Miss India-Canada

Tonya is an internationally recognized actor, producer, director, writer, and activist with a career that spans over 30 years. Best know for her starring role as “Dr. Olivia Winters” on the daytime drama, The Young and The Restless, her 15 years on the show has earned her two NAACP Image Awards and two Emmy nominations. In 2004 she was presented the prestigious Harry Jerome Award, here in Toronto. She is Founder and Executive Director of ReelWorld Film Festival and Foundation, which had its inaugural festival in April 2001. ReelWorld’s mandate is to create opportunities for Canadian artists from racial and culturally diverse backgrounds, as well as help build Canadian audience support for Canadian films.

After studying drama at Toronto’s Ryerson University, Tonya enjoyed a successful career in Canada before moving to Los Angeles in 1987, after deciding that more opportunities existed in Hollywood. She quickly landed guest appearances on popular shows like Hill Street Blues, Matlock, Gimme a Break, What’s Happening Now, and movies like Disney’s The Liberators, A Very Brady Christmas, Spaced Invaders and Hearts of Fire.

Understanding personally the difficulties of achieving and sustaining a successful career in the entertainment industry in Canada as a person of colour, Tonya became disheartened and frustrated when she saw the flood of USA films and television shows that were having a negative effect on our diverse Canadian youth. These screen images, often violent, were sending negative stereotype messages that our youth were starting to emulate and glorify. Tonya believes it is important for our own stories and images to be reflected on our own screens, and give new and important direction to our young people. She believes in the power of film and television to revolutionize people in positive ways. “My hope is that our stories will be a key factor in creating more tolerance among Canadians and hopefully eradicate our long history of systemic racism”. Tonya’s dream is to build a stronger and more independent Canadian entertainment industry, and ReelWorld is the vehicle by which she plans to accomplish this goal. ReelWorld is more than a film festival; it has a mandate to nurture talent through training and apprenticeship programs, areas that Tonya believes are crucial to the development of our young filmmakers and producers. “My hope is to draw strong support from our audiences to help our emerging filmmakers create a new diverse genre of film that the World could appreciate as being uniquely Canadian.”

In 2003 Tonya started her production company Wilbo Entertainment based in Toronto, whose focus is to tell stories that reflect the Canada she is so proud of: a Canada that is uniquely the most racially and cultural diverse country in the world. Most recently, Wilbo produced a gospel variety music special, “Tonya Lee Williams Gospel Jubilee,” that aired successfully on CBC, and garnered a Gemini nomination. Last year Tonya made her directorial debut with “Kink in my Hair” a 1-hour comedic-drama television pilot, of the nationally acclaimed play “da Kink in my hair”. The pilot, which she also Executive Produced, aired on Vision TV and was one the most successful airings for the network, garnering a deal with Vision TV and CBC to develop it into a television series.

Tonya believes there is a rich untapped diverse audience in Canada that is hungry to see itself reflected on our screens. The future of our Industry lies in its ability to provide entertainment for this growing demographic.

Her deeply rooted passion, to ensure that the many voices of Canada are heard across the globe, is still very much apparent. She regularly speaks to groups across North America about her experiences in the business, and is presently a mentor to over 30 talented hopefuls. She has also been a strong lobbyist politically, using her voice to help change policies and accountabilities regarding broadcast agreements and government funding. Because of her tireless advocacy work in the entertainment industry, Mayor David Miller recently appointed Tonya to the newly formed Toronto Film Board.

For more information on Tonya Lee Williams and ReelWorld, go to www.reelworld.ca

It is the distinct pleasure and honour of Canada-India Beauty Quest Inc. to present the ‘Special Achievement Award’ to actor Tonya Lee Williams on the occasion of the fifteenth annual Miss India-Canada Pageant held on Saturday, July 23, 2005 in Toronto, Canada.