Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Masters in Crime

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 09:04 AM PDT

A small-time thief assembles a crew of accomplices and devises an intricate heist that will cement his reputation as a criminal mastermind.

Creative team

Writers: Devin Knowles, Owen Roth
Director: Devin Knowles
Producers: Owen Roth, Evan Bellam
Executive producer: P.J. Lee
Starring: Owen Roth, Mena Massoud, Ayinde Blake, Stephanie McKenzie

Filmmakers’ statement

Masters in Crime is the dynamic result of a collaboration between Devin Knowles and Owen Roth. Our desire was to create an original, comedic and entertaining heist film that would reflect deeper themes prevalent in today’s world.

Like most millennials, the film’s protagonist Hank Franklin has difficulty focusing his attention on a specific goal and, for an aspiring criminal mastermind, this is a problem. Through the lens of crime, the film grapples with many of the generational issues of today’s world: establishing yourself, blind ambition, struggling with the pressure of expectations and the heightened competition among peers.

Heavily influenced by classic heist and caper films, the genre not only gave us a clear narrative structure but also provided creative guidance in the form of its tropes and clichés to either embrace or subvert. In most cases, our goal was to do both.

Complete with its own three-act structure, including a prologue and even a montage, Masters in Crime distinguishes itself as truly a short film with the heart of a feature. – Devin Knowles and Owen Roth

About Devin Knowles

Devin Knowles is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario and attended several media arts intensive courses throughout secondary school before graduating from Queen’s University with a BA honours in film and media.

During his time at Queen’s, he met future collaborators Owen Roth, Evan Bellam and P.J. Lee. Prior to co-writing and directing Masters in Crime, Devin served as a contributing writer and creative consultant on Owen and Evan’s comedic series Cut to the Chase.

He is currently based in Toronto and is developing future projects with Owen Roth under the production banner Fountaine Pictures.

About Owen Roth

Owen Roth is a Toronto-born actor and filmmaker. He began his acting career as a lead on the YTV series System Crash, a youth comedy sketch show that ran for four seasons. Owen continued his professional career appearing in various film projects, MOWs and TV programs, including Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass, CTV/CBS’s Flashpoint and, most recently, Freeform/Netflix’s Shadowhunters.

In addition to acting, Owen graduated from the Queen’s University film program where he was also a teaching assistant.

Owen prides himself on being a fastidious filmmaker, writing, producing and editing independent projects he often stars in, such as the eight-episode comedic web series Cut to the Chase, as well as Masters in Crime.

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Royal Blood

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:55 AM PDT

A privileged young woman tries to find the compassionate higher ground when she is torn between the narcissistic insecurities of her former beauty queen mother, and The Queen, a mentally ill homeless woman who puts on regal airs.

Creative team

Writer: Richard Scarsbrook
Director/producer: Benjamin Rouse

Filmmaker’s statement

I was drawn to the script for Royal Blood for its vibrant characters and artful exploration of difficult subject matter. The story, by author Richard Scarsbrook, explores mental illness across socioeconomic demographics.

Our main characters are coping with difficult problems that spring from their circumstances, life choices, insecurities and underlying mental health issues. Through the interaction of these characters we hope the film will draw attention to the indiscriminate nature of mental illness, and demonstrate that engaging through acts of kindness can provide reprieve – leading to a more compassionate and understanding world.

About Benjamin Rouse

Coming of age on a farm in rural Ontario, Benjamin Rouse was inspired to make his first film at the age of 13. This exploration in visual storytelling became the catalyst for his future career in film.

Before teaching himself the art of filmmaking, Benjamin pursued sports and academics, becoming an Academic All Canadian at the University of Toronto.

While studying environmental sciences, he was scouted as a model. This new path afforded him the opportunity to travel the world extensively, taking in new cultures and developing new perspectives. Eventually landing in New York City, Benjamin decided media production would be a lifelong passion.

Through his production company, Resolve Films, Benjamin has written, directed and produced factual films and series including Sailing Around the World (Documentary Channel, Nautical Channel, etc.) and Band Foto (Bite TV, Aux TV).

An award-winning filmmaker, Benjamin has directed short films such as Royal Blood and Adam’s Day, screening at film festivals internationally, including Milton Film Festival, Grand River International Film Festival and Sao Paulo International Film Festival.

Inspired to experiment with all elements of the craft, Benjamin started a commercial division, Resolve Media, through which he has produced and directed commercial media for clients across various sectors including Reitmans, HTC, Suzy Shier, Trillium Health Partners, Reader’s Digest, FILA, Marc Jacobs, NOS Energy Drink, Morningstar and Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Benjamin has built a talented team of media professionals and is excited to focus on developing a slate of feature films and TV series. With a drive to explore and establish new creative composition techniques and a love for a strong script, Benjamin aspires to create and nurture projects that become classics, withstanding the test of time. Every project is an opportunity to utilize his experience and push his creativity and skill set to a new level.

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Curbside Haute Cuisine

Posted: 18 Jul 2019 08:48 AM PDT

An upbeat, tasty documentary on the west coast food truck industry.

Speaking with a variety of people from chefs and food truck owners and operators to city officials and avid food truck food eaters, this documentary serves up delightful food truck facts and fun.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Kate Weiss

About Kate Weiss

Kate Weiss is a longtime film and television industry professional and a Directors Guild of Canada member for more than 20 years.

After decades in the movie business Kate returned to school to complete a master of arts in professional communication at Royal Roads University in her home town of Victoria, British Columbia.

Curbside Haute Cuisine is her ethnographic documentary thesis. It received the public ethnography award as well as the Lorna Malcolmson Memorial Award.

The response from the academic community toward the film has been overwhelmingly positive. Reviews include highlights such as: “Possibly one of the best research-based documentaries I have ever seen” (Phillip Vannini, Canada Research Chair) and “It is ahead of the times in how it taps into the sensory zeitgeist currently emerging in discussions around sensory studies and video ethnography/methods” (Dr. David Redmon, Carnivalesque Films).

When Kate is not running a set or working on scripts she’s enjoying the west coast street food scene and west coast lifestyle.

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