Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

NSI alumnus Josh Epstein: NSI trained us, gave us incredible resources and supported our projects long after they were made

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 01:09 PM PST

At the National Screen Institute, we’re blessed to see firsthand the difference training makes in the lives of storytellers. On our website throughout December we’re sharing impact stories from many of our talented alumni who’ve told us how NSI training transformed their lives and careers.

Today’s featured alumnus is Josh Epstein who, along with his creative partner Kyle Rideout, has taken a trifecta of NSI training programs: NSI Drama Prize, NSI Features First and NSI Totally Television. The pair developed the award-winning film Adventures in Public School through NSI Features First which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2017.

Josh is an actor, producer and writer.

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Josh says, “NSI trained us, gave us incredible resources, took us to Banff and supported our projects long after they were made.

It was so useful we kept coming back to do all their programs. It gave us an opportunity to shore up weak aspects of our projects and re-affirm the strong ones.

We met agents, production companies, broadcasters and other writer/director/producer teams that we still work with today and all those work trips have probably lent a great hand in strengthening the working relationship I have with Kyle.

Even just applying forces you to make decisions on your project, gather deliverables and find your key themes and statements that you want to focus on.

Kyle and I have sold three feature pitches this year which we are currently writing including one to Paramount Pictures.”

Follow Josh on Instagram.

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Keep the story going and donate today

At NSI, we’re passionate about nurturing storytellers because stories connect us all.

Please consider a donation to support our students as part of your charitable giving. Big or small, your gift will provide value-added essentials that enhance their training experience.

For as little as $10, you can help fund an item from the NSI Gift Guide. Things like a weekly bus pass, the cost of hiring a van for a student trip, food for a traditional feast or help hiring a mentor are all ways you can help.

Tax receipts are issued for all gifts. Thank you for considering a donation.

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Meet the 2020 NSI IndigiDocs students

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 08:20 AM PST

Top row: Miranda Currie, Olivia Golosky, Peter Brass, Rachel Beaulieu; bottom row: Steven Davies, Erica Daniels, Heather Condo, Jarret Twoyoungmen

Winnipeg – National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)

We’re thrilled to announce the students selected to the latest edition of the NSI IndigiDocs training course. Beginning in February 2020, participants will develop their documentaries with training sessions and mentorship from Canada’s most respected documentarians.

Selected students and their projects

Students will work with director advisor Shane Belcourt (Red Rover, Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier), producer advisor and program alumna Michelle St. John (Merchants of the Wild, Colonization Road) program manager Elise Swerhone and associate program manager Kaya Wheeler. Lisa Meeches is NSI’s Indigenous training programs advisor.

“We received a record number of applications this year,” said Elise Swerhone, NSI IndigiDocs program manager. “The jury had to make some tough decisions but we’re confident these storytellers and their projects will make a significant impact on audiences around the world. We’re really excited to work with them.”

“APTN has been involved with NSI IndigiDocs since the course began in 2012,” said Monika Ille, APTN CEO. “It’s important for the network to support emerging talent and the return on our investment in this program has been amazing. Graduates have continued working with us and pitching their projects, creating thought-provoking content for our audiences.”

NSI IndigiDocs is a two-phase, distance learning program providing training, mentorship and film production.

In phase 1, students attend a 12-day boot camp in Winnipeg to learn about writing, producing and directing, and will develop a script for their documentary idea. At the end of phase 1 all students will have a market-ready film proposal.

A jury then chooses up to four students from phase 1 to go into production (phase 2). Students receive a cash award of up to $16K and approximately $10K of in-kind services. Each student is paired with an industry mentor to help with development and production. However, students will work in their own community for the majority of the time.

Phase 2 students also attend Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto and work with the National Film Board of Canada for their final post. Completed films will be packaged as a one-hour special for APTN and individual films will be available on documentary channel, nfb.ca and nsifilms.ca.

“[This is] an amazing opportunity to bring your film project to life, with incredible support and funding to complete it. The mentoring and full engagement with staff and fellow students isn’t something you will always receive in the field, so it provides an incredible learning experience. The networking opportunities that NSI facilitates throughout the course are so valuable,” said Michele Mundy who produced the award-winning documentary Leave it on the Water through NSI IndigiDocs with director Steve Sxwithul’txw.

