. Her creative work spans theatre, film, and television as a producer, actress, stage and costume designer, and curator, complemented by a growing body of design research on behavior change, digital nudges, and inclusive experience design. Now based in Vancouver, she teaches design and UX at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the University of British Columbia while leading design initiatives across the healthcare and nonprofit sectors. Across all her work, Shahrzad is driven by a passion for fostering inclusive communities through the arts, education, and innovation.

Yahya is an interdisciplinary researcher and artist whose work spans electrical engineering, philosophy of language, and the visual and performing arts. A specialist in the translation of high-level philosophical and neuroscientific texts—including works by Wittgenstein, Quine, Buzsáki, and Yasmina Reza—they explore the emergence of meaning at the intersection of logic, neurobiology, and creative expression. Their artistic practice is equally wide-ranging: an experienced stage and cinema actor, painter, and illustrator, they have exhibited from Shiraz to Montreal and are currently developing a multidisciplinary adaptation of Han Kang's The Vegetarian that pairs orchestral music with puppetry to foreground the rhythm of language as a storytelling tool. An IB-certified educator, they have guided students through interdisciplinary creative projects and research. Holding degrees in Translation Studies and Electrical Engineering, they bring a rare blend of technical rigour, philosophical depth, and creative imagination to everything they make.goes here

Shadi Shadbahr is a Vancouver-based cultural worker, gallery director, and curator whose practice centres on strengthening community engagement with contemporary art and creating more equitable opportunities for underrepresented artists. Her work focuses particularly on immigrant and diasporic artistic practices, intercultural exchange, and the histories and evolving conditions of Iranian diasporic art. Born in Tehran in 1982 and based in Canada since 2002, she is the Founder and Executive Director of VIVA Alliance and the Founder and Director of Medias Res Gallery. Through exhibitions, artist development, public programming, partnerships, and community-based initiatives, she develops sustained platforms for artistic presentation, dialogue, research, and cultural exchange.