Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Films from NSI grads screen at Kingston Canadian Film Festival

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 12:34 PM PST

Seven films from 10 NSI grads will screen at this year’s Kingston Canadian Film Festival, running February 28 to March 3, 2019.

The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is the largest festival in the world dedicated exclusively to Canadian film.

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Shelagh Carter’s Into Invisible Light screens in Winnipeg, February 1

Posted: 28 Jan 2019 10:32 AM PST

Feature film Into Invisible Light, co-written and directed by Shelagh Carter (NSI Drama Prize) and produced by Frantic Films, is released theatrically in Winnipeg Friday, February 1 at the Scotiabank Theatre.

In Into Invisible Light, confronted by an odd directive from her late husband’s estate, Helena Grayson is inspired to reawaken a long-buried desire to write. When she’s unexpectedly drawn into an encounter with an old flame she is further challenged to explore her creative voice.

Read a review of the film by Sheila O’Malley.

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Prawn

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 11:37 AM PST

A sensitive waiter is triggered when he sees prawns burning alive for the dinner special.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Andrew Gillingham

Filmmaker’s statement

Prawn is an operatic comedy that celebrates the beauty of human empathy toward other creatures and asserts that, in a way, we are all prawns.

About Andrew Gillingham

Andrew Gillingham is a filmmaker and actor living in Vancouver. He holds a BFA in film from Simon Fraser University. His debut short film Banana (2017) premiered at Vancouver Queer Film Festival and one of his student films screened at Whistler Film Festival.

His second film Prawn (2018) has played at multiple film festivals including Raindance and Vancouver International Film Festival. The film was acquired by Premium Films and distributed to Canal+ France.

Andrew continues to create honest work that uplifts and moves audiences with its impressionistic and allegorical style.

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Off By Heart

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 11:29 AM PST

A young man’s life is changed forever when he is confronted by an old man in a parking lot.

Off By Heart is an off-brand commentary on mental health, dementia and legacy.

Creative team

Writers: Kyle McParland, Mark DeBono
Director: Nabil Badine
Producers: Mark DeBono, Kyle McParland, Ali Mashayekhi, Moe Rai

About Nabil Badine

Director Nabil Badine moved with his family from Lebanon to Canada when he was still a young boy and, having grown up with North American television, he had a fascination with entertainment.

After graduating high school, Nabil started his dramatic training at George Brown College. During that time he decided to take a chance on auditions and see if he could use his training for real world experience.

He then joined Landed Entertainments and discovered he was more interested in life behind the camera. He began building his experience with production management but soon realized his true passion for directing.

In June 2013, Nabil successfully directed his first narrative project, the short film Let’s Rap and followed that up with a crack at TV, directing the TV pilot Americanistan. Nabil is currently active in the Toronto film and television scene and directed three shorts in 2018 one of which is Off By Heart.

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Mine Is Yours

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 11:24 AM PST

Two sisters struggle to connect after the loss of their father. A weekend at the cottage brings up unresolved issues and polarizing views on whether or not they should sell the inherited cottage.

Creative team

Writer: Julia Hoff
Director: Sam Coyle
Producers: Kat Hidalgo, Leigh Bush

Filmmaker’s statement

I was first drawn to this story because of the complex nature of these two sisters. Grief is a difficult thing and everyone deals with it differently.

In this film, the sisters have never been able to relate over the loss of their father, which has caused distance between them. Both have a desire for intimacy and connection but neither knows how to give that to each other. I wanted to capture the intricacies of siblings; the subtleties of what they want and are not able to ask for.

This is an honest story, not scared to explore the dirty bits of a sibling relationship.

About Sam Coyle

Sam Coyle is a film director, writer, producer and actress known for choosing edgy projects. Sam continues to develop her vision to create unique stories that reflect strong female perspectives with a focus on challenging the norm and highlighting the weird and amazing of the underrepresented.

Having originally studied as an actress at the HB Studio in New York City, she accesses this actor training through deep exploration with her actors and finding complex human behaviour and relationships in the writing of her scripts.

Sam founded With Wolves Media with her twin brother Nick Coyle. The company is an independent media collective comprised of innovative, local artists borne from a desire to push the typical boundaries of creative content, resulting in truly unique products and experiences.

Sam’s feature, White River, is in development for production in 2019. The script received an honourable mention at the Canadian Film Festival 2016 script contest.

Her first produced feature film The Definites has screened at festivals across the world including Cucalorus Film Fest, Key West Film Fest, Whistler Film Fest and Bahamas International Film Fest.

Sam’s short films have screened at festivals including Toronto International Shorts Festival, BFI Flare London LGBTQ+, Hamilton Film Fest, Reelworld Film Fest, NSI Online Short Film Festival, WWM Fest (LA), FILMI, ZEE Bollywood Mashup, Celluloid Social and Hard Liquor Fest.

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Pow Wow Xperience

Posted: 23 Jan 2019 11:15 AM PST

In the pow wow circle, each one of us is welcome to come celebrate and dance.

Creative team

Writer: Aretha Greatrix
Director: Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse
Producers: Aretha Greatrix, Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse

Filmmaker’s statement

Oral traditions such as storytelling have been historically integral to the transmission of traditional knowledge, languages, ceremonies, laws and on the land practices. These skills are passed on through a kinship system from generation to generation to ensure their survival.

This inter-generational knowledge transmission practice, often understood as kinship practice, has been disrupted by colonialism, the Indian residential schools, the 60s scoop and now the child welfare system.

This film is an innovative way to share a small piece of our celebratory ceremonial practice of the pow wow to Indigenous people who have not had the opportunity to be raised by their families or with their cultures and/or in their communities.

As the director of the Pow Wow Xperience, I wanted to ensure the messaging and images we shared in the film were loving, positive and welcoming. As a director, I am a storyteller and the intention of this film is one small way to contribute to the work of reclaiming and revitalizing our Indigenous traditions within the colonial context of Canada.

About Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse

Jodi Calahoo-Stonehouse is Cree and Mohawk from Michel First Nation.

She has completed her bachelor of arts in the Faculty of Native Studies and is completing an MSc with the Faculty of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta.

Jodi is the founder and co-owner of Miyo-Pimatisiwin Productions and is also the producer and broadcaster of an award-winning Indigenous radio program called Acimowin. Jodi’s interests are Indigenous media, Indigenous legal traditions, Indigenous feminism, social innovation and Indigenous futurisms.

Her work is dedicated to uplifting Indigenous peoples, stories, traditions and laws.

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