Kia Diaz

 The iFilmGroup team is excited to announce the addition of an Accredited Intern Mentoring Student for the coming school year. Kia Diaz is a talented, emerging Filipino Latin-Canadian actor interested in learning more about the acting, and film industry.

Diaz comes to the iFilmGroup from a background of a Medical Administrator & Assistant with a Bachelor's degree, in Nutrition and Dietetics from Cebu Doctors University, Mandaue City. She also has a Post Graduate Degree in Medical Office Management/Administration from Fanshawe College. She now turns her focus to her passion for acting and learning about the many aspects of acting and becoming a better actor.

With this knowledge of an administrative background, she hopes to use it to assist with her internship. She is no rookie when it comes to acting. Diaz has already had some exciting experiences in film and acting. She played a wife in a Libro Credit Union Commercial. She has also played the "restaurant server" role in a feature film called “Cheat”. Along with her acting, Diaz has done runway and print modelling. She also has a background and experience in beauty pageants. Involvement in these various opportunities along with life observations will be brought together as she learns more about acting and uses the skills being learned to work with the iFilmGroup within their Accredited Intern Mentorship Program.

“The application process with applicants, was the most intense it has ever been this year,” says Matthew Marshall, the Head of iFilmGroup Film Productions. Matthew explains that due to many interests, iFilmGroup has enhanced their submission and application process to become an Accredited Mentorship Student. Through this process, it has made the standard of being accepted much higher. “Out of the 6 people that applied for the fall term or the full school year, Kia was the only one that submitted all the needed material, met the standards, and went through the two-interview process” adds Marshall.

Diaz will be part of the iFilmGroup Intern Mentorship process until the spring season (as for her it is a full-year program). Community Engagement Manager Don Hickey points out that iFilmGroup is still open and interested for applicants for the January 2023 slot for any Accredited Intern Mentorship Students. They are looking preferably for a film student. Both Hickey and Marshall would not comment if there are any possible leading candidates. Marshall did say “there has been some interest, but not one that has come forward to complete the full process”.

Diaz is the newest of a list of former Accredited Mentorship Students who have come through the program. Marshall admits the process is not an easy one but feels the audition process for the Accredited Acting placement mirrors what it is like in the real world for those auditioning for roles in productions for acting. “The idea of the audition and application process is to simulate what is like for someone looking to be cast or brought on with a theatre or production group,” says Marshall. He admits it’s not an easy or simple process but those that get through it have shown that they are up to the task.

Diaz is excited about the opportunities she will have working with iFilmGroup through the Mentorship Program. She looks forward to the many aspects of the Internship program, the experiences she will gain in the program, and how it will help further her acting career. Diaz has a ‘goal’ that she is setting for herself through being an Intern with iFilmGroup. “My aim is to become a beacon of integrity with hopes of inspiring people to be their own authentic selves,” says Diaz. Marshall feels this is a great goal to aim towards.

Diaz admits to being a little nervous with her audition monologue and the Mentorship application process. But on reflection of the process, Marshall said she did very well. “I think that fact that she got the placement speaks to how the entire application process went for her”, says Marshall.

During her time as the iFilmGroup Intern, Diaz will be included in various aspects of what iFilmGroup does. This includes being part of the making of segments for the Virtual Learning as well as Marshall and the team taking her through various aspects of acting including character development, various styles of acting, and acting methods. Diaz’s training will also include work on the audition process. Acting and auditioning is something that Diaz is looking forward to spending some time working on. “I think it sounds really exciting. I am looking forward to the opportunities that come out of this experience” adds Diaz.

This will be the second back-to-back full-year internship run by iFilmGroup. “It does open up expanded opportunities in what can be done”, says Hickey. It allows the iFilmGroup team to expose any intern to the various aspects of what the group does over a longer period of time. It is Marshall’s and Hickey’s hope that Diaz will be able to help further the virtual training program with them and be a part of it in various aspects. Marshall, Hickey, and Diaz look forward to the creative endeavors that can be accomplished during the internship and the great learning about acting and the industry that will go on through the iFilmGroup Accredited Intern Mentorship program during Diaz’s time.

Mentorship through training is the cornerstone of the iFilmGroup mission. The highest leVEL of this is the 'Accredited Learning Program'.

iFilmGroup
London ■ St. Thomas ■ Chatham-Kent
Ontario - Canada
WEBSITE - www.ifilmgroup.org