SCREEN COMPOSERS GUILD OF CANADA PANEL TALK

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS PANEL TALK

In Conversation with RISE Tribe: Hyphenated - Filipinx Creativity Across Film

Moderated by Daniel de Lara - Music Producer, Musician & Composer

Daniel de Lara is a music producer and session bassist & guitarist born and raised in Staten Island, NY. He has played on tracks by Chromeo, Jacques Greene, Lunice, Martyn Bootyspoon and Disasterpeace. Brothers Daniel & Darrell have a band, Goodnight. They released their debut LP Versions in 2019 and EP Tangent in 2021 on GASS Records. He has scored films by director Orson Oblowitz: The Queen of Hollywood Blvd, The Five Rules of Success and Showdown at the Grand featuring Terrence Howard & Dolph Lundgren. He has made music for fashion designer Peter Do SS22, Vogue China and performed at Paris Fashion Week for Peter Do SS25. He recently scored Nick Catchdubs’ debut short film Packages out in 2026.

Daniel also runs music blog asiandan.com, established in 2007, and was big in the early “bloghaus” community. He has worked with labels such as Fool’s Gold Records, LuckyMe Records, Kitsune Records and Juliet Records. He was featured in the 2021 book Never Be Alone Again: How Bloghouse United The Internet and Dancefloor and the Indie Sleaze: Date with The Night Podcast ,“Bloggin’ with Asian Dan”.

Panelists:

Diane Vallesteros, Composer

Diane Vallesteros is a Filipina-Canadian, SOCAN Foundation award-winning composer based within the GTA. She has scored numerous short and feature length films that have screened across various film festivals, such as, VIMFF, RIFF, BANFF, VAFF, and IFFSA. Recognizing her passion for storytelling through music, many of her musical contributions underscore projects that explore real-life stories and human experiences. Diane has composed for award-winning films, such as: Me+Her, Ahon, and SCRAPS. Some of her recent credits include dramatic narratives: Deux moments de vie and Sorry, It’s A Girl, and documentary films: How She Dares and Outsiderness. She has also contributed additional music to feature films, such as: Call Me Crazy (Amazon Prime US, Tubi), Lady Parts, and Butter Bandits.

In 2022, Diane took part in the Screen Composers Guild of Canada’s Mentorship Program and mentored under award-winning, Montreal-based composer, Evan MacDonald. In the same year, she was a selected participant in SOCAN Foundation’s Screen Music Lab and mentored under award-winning composer, Steph Copeland, and award-winning director, Rich Williamson (Compy Films). In 2025, she was a selected composer participant in the Women in Post program, presented by Netflix through The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Diane’s musical journey began as a classically-trained pianist studying under the Royal Conservatory of Music. She earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Music at York University with the initial focus in classical performance. She then pursued further studies in Sheridan College’s Music Scoring for Screen and Stage program. Prior to film and media composition, Diane performed as a pianist for the Mississauga Ballet Association, and dabbled in the world of musical theatre as a pit musician with On Its Way Musical Productions’ Next to Normal (2019), and York University’s Vanier College Productions’ Shrek the Musical (2019).

Her instrumental EP, Astro Reveries, is now available on all streaming platforms.

Abigail Neale, Media Producer & Music Editor

Abigail Neale is a Filipino-Canadian, SOCAN Award-winning media composer and music editor based in Toronto, known for her emotionally evocative scores for film and TV and her extensive musical background as a jazz saxophonist.

Drawing from her diverse heritage and experience, she brings a nuanced, intersectional lens to her work and storytelling, which spans various genres and often exploring identity, resilience, and connection through sound. Abigail recently scored NIIMI, a music-driven drama following an Indigenous ballerina who overcomes trauma through dance, which had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She created a playful and witty score for the comedy short Woke, winner of Best Comedy at the CaribbeanTales Festival, and an expressive, textural score for the drama-fantasy Jeffrey, winner of four awards including Best Picture at the Run N Gun Festival. Her recent TV work includes additional music for the comedic, educational episode "Butt Seriously” on CBC's The Nature of Things.

Abigail’s commercial music has been featured in campaigns for Leica Camera, Good Boy, and Yazdani Aesthetics. As an experienced collaborator, she is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) as a Music Editor and has provided musical support to notable Canadian composers including Kalaisan Kalaichelvan, Spencer Creaghan, and Bryan Bindon, contributing to major network TV series including Bet (Netflix), Surreal Estate (Crave), and Gray (Paramount+).

Abigail studied jazz saxophone and classical woodwinds at Humber College before completing the Music Scoring for Screen and Stage program at Sheridan College where she launched her film scoring career.

ABOUT THE PANEL

For many diasporic Filipinx, “hyphenated” takes on many meanings, including being hyphenated-Canadians and wearing many hats. Often known for being multidimensional, multitalented and multipassionate, Filipinos weave the ethos of diskarte (ingenuity/creativity) and the value of kapwa (interconnectedness) in their life and art. This panel will explore how the “hyphen” shows up in creative practice and identity. Through the lenses of cinematography, composition, and acting/directing, panelists will share how being multifaceted shapes the way they create, collaborate, and lead.

Event Details:

Siné Institute Industry Conference is an all-day event holding six masterclasses from industry veterans and three free panel talks from Filipinx lens through the eyes of their Filipinx industry members to support film makers on their journey. As part of the Siné Institute Industry Conference, this free panel talk will start the day off at George Brown College’s Waterfront Campus, on March 5th between 230pm and 4pm.

Why attend the free panel talk:

• Network in person with fellow film industry professionals, our expert panelists in the music composition for the media, The Rise Tribe Team and the Siné Institute team

• Engage in conversations regarding our panelists' pathways, insights, experience and ask questions most important to you

• Contribute to the event’s success with your insights and opinions

Also check out our other free panel talks:

https://screencomposersguildofcanada-paneltalk.eventbrite.ca

https://canadiansocietyofcinematographers-paneltalk.eventbrite.ca

https://filipinxcreatives-paneltalk.eventbrite.ca

Also check out our Business Stream & Creative Stream Masterclasses:

https://sineinstitute-internationalmarketingdistribution-businessstream.eventbrite.ca

https://sineinstitute-filmdevelopmentandfinance-businessstream.eventbrite.ca

https://sineinstitute-insuringyourfilm-businessstream.eventbrite.ca

https://sineinstitute-documentaryfilmmaking-creativestream.eventbrite.ca

https://sineinstitute-performanceforlens-creativestream.eventbrite.ca

https://sineinstitute-cinematography-creativestream.eventbrite.ca

Discord Community:

For updates, promos, and communications on the day of the conference, please join our Discord. https://discord.gg/jt7nPPMw

ABOUT RISE TRIBE

RISE Tribe is a home base for Filipinx-Canadians to feel at home—in themselves and with each other. It’s a space where people can show up as they are, feel welcomed and supported, and explore identity without pressure or expectation. There’s no single way to be Filipinx here. Based in Toronto, RISE Tribe brings together youth and millennials to build real relationships, share experiences, and stay connected over time.

In 2016, over adobo and sinigang, a group of young Filipinx-Canadian professionals came together to leverage their networks and make it a mission to inspire the next generation of Filipinx-Canadian youth to reconstruct a more positive image that reshapes, reimagines and what it means to be Filipinx in Canada.

@rise_tribe

risetribe.ca

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