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The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) recently presented the latest round of awards in the NSI Online Short Film Festival.

• She Came Knocking (pictured) directed by John Ainslie, and PYOTR495 directed by Blake Mawson, tied for the A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film and each won $625;
• Kimberly-Sue Murray won the $1,000 Brian Linehan Actors Award for her work in She Came Knocking; and
• Princess Jack, directed by Lesley Johnson, won the $1,500 Blue Ant Media Documentary Award for best doc.

All winners also receive a complimentary Friend membership to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

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 programmed hundreds of films and awarded over $110K to Canadian media artists. Many of the films are available to watch in the archives.

The current award selection was made by an independent jury: DOXA programmer Selina Crammond, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival operations manager Chris Chin and filmmaker Ashley Hirt.

Our jurors had this to say about the films:

A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film: She Came Knocking

Selina Crammond: “She Came Knocking succeeds in crafting a surreal psychological thriller that confronts the frighteningly real problem of domestic violence. Through a simple, yet startling, story the film asks important questions about the ethics and morality of vigilante justice.”

Chris Chin: “An unnerving, tightly-wound narrative about domestic abuse that lingers in the memory long after viewing.”

Ashley Hirt: “She Came Knocking focuses on the mistakes and reactions often made in domestic abuse encounters. It’s a thought-provoking, compelling and important story.”

Director John Ainslie said, “Like most creative people I’m generally not interested in awards until I win one, but it’s honestly wonderful to have one’s work acknowledged at all let alone to be recognized with an award. The support and recognition from A&E and NSI means so much to a small production like ours. Thank you.”

A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film: PYOTR495

Selina: “An excellent example of how the horror genre can be a powerful vehicle for conveying a political message.”

Chris: “Reclaims the horror genre film with an unabashedly queer bent that will leave you cheering for the monster.”

Ashley: “Creates relevant social commentary on the awfulness that faces the LGBTQ community and dresses it up as an excellent monster-style horror film.”

Director Blake Mawson said, “It’s a huge honour to have the National Screen Institute present PYOTR495 with the A&E Short Filmmakers Award. Thank you to the jury for seriously considering our genre/horror film, and for helping to spread its message about LGBTQ rights in Russia and globally with your incredible audience.”

Brian Linehan Actors Award: Kimberly-Sue Murray for She Came Knocking

Selina: “Kimberly-Sue Murray’s performance is essential for creating the suspenseful tone in She Came Knocking. Subtly, she forces the audience to imagine what they would do if placed in a similar situation.”

Chris: “[She] admirably captures the twists and turns of her character’s arc from bewildered onlooker to steely-minded intervenor.”

Ashley: “Very honest and beautifully executed.”

Kimberly-Sue said, “In 2011, I was lucky to attend the CFC Actors Conservatory thanks to the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation. During my time there, I met writer/director John Ainslie and that was the start of our collaboration. I am so thrilled and honoured to receive this award for my work in She Came Knocking. Life’s come full circle and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Blue Ant Media Documentary Award: Princess Jack

Selina: “[Proof] that dressing up can be a powerful means of creativity and expression.”

Chris: “An intimate portrait of a gender-expansive young boy as he works towards the magical moment of his dreams.”

Ashley: “A feel-good story and an intimate portrait about a boy with high-functioning autism.”

Director Lesley Johnson said, “I feel honoured to receive the Blue Ant Media Documentary Award for Princess Jack. The characters in my films always inhabit a piece of me long after the film is done. Jack has an immense heart, working with him was a joyful experience, and I’m very happy the work that came out of our time together is receiving this recognition.”

About the jury

Selina Crammond is the director of programming for DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival.

Chris Chin has been working for the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival since 2008 and is currently the festival and operations manager. He has been an associate programmer at the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival and consulted for film and media arts organizations across Canada and internationally.

Ashley Hirt is an award-winning filmmaker known for co-producing indie darling Black Field. Her films have screened at film festivals all over the world.

Call for films / submit by September 4

We’re currently accepting film submissions for the NSI Online Short Film Festival through FilmFreeway until Tuesday, September 4, 2018.

If your film is programmed, you have a chance of winning the $1,250 A&E Short Filmmakers Award. We accept films released after January 1, 2013.

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

Submissions 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 made possible through the support of Festival Partner Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Corus Entertainment, Blue Ant Media and Breakthrough Entertainment Award Sponsor A&E Television Networks; and Industry Partner the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

All media enquiries

Laura Friesen, Manager, Communications & Alumni Relations
Phone: 204.957.299 or email: laura.friesen@nsi-canada.ca

The post She Came Knocking, PYOTR495, Princess Jack, Kimberly-Sue Murray win NSI Online Short Film Festival awards appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Three new films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival from directors Lorna Kirk, Ian Macmillan and Emily Bridger.

Him

Him | Animation, 1:40, English, NS, 2016 | Director: Lorna Kirk

Hand-drawn charcoal drawings movingly depict the loneliness and bewilderment of a child seeking safety in a war zone in this timely, very short animation that uses found sound to explore the powerlessness of the refugee experience.

Produced as part of the 11th edition of the National Film Board’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

Purl

Purl | Drama, 15:04, English, ON, 2017 | Director: Ian Macmillan

Returning home, Pearl navigates the disconnect felt with those once closest to her. In order to move forward, she attempts to stitch together the relationships of her youth.

Waste It

Waste It | Drama, 9:52, English, NL, 2017 | Director: Emily Bridger

Karen attempts to grapple with the fleeting nature of romance through filmmaking, only to run into conflict with her surrounding cast and crew.

You can try to make art imitate life, but it doesn’t necessarily make life any easier.

• • •

Call for films / submit by September 4

We’re accepting films through FilmFreeway until Tuesday, September 4, 2018.

If your film is programmed, you have a chance of winning the A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film. We accept films released after January 1, 2013.

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).

See the most recent winners.

Your film must be less than 30 mins long. 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 made possible through the support of Festival Partner Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Corus Entertainment, Blue Ant Media and Breakthrough Entertainment; Award Sponsor A&E Television Networks; and Industry Partner the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

The post Him by Lorna Kirk + 2 more films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).