Films made through the course have screened at festivals throughout Canada and internationally. ahkâmêyimo nitânis | Keep Going My Daughter had its world premiere at the 2019 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Cedar: Tree of Life screened at the American Museum of National History’s Margaret Mead Film Festival (2018), Arica Nativa Film Festival in Chile (2018) and won the programmer’s choice Canadian short documentary award at Edmonton International Film Festival (2018). Leave It On the Water screened at Māoriland Film Festival (2019), Seattle International Film Festival (2019) and won outstanding documentary film at CineVic’s Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival in Victoria, BC (2019). A number of films made through the course have also screened at imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, including ahkâmêyimo nitânis | Keep Going My Daughter, When the Children Left, Leave It On The Water, Nosisim (My Grandchild), Lost Moccasin, Cedar: Tree of Life and many more.

NSI IndigiDocs is funded by Program Partners APTN, Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and RBC Emerging Artists Project; Indigenous Training Programs Partner Directors Guild of Canada (DGC); Boot Camp Presenting Sponsor Manitoba Film & Music; Strategic Sponsor documentary Channel; Supporting Sponsors Telefilm Canada, Super Channel, CBC Gem and Corus Entertainment; Provincial Sponsors Manitoba Film & Music and Creative BC through the Daryl Duke and William Vince Scholarship Fund; Industry Partner the National Film Board of Canada; Industry Supporters imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Service Sponsor Line 21 Media. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council. More sponsors to be added as confirmed.

Meet this year’s participants

Miranda Currie

Miranda is a northern Indigenous artist living and working in Sombe K’e, more widely known as Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, among the Dene people. She walks in two worlds: with one foot in her Swampy Cree heritage and the other in her Euro-­Canadian ancestry.

As an emerging filmmaker, Miranda creates northern Indigenous content that seeks to positively influence the Indigenous narrative in Canada.

Using her experience as an outdoor educator and wilderness guide she strives to make outdoor adventure films that are accessible to children and families. She is credited as a teacher, musician and children’s author and will graduate from the University of Victoria’s Indigenous language revitalization program in March 2020.

She lives in a cozy shack on the shores of the Great Slave Lake with her two favourite sled dogs, Niyanin and Ellesmere.

Olivia Golosky

A proud Métis, Olivia is a non-binary Two-Spirit filmmaker and writer. Hailing from Nistawâyâw (Fort McMurray), Treaty 8, their background is in film, theatre, radio and music festival production. Their writings have been published in the Canadian Theatre Review and Red Rising Magazine, the Métis issue.

Their script, Wihtiko, can be found through the Alberta Playwrights Network. Their most recent work credits include: Nite Ride (producer/writer/co-director), Experimental Forest Films/Violator Films’ The Body Remembers When The World Broke Open (producer mentee) and Suitaakii Black’s A Love Letter To My Unborn Child (head of wardrobe/audio engineer).

Currently, Olivia is in development on a documentary about Portland’s premier Two-Spirit drag clown, Carla Rossi, with Rylan Friday.

Their focus and passion in storytelling is to uplift and showcase QT-BIPOC voices through lenses of radical joy, self-love, empowerment and futurism.

Peter Brass

Peter is Saulteaux video artist and filmmaker from the Peepeekisis First Nations. He currently lives in Regina, SK with his wife and two children.

Peter received his master’s degree in creative writing (screenwriting) from the Institute of American Indian Art. His work has screened at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival (Toronto), Prairie Scene Festival (Ottawa), and various galleries.

Thematically, Peter has dealt with the notions of loss, redemption, justice and identity to name but a few. Using both humour and drama, he has attempted to present these themes in such a way as to not draw conclusions but rather to offer insight into experiences.

Rachel Beaulieu

Rachel (Anishinaabekwe) is from Sandy Bay First Nation in southern Manitoba. She graduated in 2010 from Assiniboine Community College with a diploma in media production, winning two awards for her recognized talent.

Since graduation, Rachel has focused her creative energy on learning directing for film and television content. Her work is influenced by her unique perspective as a First Nations woman and aims to make space for creators with a diverse vision.

Recently, Rachel held a spot as a finalist in Women in the Director’s Chair, Short Works Lab (2018), and also saw success as her first film, Red River Roots, debuted at both LA Skins Fest (Hollywood), and Gimli Film Festival (2018).

