Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

NSI alumni films selected to Canadian Film Fest + top 10 script contest

Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:16 PM PDT

Queen of the Morning Calm by Gloria Ui Young Kim

Films from Gloria Ui Young Kim, Anneli Ekborn, Borga Dorter, Rachel Cairns and Dusty Mancinelli, and scripts by Jordan Canning and Nick Citton were selected to the Canadian Film Fest which starts on May 21.

Super Channel and the Canadian Film Fest partnered to bring a virtual edition of the recently postponed 2020 festival to Canadian film fans across the nation.

Films air Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for three consecutive weeks on Super Channel Fuse (check for subscription and listings).

Thursday, May 28

Queen of the Morning Calm | 86 mins

Director: Gloria Ui Young Kim (NSI Diverse TV Director)

Debra is a young Korean sex worker who’s always lived at the mercy of men. She struggles with her role as a mother to her precocious and quirky daughter Mona, while trying to better herself by taking accounting courses and keeping track of her gambler boyfriend, the Sarge. He’s the baby daddy and the love of Debra and Mona’s life. When her daughter is caught snooping around the strip club, Debra is fired and has to find a way to make up her late rent. And then the Sarge disappears and Debra and Mona’s life explodes in chaos.

A love story about a mother and daughter, Queen of the Morning Calm is a powerful journey of emancipation and redemption.

Saturday, May 30: Homegrown Shorts #1

liminal | 15 mins | World premiere

Executive producer: Anneli Ekborn (NSI Features First)



Stuck in a loop of half measures and expectations, Steve lives both his past and present concurrently. As he flows between hopes and fears, he tries to keep a tight grasp on his reality, all the while his sense of self-worth is in constant flux.

Thursday, June 4

Hazy Little Thing | 85 mins | World premiere

Executive producer: Borga Dorter (NSI Totally Television)



A trip through social media, depression and psychedelics. Hazy Little Thing follows writer Billie through a birthday weekend full of friends and family rushing to her ‘rescue’ after she ‘accidentally’ threatens suicide on social media.

Preceded by Chubby | 22 mins

Co-writer/co-director: Dusty Mancinelli (NSI Features First)

A ten-year-old girl struggles with the residual trauma of her sexual abuse.

Saturday, June 6: Homegrown Shorts #2

Shoegazer | 13 mins

Producer: Rachel Cairns (NSI Totally Television)



A 26-year-old black female in the midst of an existential crisis bumps into her perfect-on-paper ex-boyfriend. After “hmming” and “hawing” awkwardly, she finally musters the courage to ask what went wrong. Upon receiving the answer, she realizes it’s a response she may not have been ready to hear.

Selected to the CFF Script Top 10 Contest

Burn it Down by writer Jordan Canning (NSI Drama Prize)

A riveting script where a female firefighter finds her life in jeopardy after standing up against sexual harassment at work. Set in an male-dominated fire department really raises the stakes on the feeling of exclusion and danger that comes with speaking out. Excellent characters and plot with the addition of some well-placed action sequences make this a fantastic story.

Wet Reckless by writer Nick Citton (NSI Totally Television)

This unique script offers snort-laughs, real heart, great characters and an interesting take on the opposing pressures on celebrities to come out or stay in the closet. It is a Fleabag-meets-BoJack-Horseman-meets-Beginners hybrid that has an excellent flow. The relationships and characters all have amazing developments and growth that really bring the whole script together.

Alumni: if we missed your film, please let us know in the comments below.

The post NSI alumni films selected to Canadian Film Fest + top 10 script contest appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

CBC, Canada Council for the Arts launch Digital Originals, a new $1M fund

Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:03 PM PDT

As part of the new Art Uncontained initiative, CBC/Radio-Canada and Canada Council for the Arts have teamed up for the creation of Digital Originals, a new $1 million fund to help artists, groups and arts organizations pivot their work to online audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Creators can apply for a maximum of $5,000 in funding per project, a selection of which will be curated and digitally showcased by CBC/Radio-Canada and receive an additional $1,000 grant supplement. Artists can apply with a brand-new work or adapt their work for online sharing.

According to the Canada Council for the Arts website, preview guidelines and forms will be published in late April and applications will be accepted through the Canada Council portal beginning in mid-May. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 15 June 2020 or until the budget has been allocated.

Full details about Digital Originals.

