Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Feature film An Audience of Chairs, from director Deanne Foley (NSI Totally Television) and writer Rosemary House (NSI Features First), picked up four awards [PDF] last week as FIN Atlantic International Film Festival wrapped up in Halifax.

• The Gordon Parsons Award for best Atlantic feature: An Audience of Chairs
• Best Atlantic director: Deanne Foley for An Audience of Chairs
• The Michael Weir Award for best Atlantic screenwriting: Rosemary House for An Audience of Chairs

Composer and musician Duane Andrews also took home best Atlantic original score or song for his work on the film.

An Audience of Chairs stars Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse) as a woman who risks everything to reconnect with the daughters she thought she’d lost forever.

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On the final day of packing up her home, Rita falls into a reverie of love and regret about her late husband.

Creative team

Writer/director: Wanda Nolan
Producer: Latonia Hartery

Filmmaker’s statement

With Crocuses, I wanted to create a portrait of woman through memory and image.

I begin with a conventional setup and then move into Rita’s memories. By pushing into her internal landscape, I also push into form, mixing narrative and documentary elements.

Although I purposely wanted to play with the medium, it was equally important for me to make a story motivated by character. I want the audience to leave feeling a sense Rita’s complicated heart.

About Wanda Nolan

Wanda Nolan is a writer and filmmaker. In 2014, she was named one of 11 writers to watch for by CBC Canada Writes.

In fall 2016, she made her directorial debut with Mystery of the Secret Room, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It was nominated for two Golden Sheaf Awards at the Yorkton Film Festival and a Golden Egg Award at the Reykjavik International Film Festival. It was also featured in a special Canada 150 presentation at the National Arts Centre as a part of CANADA SCENE, a celebration of artists across Canada.

The same year she released her short, Crocuses. Crocuses was the winner of the RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award and won best short at the Nickel Film Festival. It was also chosen for the 2018 Women in Film and TV International (WIFTI) Short Film Showcase and be shown in over 40 countries this year.

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A short film that aims to create better understanding of the impact of the Sixties Scoop.

It was made as part of a non-profit, non-funded campaign hosted at notmyscoop.ca. The campaign aims to encourage dialogue and promote reconciliation.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Traolach Ó Murchú

Filmmaker’s statement

I started to learn about the true impact of the Sixties Scoop shortly after my son Luan was born. I remember thinking about how utterly devastated I would be if Luan was taken from me and how different our respective lives might be without our connection to each other.

When listening to the stories of Sixties Scoop adoptees, I was struck by how a lack of understanding can significantly compound trauma. This resonated with me because I was able to draw parallels with the history of Ireland’s child welfare system. My goal with Gone Means Gone is to try to bridge this gap in understanding.

About Traolach Ó Murchú

Traolach Ó Murchú is originally from Ireland and has been living between Yukon and Québec since 2014. He has written and directed a number of television projects and short films.

His debut feature documentary Photo City is currently on the festival circuit and focuses on life in Rochester, New York after the demise of the Kodak company.

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