Set to debut in mid-December 2019, Songs in the Key of Cree, a behind-the-scenes film guided by Cree playwright Tomson Highway, will highlight Rachel’s expertise as a director.

Dedicated to the success of Indigenous Peoples, Rachel works at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc. (MFNERC), creating original content for cultural and educational purposes.

Steven Davies

Steven Thomas Davies is a Coast Salish filmmaker of Snuneymuxw and European descent who was born and raised in the traditional territories of the Lekwungen speaking peoples (now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt), W̱SÁNEĆ and the Salish Sea.

He makes films and media art that centre [around] spiritual, cultural and political themes, to reconnect with Indigenous histories and epistemologies to educate himself and others.

Steven feels a huge responsibility to the artists, knowledge keepers and cultural leaders that have mentored and supported his growth, and the individuals whose voices and actions are shared in his work.

He will graduate with an MFA in visual arts from UBC Okanagan in 2020 and is greatly looking forward to the networking and mentorship components of NSI IndigiDocs.

Erica Daniels

Erica is Cree/Ojibway from Peguis First Nation. She is a proud mother, multi-award winning filmmaker and owner of Kejic Productions providing video production, photography and graphic design.

Erica started her journey through a multimedia program called Just TV and is an alumna of the CBC New Indigenous Voices program, presented by NSI.

Erica recently won the first ever Indigenous Film Award at Manito Ahbee Festival 2019. Her most recent film, Run As One – The Journey of the Front Runners has been shared in film festivals across the globe, won two Golden Sheaf Awards and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and Banff World Media Festival Award.

Along with her passion for storytelling, Erica is also passionate about working with Indigenous youth in her community by reconnecting them to their culture and identity. Erica currently runs a cultural program at the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre and mentors youth in video production.

The beauty of her culture continually inspires Erica’s work and motivates her to share the knowledge of her elders for future generations.

Heather Condo

Heather is a member of Gesgapegiag, a First Nation community on the Gaspé coast in the province of Quebec. Although she was born in Quebec she grew up in Massachusetts. Close to 15 years ago she moved back to the community; she had only visited in the summers with her three children.

She works full time at the Gesgapegiags health centre as a medical archivist.

Heather found an unexpected start in film when her first short film, made with Wapikoni Mobile in 2016, went to Sundance Film Festival in January 2017. The film opened for a film produced by Robert Redford and has since travelled around the world to many festivals.

In 2018, she was approached by Rezolution Pictures to work as a trainee director on a project in another Miꞌkmaq First Nation community near her home. This project is in post production and will be seen on APTN in 2020.

Her goals are to bring First Nation, Miꞌkmaq stories to light with film. Although she doesn’t have an extensive background in film she’s been encouraged by industry professionals to keep going.

Heather is excited and honoured to have been chosen to participate in NSI IndigiDocs. She knows what an incredible opportunity it is and all the beneficial teachings she will receive from it.

Jarret Twoyoungmen

Jarret is an emerging filmmaker whose passion is improving the lives of members of his community.

He has training and experience in animation, sound engineering, voice acting, editing and directing.

He co-founded the Nakoda AV Club which is dedicated to helping people tell their own stories through film animation and audio visual arts. He is a director for the club, and is instrumental in the organization’s ability to connect with youth and elders, and to tell stories in a traditional way.

Jarret enjoys making music, spending time outdoors and lives on the Morley Reserve, west of Calgary.

Keep the story going and donate today

At NSI, we’re passionate about nurturing storytellers because stories connect us all.

Please consider a donation to support these talented students as part of your charitable giving. Big or small, your gift will provide value-added essentials that enhance their training experience.

Tax receipts are issued for all gifts. Thank you for considering a donation.

About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)

The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) is a charitable, not-for-profit organization. Renowned for having given many content creators their first breaks, NSI provides customized training, mentorship and production support through courses like NSI Totally Television, CBC New Indigenous Voices presented by NSI, NSI Features First, NSI IndigiDocs, NSI New Northern Voices and TELUS STORYHIVE.

All media enquiries

Liz Hover, Director, Communications
Tel: 204-957-8481 or email: liz.hover@nsi-canada.ca

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