Jon Montes is a producer with a commitment to social issue storytelling. His work focuses on social justice, identity, and place. Jon’s most recent feature is Tasha Hubbard’s Canadian Screen Award-winning nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, which opened Hot Docs in 2019 and took home the Best Canadian Feature prize before screening theatrically across Canada and at festivals around the world. Jon also produced Janine Windolph’s poetic short doc, Stories Are in Our Bones, the first in a three-film cycle exploring Cree kinship and tradition. Recent shorts include the COVID-19 lockdown projects In the Garden on the Farm (Kristin Catherwood), Jia (Weiye Su), and the Annecy in competition selection June Night (Mike Maryniuk) as well as Talking at Night (Eric Thiessen), To Wake Up the Nakota Language (Louise BigEagle), and Ride (Kristin Catherwood), produced under the NFB’s Doc Lab Saskatchewan project. A transplanted east coaster, Jon holds an MA in communication and culture jointly from York University and Toronto Metropolitan University.