The post CBC, Canada Council for the Arts launch Digital Originals, a new $1M fund appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

NSI alumni score in first round of Yorkton Film Festival nominations

Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:01 PM PDT

Congratulations to NSI alumni on their Golden Sheaf nominations!

More nomination categories will be announced soon and, in the coming weeks, details about the award ceremony.

If we missed your nomination, please let us know!

The post NSI alumni score in first round of Yorkton Film Festival nominations appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Watch NSI alumni films on nfb.ca

Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:05 AM PDT

Sandra Oh, Inspiration by Karen Lam

In the first part of a new series we’re looking at online video platforms available in Canada which feature alumni projects for your viewing pleasure. Some are free, others require sign-up and some are paid subscriptions which you probably have already.

Today we’ve dug deep into the free content at nfb.ca.

Inspired portraits

Ballads Not Bullets: Tom Jackson | 2014, 7 mins

Marie Clements (NSI Storytellers, Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program)

The story of how actor, singer, producer and activist Tom Jackson came to use his gift of song to contribute millions of dollars to the fight against poverty and homelessness.

Ben Heppner: Moving Through Music | 2016, 5 mins

Randall Okita (NSI Diverse TV Director)

An insight into the singing prowess of renowned tenor Ben Heppner, one of Canada’s pre-eminent musical ambassadors.

Michael J. Fox | 2017, 4 mins

John Bolton (NSI Drama Prize, NSI Totally Television)

A candid and charming interview features stories about some of Michael J. Fox’s best-loved characters and the process of bringing them to life, shedding light on what drives him as a performer, writer and pop-culture icon.

Radical | 2019, 6 mins

Deanne Foley (NSI Totally Television)

Deanne Foley profiles fellow Newfoundlander Mary Walsh, the Great Warrior Queen of Canadian comedy, musing on time wasted as an object of desire and time well spent as the fearless agent of her own destiny. A joyous call to action.

Sandra Oh, Inspiration | 2019, 4 mins

Karen Lam (NSI Drama Prize, NSI Totally Television)

Inspired by Sandra Oh’s words and actions, director Karen Lam experiments with the concept of representation in the performing arts.

Animation

How People Got Fire | 2008, 16 mins

Daniel Janke (NSI Global Marketing)

This introspective short animation takes place in the village of Carcross in the Tagish First Nation. Neighbourhood pillar Grandma Kay tells the local children the tale of how Crow brought fire to people. As the story unfolds, we also meet 12-year-old Tish, an introspective, talented girl who feels drawn to the elder. Here, past and present blend, myth and reality meet, and the metaphor of fire infuses all in a location that lies at the heart of this Native community’s spiritual and cultural memory.

U.F.O. | 2016, 1 min

Rayne Vermette (NSI IndigiDocs)

An apparition reveals itself through celluloid and transmits vestiges of a forgotten provenance.

Vistas – Dancers of the Grass | 2009, 2 mins

Melanie Jackson (NSI Storytellers)

A stunning display of a stop-motion animation as it vividly depicts the majesty of the hoop dance, a tradition symbolizing the unity of all nations.

Vistas – The Visit | 2009, 4 mins

Lisa Jackson (Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program)

This animated short tells the true story of a Cree family’s strange encounter one winter night, which results in a conversation beyond words.

Documentaries

Birth of a Family | 2016, 79 mins

Tasha Hubbard (NSI IndigiDocs)

In this deeply moving feature-length documentary, three sisters and a brother meet for the first time. Removed from their young Dene mother during the infamous Sixties Scoop, they were separated as infants and adopted into families across North America.

Hand.Line.Cod | 2016, 13 mins

Justin Simms (NSI Drama Prize)

Set in the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland’s rugged Fogo Island, this short film follows a group of ‘people of the fish’ – traditional fishers who catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line.

Lake | 2019, 5 mins

Alexandra Lazarowich (NSI IndigiDocs)

Cree director Alexandra Lazarowich riffs off classic verité cinema to craft a contemporary portrait of Métis women net fishing in northern Alberta.

Nimmikaage (She Dances for People) | 2015, 3 mins

Michelle Latimer (NSI Drama Prize)

Both a requiem for and an honouring of Canada’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit women, this short film deconstructs the layers of Canadian nationalism. In the process, it reverses the colonial lens by shifting the balance of power to reclaim the Canadian narrative, putting the enduring strength and resilience of Indigenous women at the forefront.

