Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

A short film disguised as a music video about one man’s quest for knowledge. Shot over the course of a year incorporating all four seasons in Newfoundland.

Creative team

Writer/director/co-producer: Benjamin Noah
Co-producer: Richard Seypka

Filmmaker’s statement

This film was shot with a near $0 budget and a lot of hard grunt work on long, cold days.

It was shot with 99% practical lighting and effects with a first-time crew over the course of a year so as to incorporate all four seasons in Newfoundland.

About Benjamin Noah

Benjamin is a world traveller, voracious reader and film enthusiast.

He recently returned to his home from Istanbul where he was developing a feature script he wrote. This video is the first step to help the funding of that film: The Kidnapping.

He leads the film collective known as ARK FILM. This is his first directorial effort after two years assistant directing for features such as Closet Monster (directed by Stephen Dunn) and the TV show Republic of Doyle.

He did not go to film school, but was self-taught by watching his favourite movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, listening to commentaries by the likes of Ridley Scott, obsessing over Stanley Kubrick and volunteering on shorts since 2012.

A little boy with a great imagination and an even greater secret.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Tymur Markunin

Filmmaker’s statement

The film Phobia was [really] fun to make. It originated from a short story that I wrote many years ago and it was quite a challenge to adapt it to film.

The main character’s phobia can be interpreted both metaphorically and literally.

I think that the theme of the film should be close to the heart of people who suffer from any kind of phobia and also to people who are often misunderstood and feel different.

About Tymur Markunin

Tymur Markunin was born in Ukraine in 1987.

He moved to Canada in 2009 to attend the digital animation program at College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland. He graduated with the President’s Award for academic excellence in 2011.

Tymur’s final [student] film Friends won the best digital character award from Applied Arts Magazine. It also screened at Nickel Film Festival.

In 2014 Tymur moved to Ontario to attend a post-graduate digital character animation program at Sheridan College. He graduated in 2015 and his final film is Phobia.

Avery is convinced she’s from another planet, which is causing some trouble as she adjusts to her new foster placement.

Creative team

Writer/director: Julianna Notten
Producers: Adin Dell, Janet Lee Rose

Filmmaker’s statement

I got the inspiration for Earth to Avery from doing some research into foster children, which is an issue that’s really caught my attention in the last little while.

I know a lot of foster children can sometimes have a hard time developing a proper sense of home which is where the character of Avery – a young girl who believes [she’s] from another planet to which she is trying to return – came from.

I also always knew I wanted the focus to be on Avery and her foster mother, as strong girl and women characters in film are important to me.

About Julianna Notten

Julianna Notten is an up-and-coming writer/director born and based in Toronto.

Recently graduated from Ryerson University with her BFA in film studies, Julianna has directed a number of documentary and narrative projects including Sexpectations (2013) and The Beginner’s Guide To Suicide (2014), both of which won various awards throughout her time at Ryerson.

Her work often deals with everyday dramas and the impact of human relationships. She specifically likes to deal with female protagonists, having grown tired of a lack of well-developed female representation in mainstream movies.