Ilona Smyth

Ilona Smyth (CSA, CDC) is one of the most experienced and connected Casting Directors in Ontario, Canada. She has been casting for more than 20 years, having worked on over 120 projects across North America. Ilona has cast such feature films as; Adulthood (Kaya Scodelario, Josh Gad, Anthony Carrigan, Billie Lourd) Fatman (Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins), House at the End of the Street (Jennifer Lawrence), February (Emma Roberts, Lauren Holly, Kiernan Shipka) There Are Monster (Zoe Kazan, Scott Speedman), Clown (Jon Watts). Television Series; Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays (Don McKellar), Bachelorette Canada (Regional Casting), movies of the week (Lifetime, Hallmark, OWN, Tubi, & more ), and national commercials (Ford Canada, A&W, Nordstrom, etc). Ilona was nominated for a 2015 Canadian Screen Award in Best Achievement in Casting for the CBC prime-time series The Best Laid Plans. Ilona has worked one-on-one with directors Osgood Perkins, Bryan Bertino, Mark Tonderai, Peter Moss, Dan Mazer, Joe Ruben, Jon Watts, Don McKellar, Patricia Rozema, Alex Winter and Alison Mclean to name a few. Ilona meets annually with sales and distribution companies to ensure she understands current trends in casting from both sales and creative perspectives. She has a strong working relationship with Canadian agencies, as well as the top agencies in the US. She has a strong knowledge of SAG/AFTRA, ACTRA, and UDA guidelines. Ilona is always working alongside a director in realizing their vision and bringing their characters from page to reality.

As a regular guest speaker, Ilona has been able to share her experience in casting and entrepreneurship worldwide, and as a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, she has served as a mentor for the Reelworld Screen Institute's Diversity Initiative and the Black Theatre Workshop Artist Mentorship Program.