Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Hoda Elatawi (left)

At the National Screen Institute, we’re thrilled to celebrate our alumni and their accomplishments. Through this new segment, Focal Point, we aim to highlight the significant milestones our alumni achieve in their projects and careers.

Congratulations to Hoda Elatawi (NSI Global Marketing), the newest board member of the Youth Media Alliance (YMA).

Hoda, current VP and senior producer at GAPC Entertainment, was one of five new board members announced in late November. YMA aims to enrich the lives of Canadian youth by helping improve the quality of the content created for them on all screen-based media.

Hoda’s previous credits include So You Want to be a Muslim? and Are You Ready?  She also won the award for best director at the 2015 Ottawa Independent Video Awards for her documentary Muneeza in the Middle.

The post Focal Point: Hoda Elatawi named newest board member of the Youth Media Alliance appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Students of 2020 above from top left: Faith Gore, Matthew Tenute, Sarah Carrier, Nathaniel Magbanua; bottom from left: Seth Arcand, Janell Henry, AJ Wastasecoot

The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) warmly congratulates the students graduating from CBC New Indigenous Voices 2020 today, Thursday, December 10.

This year, the 14-week, full-time program – aimed at accelerating the careers of Canada’s Indigenous creators – was redesigned for the realities of 2020. NSI elevated what has historically been a classroom-based learning model to a dynamic, customized online program.

“Faced with the challenges of COVID-19 we wanted to reimagine CBC New Indigenous Voices in a way that still gave students a meaningful and supportive experience,” said NSI program manager Kaya Wheeler. “We’re forever grateful to our industry partners and faculty who worked with our students to develop podcast episodes instead of short films, provided internship opportunities and spent many hours online each day sharing their knowledge and expertise.”

CBC New Indigenous Voices 2020 began in September with an online sharing circle led by Anishnaabe Elder Colin Mosseau with NSI Indigenous programs advisor Lisa Meeches. Today students, faculty and partners will be honoured during an online graduation ceremony and special preview of the podcast episodes created and produced by students as part of training.

Congratulations to this year’s graduates:

• Seth Arcand (Morinville, AB)
• Sarah Carrier (Regina, SK)
• Faith Gore (Winnipeg, MB)
• Janelle Henry (Winnipeg, MB)
• Nathaniel Magbanua (Winnipeg, MB)
• Matthew Tenute (Vancouver, BC)
• AJ Wastasecoot (Winnipeg, MB)

“The pandemic has changed our society in so many ways. In these difficult times we must learn to adapt,” said student Sarah Carrier. “I am grateful for the people from NSI that have worked hard for the students to keep us safe and for making our online learning experience possible.”

“Despite being separated from one another, I already feel like I’ve built meaningful relationships with the other [CBC New Indigenous Voices] students and instructors,” said student Matthew Tenute.

Associate faculty this year included Jordan Wheeler, Jeff Newman, Julie Hackett, Andrew Forbes and Anita Lubosch. A number of alumni returned to NSI to also share their knowledge with this new group of storytellers, including: Shane Belcourt, Justina Neepin, Ryan Cooper and JJ Neepin.

CBC New Indigenous Voices is led by program manager Kaya Wheeler with Indigenous programs and administrative assistant Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill.

Students received minimum wage throughout the full 14 weeks of training.

Students safely interned with program graduates Ryan Cooper and Erica Daniels, filmmaker Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill, Rezolution Pictures, Prairie Dog Film and Television, Karma Films and the Winnipeg Film Group.

CBC New Indigenous Voices is funded by Title, Presenting and Tuition Sponsor CBC; Program Partners Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage, the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD), Telefilm Canada; Indigenous Training Programs Partner Directors Guild of Canada; Supporting Sponsors Corus Entertainment, Super Channel; Provincial Sponsor Manitoba Film & Music; Industry Supporters IATSE Local 856, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Film Training Manitoba; Service Sponsors iSplice Films, Final Draft. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

The post Congratulations to the graduating class of CBC New Indigenous Voices 2020 appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Storytelling is more important than ever as we all face the unique challenges this year has brought us.