Picture This | 2017, 33 mins

Jari Osborne (NSI DiverseTV)

What does it mean to be disabled and desirable? Meet Andrew Gurza, a self-described ‘queer cripple’ who has made it his mission to make sex and disability part of the public discourse.

Second Stories – Deb-we-win Ge-ken-am-aan, Our Place in the Circle | 2008, 22 mins

Lorne Olson (NSI Aboriginal Journalism)

Lorne Olson’s short documentary presents a vision he had of two-spirited people dancing, laughing and smiling. His vision spurs him to rediscover the strength of the past to better face the challenges of today.

Speakers for the Dead | 2000, 49 mins

Jennifer Holness (NSI Drama Prize, Telefilm Canada Spark Plug Program, NSI Global Marketing), Sudz Sutherland (NSI Totally Television)

In the 1930s in rural Ontario, a farmer buried the tombstones of a black cemetery to make way for a potato patch. In the 1980s, descendants of the original settlers, black and white, came together to restore the cemetery, but there were hidden truths no-one wanted to discuss. Deep racial wounds were opened. Scenes of the cemetery excavation, interviews with residents and re-enactments – including one of a baseball game where a broken headstone is used for home plate – add to the film’s emotional intensity.

The Amendment | 2007, 4 mins

Kevin Papatie (Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program)

In the Kitcisakik community, the Algonquin language is dying out, just four generations after the federal government’s assimilation policy came into effect.

Tommy Douglas – Keeper of the Flame | 1986, 58 mins

Elise Swerhone (NSI DramaLab)

This feature documentary traces the political career of T.C. (Tommy) Douglas, former premier of Saskatchewan and leader of the New Democratic Party, who was voted the Greatest Canadian in 2004 for his devotion to social causes, his charm and his powers of persuasion. Known as the ‘Father of Medicare,’ this one-time champion boxer and fiery preacher entered politics in the 1930s and never looked back.

Urban.Indigenous.Proud: Places to Gather and Learn | 2018, 10 mins

Darlene Naponse (NSI Features First)

A day in the lives of Indigenous students at N’Swakamok Alternative School, Places to Gather and Learn emphasizes the value and necessity of Indigenous alternative and community spaces. Follows students as they learn and share their stories, aspirations, obstacles and accomplishments.

Vistas: Boxed in | 2009, 4 mins

Shane Belcourt (NSI Totally Television)

A young woman of mixed ancestry struggles with an equal opportunity form that requires her to respond to the dilemma: Ethnicity – Choose One.

Vistas: Raise a Red Flag | 2009, 4 mins

Adam Garnet Jones (NSI Storytellers, NSI Diverse TV Director)

A young girl discovers the meaning of community and cultural pride after her mother insists she wave a red flag on her way to school.

Drama

Ikwe | 1986, 57 mins

Norma Bailey (NSI Totally Television)

Part of the Daughters of the Country series, this dramatic film features a young Ojibwa girl from 1770 who marries a Scottish fur trader and leaves home for the shores of Georgian Bay. Although the union is beneficial for her tribe, it results in hardship and isolation for Ikwe. Values and customs clash until, finally, the events of a dream Ikwe once had unfold with tragic clarity.

Experimental

Let the Daylight into the Swamp | 2012, 36 mins

Jeffrey St. Jules (NSI Features First)

Jeffrey St. Jules reconstructs the story of his grandparents and their rugged frontier existence in the logging towns of northern Ontario. A blend of fiction and documentary, the film stitches together a fractured family history that is filled with both the joie de vivre and hardships reflective of Franco-Ontarian life.

Alumni: if you have other films at nfb.ca that are free to watch, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

The post Watch NSI alumni films on nfb.ca appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

NSI alumni films to watch on #CanFilmDay

Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:48 AM PDT

National Canadian Film Day (NCFD) rolls around once again on April 22 and, while things are a little different this year, there are still many ways to get your fill of great films.

This year, the centrepiece of the all-online edition of NCFD is a four-hour livestream: CanFilmDay Live. The interactive livestream will be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and on the NCFD website from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

You can also join one of their national watch parties, organize your own watch party, or just watch a movie at home with your family.

