Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Contribute to the Canada in a Day film compilation, directed by Trish Dolman

Posted: 18 Jul 2016 01:29 PM PDT

Inspired by Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominee Ridley Scott and Academy Award-winner Kevin Macdonald’s highly successful Life in a Day, Canada in a Day will capture one day in the life of our country, and will air on CTV as part of Canada’s 150th celebrations.

From countless individual moments and stories, one film will be crafted by director Trish Dolman (NSI Features First) to capture Canada on a single day, and, in doing so, what it means to be Canadian.

For more information, including video submission requirements and tips from Trish on how to create a great video, visit CanadaInADay.ca. You can also sign up to receive alerts and updates during the countdown to the Saturday, September 10, 2016 film day.

The Future Perfect

Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:41 PM PDT

Somewhere between then and now, a time traveler defies his orders, and compromises a future he cannot unlearn.

Creative team

Writer/director: Nick Citton
Producers: James Brown, Jesse Savath

Filmmaker’s statement

My short film The Future Perfect is a minimalist time travel story that centers on the relationship between a hired gun, Hardesty, and his boss, Greenwood. As the film unfolds we come to understand that a major crisis in the future has its origins in a minor moment from the past.

For me, the theme of the short is simple: you cannot change the past, you cannot control the future, all you can do is open yourself up to the experiences of the present day.

About Nick Citton

Nick Citton earned his his MFA in Film at Columbia University. He is also an alumni of Simon Fraser University, the Canadian Film Centre, and the National Screen Institute.

Nick’s feature project, Hey, hey Johnny earned him a spot in Film Independent’s writing, directing, and producing labs. The following year, Nick was selected as a fellow for the Fox Studios writers’ initiative.

Through his association with FIND and FOX, Nick was chosen to take part in Lincoln Automobiles’ “Hello Again” short film series – a program designed to foster new directorial talent by reinventing old Hollywood genres. His film, The Incident, was distributed online by Vanity Fair and featured in the print edition of the magazine.

Recently, Nick received the BC Film industry’s MPPIA Prize for his short film, The Future Perfect. The film – starring Zachary Quinto and Robert Baker – premiered at The 2015 Palm Springs International Shorts Fest, and has gone on to play over 80 film festivals, worldwide.

In the feature world, Nick wrote the script for the romantic comedy, That Burning Feeling. He has also recently completed his first feature as writer/director, My Good Man’s Gone. The project – shot over five years – tells the story of a rural Arkansas town disappearing off the map. Past TV credits include writing, creating and collaborating on a wide range of comedy projects for the CBC, CTV, W Channel and the Discovery Network.

Currently, Nick is developing multiple projects including the semi-autobiographical Hey, hey Johnny and the feature version of The Future Perfect.

Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves

Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:23 PM PDT

Two brothers adrift on broken sea ice in a distant land where men can shape-shift into wolves and the sounds of music and merriment are actually the sounds of danger.

Creative team

Writer/director: Neil Christopher
Producers: Louise Flaherty, Neil Christopher

Filmmaker’s statement

This story is an ancient legend and the hand-made quality represents the physical aspect of telling a story. We chose this minimalist style as we felt it would engage a contemporary Northern audience but still leave a lot to the imagination, thus respecting the Inuit oral tradition.

We want them to be immersive with images and sound, but still require the viewer to creatively participate in the story experience.

About Neil Christopher

Many years ago, Neil moved to Resolute Bay in northern Canada. Neil quickly fell in love with the north – the landscape, the wildlife and the culture.

It was also in those first years in the north that Neil was introduced to the rich mythology of the Canadian Inuit. For the last 10 years, Neil has been researching Inuit myths and legends and has used this research to develop publications for children, youth and adults.

In 2012, Neil wrote and directed his first animated film, Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves. This film was an international success, garnering many awards and critical acclaim.

The success of that film prompted Neil to start the film company Taqqut Productions with his publishing colleagues, Louise Flaherty and Danny Christopher.

Neil currently lives with his family in the capital of Nunavut, Iqaluit.