Mars Horodyski – Acting Artistic Director 2009-2010

Her latest half hour documentary “Where the Sidewalk Begins : The University and the Global City “ was produced through CURL and examines the parallels between the city and the university in our fast-evolving globalizing world. As CURL’s Acting Academic Director she is currently working with the Robarts Centre for Canadian Cultural Studies on a mini interview series about the Creative City with the Public Culture Working Group.  She also recently finished a series of 8 webcasts The Campaign of Ideas presented by Artscape from the Creative Places & Spaces Conference which deals with ideas about the creative and collaborative city.

Her most recent dramatic short film premiered at Nuit Blanche in Toronto in October 2009. She is currently moving into production of a feature length documentary about director Tadeusz Jaworski funded by the Ontario Arts Council and is developing her first dramatic feature project.www.cinemars.ca

Michael Emberely

Michael “the Doktor” Emberley graduated from York University’s Film & Video program in 2000, double-majoring in Production and Screenwriting. He has spent the decade since editing and producing for web and television. His work has been featured on MuchMusic, CBC, CTV and MTV – including affiliates around the world with an audience of up to 40 million young, urban viewers. The Doktor is currently a Master of Arts student in Media Production at Ryerson University. His research is focused on issues of media reform in an era of rampant corporate consolidation, concentration, and globalization. The resulting thesis project will take the form of a series of online video clips satirizing media globalization run amok.

As CURL’s resident editor Michael edited CURL’s half hour documentary “Where the Sidewalk Begins : The University and the Global City” . This was followed up by the spotlight on the Centre for Applied Genomics commisioned by Artscape.  He also just wrapped up the The Campaign of Ideas presented by Artscape from the Creative Places & Spaces Conference which will be broadcast online over the next 8 weeks.

Nancy Nicol

Nancy Nicol is a professor in the Visual Arts Department at York University, where she has taught since 1989. Between 1979 and 2009 she has created over thirty films and has exhibited widely in national and international festivals, conferences and community based organizations. Begun In 1999,”From Criminality to Equality” includes the films: Stand Together, the Queer Nineties, Politics of the Heart and The End of Second Class. Her work on lesbian and gay history also includes a number of shorts: Pride and Resistance, and Proud Lives. This body of work has received a number of honours including: the Elle Flanders Award for Best Documentary, Inside Out, Toronto, 2007 and 2006; Honourable Mention for Best Canadian Female Director in the shorts category, Inside Out, 2007; the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary, Image + Nation, Montréal, 2006; the Audience Choice Award, Making Scenes, Ottawa, 2002 and the John Bailey Completion Award, Inside Out, 2002.

In 2008, Nancy completed One Summer in New Paltz, A Cautionary Tale, (54 minutes) which investigates the civil disobedience same-sex marriage movement in the U.S.A during 2004. It was short-listed for the Derek Oyston CHE Film Prize, at the 23rd London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, London, UK, in 2008, an honour that celebrates films which contribute to the struggle for lesbian and gay rights. Nancy’s recent scholarly publications include: “Politics of the Heart: recognition of homoparental families”, in Who’s Your Daddy? and other writings on queer parenting, ed. Rachel Epstein, Sumac Press, March, 2009; “Legal Struggles and Political Resistance: Same-Sex Marriage in Canada and the U.S”. co-written with Miriam Smith, Sexualities, Sage Publications, December 2008, Vol 11, Issue 6, 667-687; and “Politics of the Heart: recognition of homoparental families”, Florida Philosophical Review: Journal of the Florida Philosophical Association, University of Central Florida Department of Philosophy, Vol 8, issue 1, summer 2008. Nancy is currently writing a book on the history of lesbian and gay rights in Canada from 1995- 2005 to be published by University of Toronto Press, and completing a documentary on the “Dykes Planning Tykes” program offered through the Queer Parenting Network, Sherbourne Health Centre, Toronto.

http://www.yorku.ca/nnicol/

Jason Sacha

Jason is a second-year JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall. After graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce, Jason found his passion as an independent filmmaker. In 2004 he founded Bombboys Production Inc. – an explosive entertainment company – specializing in educational films and short dramatic narratives. With his pursuit of a law degree, Jason is looking to support a variety of Canadian artists with their creative pursuits. Currently, he has two films in post-production and is working in conjunction with Osgoode Hall on a variety of vignettes focusing on access to justice in Canada.

Gregory Smith LLB (Dublin), LLM (Osgoode) is a PhD candidate at Osgoode studying under the supervision of Professor Peer Zumbansen. Currently acting director of Osgoode’s ‘Collaborative Urban Research Laboratoy’ (CURL) Mr. Smith’s research focuses on the role played by law in constructing urban space and society. Prior work on European Union governance allowed Mr. Smith to spend time as a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany and the University of Bremen under their ‘Transformations of the State’ research project. He has prior teaching experience in the department of Law & Society at York University and at Osgoode Hall, and is also a member of the Canadian Center for German and European Studies at York

Danielle Allen – Research Fellow

Danielle Allen is currently a Bachelor of Laws Candidate (2009) at Osgoode Hall Law School. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Urban Studies from York University (2005). She is the co-convenor [(2007-2008) with Peer Zumbansen] of the “Cities Research Methodology Seminar [“The Reading Lab”] and a Senior Editor at the German Law Journal (http://www.germanlawjournal.com). Her current research interests include comparative and international law, property law, and city governance.