Sylvine, better known as The Artiiist, of Central African origin, was born in France and has now been living in Canada for 12 years. From an early age, art has always played a central role in her life: singing, dancing and then painting. This passion has gradually turned into a real career: she is the founder of Smard Art.
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Sylvine launched her artistic enterprise: Smard Art. Her talent and vision quickly attracted attention, propelling her work onto the international scene. This dazzling success has enabled her to make a living from her art and develop her business internationally, although she still harbors even greater ambitions.
Through her work, she celebrates the identity, culture and beauty of black people, themes that are close to her heart. Combining traditional and digital art, she draws her inspiration from realism, which she considers a form of expression of great intensity, while exploring mixed media techniques and abstraction.
Despite this recognition, she remains driven by the desire to push her own boundaries and reach an even wider audience.
Sylvine Maliko
Few people understand the importance of the arts and culture sector as well as Cameron Bailey. He is CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) - the world's largest public film festival and one of Canada's premier cultural brands. Under his strategic direction, the festival continues to grow in size and significance each year.
Bailey began his career as a film critic. He also curated films for Cinematheque Ontario, The National Gallery of Canada, The National Film Board of Canada, and Australia’s Sydney International Film Festival before joining TIFF in 1990. He began as a programmer selecting Canadian films before moving on to African and South Asian cinema. He’s responsible for TIFF’s highly successful subscription series, Reel Talk, and also headed TIFF’s Perspective Canada series and founded its Planet Africa section.
Bailey has taught film curation at the University of Toronto and holds an honorary doctorate from Western University. He is a Chevalier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, and for 12 consecutive years been named one of “Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People” by Toronto Life.
Haitian-born Emilie Lafortune is a 30-year-old woman of determination and passion. At the age of 18, she left her native Haiti for Argentina, where she began a new life, juggling studies and work.
In 2021, Emilie emigrated to Canada, bringing with her her rich culinary culture and infectious enthusiasm. With no great expectations, she began sharing cooking videos on her social networks, simply as a hobby. However, one day, one of her recipes generated an unexpected buzz, propelling her social accounts into the spotlight.
Her iconic slogan, "LE GOÛT DE ÇA", quickly became synonymous with her success, to the point of becoming the name of her food brand. Today, Emilie Lafortune continues to captivate and inspire with her culinary creations, while sharing her love of cooking with an ever-growing audience.
DFresh Banger is a gold- and platinum-certified Canadian-Cameroonian producer, DJ and songwriter. He is known for his innovative fusion of AI technology and music. Since 2020, he has been using artificial intelligence for sampling, production and dynamic DJ sets, marrying futuristic techniques with his signature sound inspired by Afro rhythms.
Born Daniel Sandé in Cameroon and raised in North America, DFresh Banger has been rocked by rap, R&B and reggae, as well as the driving rhythms of ndombolo and makossa. His career took off under the guidance of multi-platinum producer Koudjo (Booba, Jul, Soprano, Naza), and he enjoyed early success with the Parisian group 1995, achieving gold certification for their album Paris Sud Minute.
Today, DFresh Banger makes its international debut with the Afro-pop single Far Away, in collaboration with Nigerian revelation Singah (known for the hits Teyamo and Mon Amour, accumulating over 35 million listens). This sunny, hybrid track highlights his talent for fusing AI-enhanced productions with sounds from the four corners of the globe.
With a track record of success and a vision firmly focused on the future of music technology, DFresh Banger redefines modern production-one beat at a time.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Block quote
Ordered list
Unordered list
Bold text
Emphasis
Superscript
Subscript