Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

It’s a battle of wits and kicks when Brayden, the charming new thief on the block, tries to rob Chloe, a mastermind jewel thief.

Creative team

Writers: Thet Win, Greg Jackson
Director: Jackie English
Producers: Thet Win, Dennis Hingsberg, Plato Fountidakis

Filmmaker’s statement

Diamond in the Rough tells a wry story about needing each other to thrive. It pairs a cocky, inexperienced, spur-of-the-moment wannabe thief with a seasoned, meticulous, analytical jewel thief extraordinaire. But through their power struggle, both physical and intellectual, they realize they each have a weakness … exactly where the other is strong.

The possibilities are endless with the right partner-in-crime at your side. Stylistically, the film plays with genre: part suspense, part action, part drama and part comedy as it twists and turns. Breaking the rules of genre was part of the fun and creative challenge of the piece.

About Jackie English

Jackie English is an accomplished independent film, TV and web content creator and storyteller. Jackie’s talent stands out as a director, creating award-winning films.

Jackie’s vision on a story that she directs is a unique blend of action, thriller, romance and drama, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats at every turn. She is also an actress and producer, known for Becoming Burlesque (2017), Antiviral (2012) and Expiry Date (2017).

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Joelle, a hair stylist living in Toronto, has a challenging day when a mysterious visitor from her past arrives for a drop-in appointment.

Creative team

Writer/director: Naledi Jackson
Producer: Priscilla Galvez

Filmmaker’s statement

The Drop In explores notions of cultural identity and memory through the lens of genre.

The film was inspired by several factors, the majority of which are personal. I was raised in Zimbabwe, and half of my family is from South Africa (which borders Zimbabwe), so there is a part of me that feels deeply rooted in that region of Africa. That being said, I have chosen to live and work in North America for a number of reasons, even though I consider Zimbabwe to be home.

In The Drop In, I wanted to explore the sentiments of attachment to an idealized distant homeland, and the various complexities that come with that. Immigrants (and diaspora) often have to deal with a lot of inner conflict and frequently grapple with a sense of  betrayal for having left their countries. I sought to express this through the action component of the film.

Another aspect of the immigrant experience that I wanted to explore was the concept of ‘code switching,’ and the necessity to override cultural programming in order to fit in. I wanted to explore this particular concept through science fiction, which I incorporated into the last act of the film.

The final inspiration for the project is the current conversation around ‘illegal’ human beings in the form of refugees and undocumented immigrants. What does one have to do to survive and thrive in a land that is essentially not your own? To be braided into a new society, yet not feel like you truly belong? These questions of allegiance and love of homeland, yet the desire for security, are at the heart of this film.

About Naledi Jackson

Naledi Jackson is a writer, director and producer based in Toronto and Los Angeles.

At present, she is a writer and co-producer on the Netflix/CBC drama Anne with an E (season 3). Other screenwriting credits include the Netflix original sci-fi series Another Life, CTV’s detective drama The Detail, CBC’s 21 Thunder and the Netflix horror anthology Slasher.

Naledi’s short film The Drop In premiered at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2017 and was part of TIFF’s Canada Top Ten Festival in 2018.

She is a recipient of grants and awards from BravoFACT, Toronto Arts Council, Harold Greenberg Fund and Toronto After Dark Film Festival. She is also a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards nominee.

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A Latina teen fears being edged out by her closest friends while she trains for a coveted ballet audition.

Creative team

Writer: Anita Abbasi
Directors/producers: Anita Abbasi, Martin Baena

Filmmakers’ statement

As first generation Canadians who grew up in immigrant households, it was important for us to make a film that reflected our experiences and to do so without lionizing or trivializing them.

While stories in the media about immigrants achieving remarkable things may be a positive thing in and of itself, it doesn’t speak to more common experiences and too often runs the risk of becoming escapist. Likewise, while crafting a coming-of-age narrative we wanted to avoid the usual pitfalls of bringing an extraordinary character to life that is misunderstood by her peers. Rather, to highlight these characters’ opposing viewpoints and desires without disparaging them.

The conflict between Mariah and her peers is typical of early adulthood – if the timeline is accelerated for the purposes of our story – friends drift apart as they explore their respective interests and differentiate themselves as individuals. That Mariah feels the need to reconcile this and bridge an impossible gap is completely understandable, if ultimately impossible.

About Anita Abbasi and Martin Baena

Anita is a Montreal-born, Toronto-based filmmaker. Hailing from two disparate immigrant backgrounds, Anita’s work centres on identity and belonging. A lover of cinema since childhood, Anita has a cerebral relationship with film, complicated by her unconditional love of Sylvester Stallone movies.

Her work has shown at KurzFilmFest, Diessen Am Ammersee, Germany (The Talent Scout, 2015), Mexico International Film Festival (Charity Ball, 2010) and COMMFFEST (Raising Our Voice, 2011).

Toronto-based filmmaker Martin Baena is a graduate of Concordia’s film program. Martin’s work can be seen online at The Seventh Art where he served as lead video editor. He also contributes to Screen Rant and Dorkshelf.com.

Past directorial efforts include the post-apocalyptic Soledad (2009), Talent Scout (2015, co-directed with Anita Abbasi) and the short subject travelogue Spool (2015).

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