Maxine Bailey is a Canadian film industry executive, who is the current executive director of the Canadian Film Centre.Jordan Pinto, "maxine bailey wants to do a ‘damn good job’". Playback, September 15, 2021.
Career She began her career in theatre, collaborating with Sharon Lewis on the play Sistahs in 1994.Vit Wagner, "Ingredients all there but Sistahs isn't soup yet". Toronto Star, October 23, 1994. The two subsequently launched their own theatre company, Sugar & Spice Productions,Amanda Parris, "31 Black Canadian female playwrights you need to know". CBC Arts, March 6, 2020. through which bailey received a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction in a Play, Small Theatre in 1996 for the company's production of Bryan James's Stockholm(e).Geoff Chapman, "Canadian Stage, Tarragon lead Dora nominations". Toronto Star, May 17, 1996.
In 1999 she served as director of the Guest Services office for the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival,Rob Salem, "Do you wish to stumble upon a star? Up Front ; Forget it at Toronto's film fest where Hollywood babes are pampered". Toronto Star, September 9, 1999. remaining with the festival in various senior roles, becoming best known as the festival's vice-president of fundraising and advancement in the 2010s.Chaka V. Grier, "Local hero: TIFF’s maxine bailey sets out on a creative journey". Now, October 29, 2018. During her time with the festival, she also played a key role in spearheading the Share Her Journey campaign to improve conditions for women in the film industry.Kate Taylor, "TIFF 2018: At Share Her Journey rally, women point to an inequality problem - and offer ways to fix it: Rally sets out to help address gender imbalance on film sets, where the large majority of directors and writers are men". The Globe and Mail, September 8, 2018.
After leaving TIFF in 2018 she served on the jury for that year's Giller Prize."Esi Edugyan, Patrick DeWitt back as Giller prize nominees". St. Catharines Standard, October 2, 2018. She has also served on the boards of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, The Walrus and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund,Connie Thiessen, "Esta Spalding, Mary Young Leckie among WIFT-T Crystal Award honourees". Broadcast Dialogue, October 23, 2019. and was a co-founder of Black Artists Network in Dialogue.Connie Thiessen, "maxine bailey appointed CFC executive director". Broadcast Dialogue, April 29, 2021.
She joined the Canadian Film Centre in 2021.
Awards In 2019, she received a Special Jury Award of Distinction from the Toronto chapter of Women in Film and Television International.
In 2026, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television named bailey the recipient of its special Changemaker Award at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards.Nick Logan, "Mike Myers, Hazel Mae among recipients of special 2026 Canadian Screen Awards honours". CBC News, March 4, 2026.
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