Stories entertain, inspire and transform. They remind us of where we come from and where we can go. We need more stories to free our imaginations and open our hearts to create a path of understanding and healing.

To mark the season of giving during December, we’re sharing impact stories from our alumni and board members to show the power of story in action.

Current NSI students are blessed by the commitment of NSI’s Board of Directors – 100% of whom have donated to NSI’s annual fund. Please join them in supporting our students by donating today and making the power of story even more powerful.

Today’s impact story comes from Adam Perry, an NSI Features First alumnus.

Adam, a filmmaker from Prince Edward Island, attended the NSI Features First program in 2016 with his film A Small Fortune. The film is currently in post-production.

Adam’s training helped him with pitching films and the business of filmmaking – but it also gave him a platform to build on his career.

• • •

If you could describe your experience with NSI in three words what would they be, and why?

Insightful because NSI made me aware of just how much I didn’t know about the film and television industries in Canada.

Networking because of all the industry mentors and professionals I’ve connected with over the years but always pointing back to NSI.

Development because of the strategic processes I’ve learned and can apply to stories and business.

How did your training through NSI help you get to the place you’re at in your career today?

Without NSI as a partner and champion for my work, I would not have made the connections that enabled me to write and direct my first feature film, A Small Fortune.

How did your instructors, mentors and peers influence you to become a better storyteller?

I’ve spent the better part of the past 15 years studying how to tell a good story. It wasn’t until my efforts brought me to the doorstep of NSI that my focus changed from how to why. Why am I telling this story? Why me? After understanding the why, the how became so much clearer.

What advice or encouragement would you give a prospective applicant considering NSI programs?

Speaking from a writer’s perspective: enter your projects into screenwriting competitions and, if you can, pay for script notes whenever and wherever you can. I found it quite valuable to have complete strangers interpret my work. Family and friends will lie. Family and friends represent 0.00001% of what you hope your audience will be. Strangers will identify what works and doesn’t work.

But don’t rely on just one opinion, get as many as you can and then compare notes. If there are shared criticisms of your work, chances are your audience will identify these shortcomings too and you know what areas to target in subsequent drafts. Oh, but don’t just write. Read. Research. Do your homework. Then apply to NSI.

What has your career trajectory looked like between when you completed training and now?

Where I come from, nobody has a ‘career’ in film, but we do have trajectory. Don’t get me wrong, I hope to have a career someday, but I’m not driven by employment in film only because I’ve never properly had it!

My trajectory since my time at NSI has put me on a path to getting my first feature film financed, shot, edited and ready for distribution. That may not sound like much to some people, but to me it’s a dream come true after years of suffering for the craft. I still suffer for the craft, but it’s a little easier knowing I’ve got a feature to stand on now.

What was the most transformative part of your learning experience?

I’d say the most transformative part for me is comprehending the business side of making films and television. It’s terrifying to me, and I’d much rather have reliable producers handle those affairs.

What skills did you acquire in your NSI program that you did not have before?

I’ve always been terrible at pitching my ideas to executives, producers, broadcasters and distributors. Since taking the NSI Features First program, I’m now not as terrible!

What project(s) are you currently working on?

Still working on VFX shots for A Small Fortune and developing a few other ideas.

Where can people find out more about your work online?

I don’t really have that much of an online presence yet, but if you Google my name and the words A Small Fortune you might get lucky.

What is your favourite Canadian film / TV show / web series?

This is a tough question because I love many Canadian films for different reasons so I’ll just rhyme off a few films that left an impression on me. The Boys of St Vincent, The Arrow (1997), Hobo with a Shotgun, Weirdos, Luck, Pogey Beach.

The post Adam Perry: NSI put me on the path to directing my first feature film appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Love, Repeat, directed by Shelagh Carter (NSI Drama Prize), will be released digitally and on DVD on December 22.

The romantic comedy – written by and starring Bill Connington – follows a New Yorker as he tries to win back his ex-wife before she marries another man.

The film was acquired by Freestyle Digital Media and is available for pre-order on iTunes.

The post Shelagh Carter’s romantic comedy set for December release appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).