Joanna Syrokomla

Joanna's early career aspirations of becoming a trapeze artist, a doctor, and then a poet, were all a natural progression to becoming a Costume Designer. Having a lucky relocation to Paris, France as an expatriate teenager, Joanna attended the American School of Paris where she outfitted productions with cast offs found at Parisian flea markets. Continuing on to the Theatre Design Program at Ryerson University, Joanna found she enjoyed the collaborative process of working with the talent and various departments on a production as well as the creative process of making doublets out of the drapes from the teacher's lounge. A creative writing class, an astrologer, and a cup of coffee in the right place at the right time led Joanna into the independent film industry in Toronto where she quickly used her talents and her ability to problem solve quickly to the advantage of many productions. Now after over 20 years of costume design, Joanna is fortunate to be able to give back to the Canadian Costume Film community through her role as a founding member of CAFTCAD, The Canadian Alliance of Film and Television Costume Arts and Design. Joanna is also thrilled to be the President of the CAFTCAD Awards, costume design and arts awards for film, TV, and web, founded in 2018.