ABOUT

Rina Fraticelli

Rina Fraticelli can be found wherever there are opportunities to bring culture and people together in innovative and engaging ways: from heading studios for the National Film Board of Canada to advocating for women’s representation in theatre and film to creating unique arts programming for venues as diverse as an inner-city park, a university concert hall, and an abandoned warehouse.

Rina Fraticelli’s career is marked by a particular commitment to enriching our cultural landscape through initiatives intended to draw voices from the margins to the centre; and by a passion for fostering artistic excellence, innovation, and sustainability in cultural, civic and community organizations. Fraticelli has a diversified background in arts creation and programming, organizational leadership, and cultural policy development.

AWARDS

Toronto Arts Foundation Award
In 2024 Rina Fraticelli was the recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation Award in recognition of her ongoing contribution to the cultural life of Toronto.

2020 Governor General's Award

She was honoured with the 2020 Governor General Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for her work addressing gender inequity issues, particularly in Canada's arts and cultural industries.

CULTURE WORK: HIGHLIGHTS

Toronto Metropolitan University: Director of Strategic Initiatives

As Director of Strategic Initiatives for Toronto Metropolitan University’s Office of Social Innovation, Fraticelli was tasked with re-invigorating the University’s relationship with its complex Downtown-East neighbourhoods. She developed partnerships between the University and a wide range of local organizations with whom she programmed cultural events in and around Allan Gardens. These included an annual festival, a multi-disciplinary performance series, an Indigenous Artist Residency; and a large-scale installation on the activist history of Allan Gardens created by a student-community partnership. This installation is the subject of the recently published book: Allan Gardens | People Power & the Park.

McMaster University’s: Director Socrates Project

At McMaster University’s Socrates Project, an ambitious pilot designed to create a hub for interdisciplinary collaborations and public engagement with the pressing issues of the day, she deepened the connection between the University and the city. Programming multiple spaces on and off campus, the Socrates Project seamlessly integrated thought leaders, emerging artists and performers, and internationally respected scholars and cultural figures from Margaret Atwood and Masha Gessen to the Kronos Quartet and Jeremy Dutcher.

Women in View: Executive Director
As co-founder and Executive Director of the not-for-profit Women in View, Fraticelli authored five annual reports and oversaw a national 3-year strategy funded by the Status of Women Canada, contributing to the doubling of women directors working in Canadian film and television.

Tangled Art + Disability Toronto, Executive Director
Fraticelli led the re-organization, renewal, and expansion of this not-for-profit arts organization devoted to developing and producing the work of artists with disabilities. She oversaw the creation of a multi-year plan that took the organization from a single annual festival to a thriving, year-round, disability led arts organization and gallery.

National Film Board of Canada, Executive Producer, Pacific and Yukon Studio, Vancouver

Fraticelli directed a large multi-faceted film studio with permanent staff of 10+ and oversaw the production of a number of award-winning documentaries, animations, and experimental films. She developed initiatives to advance opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers and emerging artists and artists with disabilities.

National Film Board of Canada, Executive Producer, Studio D, Montreal 

Fraticelli led a permanent staff of ten, from emerging to accomplished; and dozens of freelance writers and directors. Significant projects undertaken under her leadership include the establishment of a career accelerator programs for emerging racialized minority and Indigenous filmmakers; and the release of multiple award-winning films.

Independent Arts Creation

Fraticelli’s independent creative work encompasses performance, documentary film, translation, and publishing.