NCFD have curated a selection of films under the banner 20+20 – intended to give you a boost or ground you in reality – and there are plenty of alumni films for your enjoyment.

The F Word (aka What if) | CBC Gem | 2013, 98 mins |

Director: Michael Dowse (NSI Drama Prize) | Watch the trailer

Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) is a medical school dropout who’s been burned by bad relationships. Just when all his friends, and even his goofy roommate Allan (Adam Driver), seem to be finding love, Wallace decides to put romance on hold. Of course, that’s when he meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan), an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend, Ben (Rafe Spall). The dreaded ‘F word’ in this contemporary and hilarious romantic comedy is “friendship.” Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, but are both committed to keeping things platonic, which might prove to be more difficult than either one of them imagined.

Falls Around Her | Prime Video (free 30-day trial) | 2018, 100 mins

Writer/director/producer: Darlene Naponse (NSI Features First) | Watch the trailer

When a world-famous Anishinaabe musician (Tantoo Cardinal) returns home in search of peace and quiet, she finds her international fame allows her no time to relax. As she tries to combat a constant series of requests for her time, she also begins to fear she’s being trailed by an unwanted pursuer. With her sister’s guidance, she manages to find happiness through her family, old friends and some unexpected new romance.

Giant Little Ones | Hoopla | 2018, 93 mins

Writer/director: Keith Behrman (NSI Drama Prize/NSI Features First), executive producer: Daniel Bekerman (NSI Features First) | Watch the trailer

Franky and Ballas have been best friends since childhood. Now in high school, they’re both well-liked stars of their school’s swim team, living an untroubled teenage life. That is, until an incident at Franky’s wild 17th birthday party changes their relationship and forces Franky to question his identity, his friends and his relationship with his estranged gay father (Kyle MacLachlan), who is trying to reconnect with him. A heartfelt and intimate coming-of-age film about friendship, self-discovery and the power of love without labels.

Maudie | CBC Gem | 2016, 115 min

Producer: Mary Sexton (NSI Features First) | Watch the trailer

Based on the true story of Nova Scotia painter Maud Lewis, who overcame the physical challenge of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis to become one of Canada’s best known and most loved folk artists. The fragile but determined Maudie (Sally Hawkins) yearns for independence from her over-protective family and dreams of creating art. When she answers an ad for a housekeeper placed by a reclusive fish seller (Ethan Hawke), she gains more than just the freedom she wanted, as the unlikely pair develops a relationship that is intensely intimate and just as challenging. You can also watch on Kanopy using your library/university card.

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up | CBC Gem | 2019, 98 mins

Writer/director: Tasha Hubbard (NSI IndigiDocs) | Watch the trailer

On August 9, 2016, a 22-year-old Cree man named Colten Boushie was killed by a gunshot to the back of his head after entering a rural farm property in Saskatchewan with his friends. When an all-white jury acquitted the white farmer of all charges, the case received international attention and sent Colten’s family and community on a quest to fix the Canadian justice system. Sensitively directed by Tasha Hubbard, this profoundly affecting documentary weaves a narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own family story, the history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands. You can also watch on nfb.ca if you’re a CAMPUS subscriber.

Weirdos | CBC Gem | 2016, 85 mins

Producer: Marc Almon (NSI Drama Prize) | Watch the trailer

In a small Nova Scotian town in 1976, 15-year-old Kit and his girlfriend Alice decide to shake up their go-nowhere existence by hitchhiking to the big city of Sydney to visit Kit’s glamorous but unstable mother. It becomes a journey of self discovery that opens them up to new possibilities for their futures. You can also watch on Kanopy using your library/university card.

Werewolf | CBC Gem | 2016, 80 mins

Writer/director/producer: Ashley McKenzie, producer: Nelson MacDonald (both NSI Drama Prize) | Watch the trailer

The difficult existence of a pair of homeless drug addicts is shown with harsh honesty and surprising sensitivity in McKenzie’s highly acclaimed debut feature. Shot almost entirely in close-ups that capture the disorienting world these characters inhabit, McKenzie teases out intimate and intense performances that inspire empathy as well as concern. Werewolf’s stark filmmaking never romanticizes the lives of junkies Blaise (Andrew Gillis) and Vanessa (Bhreagh MacNeil), preferring instead to capture the frustration and futility of their lives with a startling power. You can also watch on Kanopy using your library/university card.

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