Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Ticket giveaway: imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival; tweet to win

Posted: 08 Oct 2019 01:24 PM PDT

The lovely folks at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival have asked us to give away an industry pass to their festival which takes place in Toronto from October 22 to 27. The industry pass provides entry to the festival only. If you live outside Toronto you’ll need to arrange your own accommodation and transport.

How to enter

You’ll need a Twitter account to enter.

Tell us on Twitter why you want to attend imagineNATIVE. Please include @nsicanada in your tweet. Tip: make your tweet stand out. Funny and/or creative tweets tend to be popular. Only one entry per person please.

Entries are accepted until 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 15.

Once all entries are in, we’ll vote on our favourite to decide the winner.

The winner will be contacted through Twitter to arrange ticket pickup.

• • •

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival celebrates 20 years in October 2019. The festival was founded to support the diverse, contemporary work of Indigenous directors, producers and screenwriters working in film, video, audio and digital media.

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Burnt Toast by Aiden Cardei, Aleksandar Popovic + 1 more film in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival

Posted: 08 Oct 2019 12:40 PM PDT

Two new films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival from directors Aiden Cardei and Aleksandar Popovic, and Matthew Hayes.

Burnt Toast

Burnt Toast | Comedy, 12:00, English, ON, 2019 | Directors: Aiden Cardei, Aleksandar Popovic

After accidentally destroying his own toaster, Todd ventures out to purchase a used one from Pascal.

During their rendezvous, Todd encounters a painting that uncovers profound truths about his past, while Pascal gets a second chance at being a father figure.

A Certain Texture

A Certain Texture | Documentary, 9:00, English, ON, 2018 | Director: Matthew Hayes

Alex Unger, aka ELMS, lives a double life: he creates haunting music, and farms cattle.

In this short he explores how one influences the other, what drives his art and how one of these lifestyles is more of a privilege than he thought.

• • •

Call for films / submit by December 2

We’re accepting films through FilmFreeway until Monday, December 2, 2019. Films chosen during this call period will premiere in the NSI Online Short Film Festival between January 13, 2020 and March 30, 2020. Films must play for a minimum of three months after the premiere date.

We accept films released after January 1, 2014. If your film is programmed, you have a chance of winning the $1,250 A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film and the $500 Directors Guild of Canada Award for best director.

All NSI Online Short Film Festival winners receive a complimentary Friend membership for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and are qualified to be nominated for a Canadian Screen Award (if award criteria are met).

Read about the most recent winner.

Your film must be less than 30 mins. Drama, comedy, animation, documentary, sci-fi, horror, music video and experimental are all eligible and must be made by a Canadian writer, director or producer.

Submit your film

The NSI Online Short Film Festival is a year-round Canadian short film showcase with new films added every week. Since launching in 2008, the festival has awarded over $125K to Canadian media artists. Over 1,000 films are available to watch in the archives.

The NSI Online Short Film Festival is made possible through the support of Festival Partner Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Corus Entertainment, CBC Gem, Super Channel; Award Sponsors A&E Television Networks, Directors Guild of Canada; Industry Partner the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

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In memory of Trudy Stewart

Posted: 08 Oct 2019 10:07 AM PDT

Trudy Stewart (NSI IndigiDocs) died suddenly on Saturday, September 28 aged 46. This news has broken all of our hearts.

I had the pleasure of meeting Trudy when she was in the NSI IndigiDocs program in 2016 with her producing partner Janine Windolph.

Trudy was a beautiful person. I remember her sitting with Janine through the training sessions. They were both very quiet, both emanated wisdom and strength. It was clear they were strong friends who would work well together during the course, and they did.

They made a beautiful film, From Up North, about statement gatherers. Janine and Trudy were both statement gatherers for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The experience changed them, and they set out to make a film about that experience.

The goal was lofty for a 10-minute documentary. In the end Trudy, who directed and wrote with Janine as producer, made the very courageous decision to put herself in the film. We hear in voice over what she was thinking while taking the statement of residential school survivor Noel Starblanket. The result is a film that’s as quiet and powerful as the women who made it. Trudy’s beauty, wisdom, grace and generosity shine.

The film went to screen at many festivals including Wairoa Māori Film Festival, where it won the International Indigenous Award in 2017. Trudy chose to take Noel Starblanket (who passed away earlier this year) with her to receive the award.

Losing Trudy is a huge blow to the Canadian film community. She was an associate producer on nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up by Tasha Hubbard (NSI IndigiDocs), which won the Hot Docs best Canadian feature documentary earlier this year. The film will also screen at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival later this month.

Trudy was also a short film programmer for imagineNATIVE. All this while home schooling her two young boys.

Trudy was primed to do so much more. She touched many hearts and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are very much with her family and many friends.

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