Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

16 films from NSI grads screen at imagineNATIVE Festival 2018

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 01:17 PM PDT

Four NSI IndigiDocs films, one CBC New Indigenous Voices film and 11 alumni films will screen at the 2018 imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, running October 17 to 21 in Toronto.

Short films made through NSI training programs

Also screening at the festival

The fest also features an event with Tasha Hubbard (NSI IndigiDocs), entitled Life & Death in the Prairies. This conversation between Tasha and moderator Jon Montes of the NFB will investigate the effects of Indigenous screen-based work dealing with traumatic and emotional subject matter and how ethical and self-care requirements are part of the storytelling process.

Did we miss your film? Let us know!

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NSI Totally Television-developed Wolfville optioned by Take the Shot Productions

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 11:48 AM PDT

TV series project Wolfville, developed through NSI Totally Television in 2017-18 by writer Jon Mann and producer Rob Ramsay, has been optioned by St. John’s, Newfoundland-based production company Take the Shot Productions.

When a large shipment of drugs appear in the Wolfville harbour, two best friends – a drug dealer and a cop – are forced to investigate, deceive and betray each other. Wolfville is a story about loyalty and brotherhood, told with the charm of small town livin’.

The deal between the Wolfville team and Take the Shot is a direct result of the sessions and meetings during phase two boot camp training.

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NSI Totally Television provides hands-on series development training for creative producer/writer teams serious about getting their television series concept made.

The program has produced 13 series that have gone into development: six have gone to air, one was piloted and another was produced as a feature film that had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

NSI Totally Television is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Bell Media; Program Partner Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Corus Entertainment and Breakthrough Entertainment; and Territorial Sponsor Yukon Media Development. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

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Cocktail, Dishes, Dinner by Diana Berdichevsky + 2 more films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 11:39 AM PDT

Three new films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival from directors Diana Berdichevsky, Mahsa Razavi and Mia Fiona Kut.

Cocktail, Dishes, Dinner

Cocktail, Dishes, Dinner | Drama, 8:30, English, BC, 2017 | Director: Diana Berdichevsky

What occurs when communication is severed in a relationship?

By going back in time and using a highly visual approach to storytelling devoid of dialogue to heighten tension, Cocktail, Dishes, Dinner explores family dynamics that threaten to shatter under the pressure of seething miscommunication that results in passive aggressive confrontation.

Roj Means Sun

Roj Means Sun | Drama, 18:12, Kurdish with English subtitles, ON, 2016 | Director: Mahsa Razavi

Rojin, a Kurdish-Canadian girl, battles both her mother and her mother tongue as she grieves the recent death of her father, killed in a battle in the Shingal Mountains, Iraqi Kurdistan.

Sonder

Sonder | Drama, 13:49, English, BC, 2018 | Director: Mia Fiona Kut

‘Sonder’: an unofficial colloquial word with an official definition – n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Aveline, a young competitive aerial silk artist, struggles to return to her sport and everyday life after a devastating freak accident. Lonely for companionship, she turns to an online dating app, methodically tracking her chemistry with each candidate. She meets an equally lonely stranger, which leads to an unexpected journey.

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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.

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NSI Features First-developed Level 16 premieres at Fantastic Fest in Austin

Posted: 18 Sep 2018 09:30 AM PDT

The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) is thrilled to congratulate writer/director Danishka Esterhazy on the world premiere of NSI Features First-developed Level 16 at the 2018 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on September 22.

Level 16 was developed through NSI Features First in 2006-07 by Stéphanie Chapelle and Danishka.

“This is a big milestone for Danishka and the team behind Level 16,” said John Gill, CEO of NSI. “With Level 16‘s premiere coming right on the heels of SuperGrid, we get two wonderful examples of how different types of genre filmmaking can be strengthened through the training NSI Features First provides.”

“Level 16 has been a labour of love over the past 10-plus years. I’m so excited to bring it to such a reputable and well-known genre fest like Fantastic and to its fans,” said Danishka. “NSI’s support of this project in its early stages of development was a significant boost. I’m grateful for their belief in this film from the very beginning.”

Level 16 is a dystopian science-fiction thriller set in a strict boarding home for girls. Trapped in a sterile facility, 16-year-old Vivien (Katie Douglas) is taught the finer points of ‘feminine virtues’ by a Stepford-like headmistress (Sara Canning) and left to question what fate awaits her when she ages out of the institution.

The film premieres Saturday, September 22 at 11 a.m. at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with Danishka in attendance alongside producers Judy Holm and Michael McNamara. It screens again on September 24 at 5 p.m.

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NSI Features First, in association with Telefilm Canada, provides development training for writer/producer teams looking to produce their first or second feature film with strong commercial appeal.

Over 20 feature films developed through the program have been produced since 1997, most recently: SuperGrid (2018) from Hugh Patterson and Todd McCauley, Venus (2017) from Eisha Marjara and Joe Balass and Adventures in Public School (2017) from Josh Epstein and Kyle Rideout.

NSI Features First is funded by Presenting Sponsor Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Super Channel, Corus Entertainment and Breakthrough Entertainment; Provincial Sponsor Creative BC through the Daryl Duke and William Vince Scholarship Fund; and Industry Supporters William F. White and Deluxe. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

All media enquiries

Laura Friesen, Manager, Communications & Alumni Relations
Tel: 204.957.2999 or email: laura.friesen@nsi-canada.ca

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