Hannah Fisher was born in China, and arrived in Canada as a Mandarin speaking child. She still remembers the experience of trying to learn English quickly in order to fit in. She grew up in two small Saskatchewan towns and grew to love the expansive skies of the Canadian prairies. Once she started University, she moved across the country until she finished her studies in British Columbia. Then, with an MA in English and a Teaching degree, she began teaching Senior High School English.
She soon realized she was using cinema as a teaching modality, and she began a three year project with the National Film Board of Canada. Her love of world cinema deepened and she began to work as an international film programmer, beginning with the film program at Harbourfront in Toronto.
From here, she held various positions, from Director of the Vancouver Film Festival, to festivals around the world, as in the following: Kolkata, Kerela and Ladakh, India; Dubai, UAE; Bangkok, Thailand; Krakaow, Poland; Montreal, Canada; San Diego, and Indianapolis, USA, to name a few.
Throughout the years, she has respected the power of cinema to inspire, to educate, to acknowledge and most of all, to bring hope and comfort to viewers.
She currently works with newcomers and refugees to Canada- specifically with Writers in Exile, a group that supports refugee journalists and writers. She loves working with new comers, and she feels this is currently her best way to “pay it forward” and help others settle in the country.