Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Submissions are now open for the 11th annual Lindalee Tracey Award. The award celebrates emerging Canadian filmmakers and is open to emerging artists. The submission deadline is March 17, 2017

In 2007, the first Lindalee Tracey Award was presented to NSI Drama Prize alumnus Trevor Anderson for his film Rock Pockets.

To be eligible for the Lindalee Tracey Award you must be an emerging artist – an individual with less than five years of training or experience in media arts which can be formal (university or college studies) or informal (production courses, workshops, hands-on experience in production, etc.). The emerging artist must also have completed at least one independent film or video, excluding school film projects.

About Lindalee

Lindalee Tracey was an award-winning filmmaker, author, entertainer and mother. Through her extensive body of work and indefatigable personality, Lindalee brought great joy to the world.

She was passionate about bringing issues of social justice into her work, and championed people who are often ignored, underestimated or forgotten. Equally, she celebrated those who rise above disadvantage.

Lindalee passed away on October 19, 2006, at age 49, after a five-year battle with breast cancer. At the time of her passing, Lindalee’s family, friends and admirers created this award in her honour.

The award

The 2017 award winner will be announced at the Hot Docs awards night on Friday, May 5.

The winner receives $5,000 in cash from the Lindalee Tracey Fund, $5,000 in post-production services from Technicolor and a beautiful hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz, specially commissioned to honour Lindalee.

For full details about the submission process, please visit the official Lindalee Tracey Award website.

$4,750 in cash awards are available to be won through the National Screen Institute’s Online Short Film Festival. Films are accepted exclusively through FilmFreeway until Friday, March 24, 2017.

Films that meet award criteria are eligible for the $1,250 A&E Short Filmmakers Award, the $1,000 Brian Linehan Actors Award and the $1,000 Corus Fearless Female Director Award. These awards are presented four times a year. The $1,500 Blue Ant Media Documentary Award is presented twice a year. Read more about the awards.

How to submit your film.

Entries must be under 30 minutes – the shorter the better. Drama, comedy, animation, documentary, sci-fi, horror, music video and experimental are all eligible but must be made by a Canadian writer, director or producer. The festival accepts films released after January 1, 2012.

The NSI Online Short Film Festival is a year-round Canadian short film showcase with new films added every week. The festival has programmed hundreds of films, many of which are available to watch in the archives.

All NSI Online Short Film Festival winners receive a complimentary Friend membership for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

The NSI Online Short Film Festival is made possible through the support of Festival Partner Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Corus Entertainment, Blue Ant Media, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation and Breakthrough Entertainment; Award Sponsors A&E Television Networks, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, Corus Entertainment and Blue Ant Media; and Industry Partner the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

All media enquiries

Laura Friesen, Manager, Communications & Alumni Relations
Phone: 204.957.2999 or email: laura.friesen@nsi-canada.ca

Harvey finds a connection with one of his female examiners in an extremely awkward situation at a testing facility.

Creative team

Writers: Ken C. Ogasawara, Jonathan Steckley
Director: Jonathan Steckley
Producers: Ken C. Ogasawara, Francis Coral Mellon, Nathan Steckley Leis

Filmmaker’s statement

I usually make super serious dramas that are sad and depressing, so when Pit came along it was a breath of fresh air. Making a comedy was a blast!

I was surprised at how many women auditioned for the role of examiner. I had to confirm that they knew what they were getting into – they did, and they were champs.

Initially I wanted a red light flashing as these poor souls were being examined and spoken to in a broken German accent but it felt too much like a bizarre concentration camp so we ended up putting everything in B&W and replacing the broken German accent.

Shooting took place in an old high school over a weekend. I had to shoot everything out of order because most of the cast could only make it out on the first day. It became a bit tricky in terms of staging actors and keeping up with the right takes.

It’s a great privilege to be making films and huge thanks goes out to the men and women who made this weird little shoot a fun production.

About Jonathan Steckley

Jonathan attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem where he graduated in film design and art direction.

During that time he art directed and production designed various short films such as Newton (a student Academy Award nominee) and Fallout, and worked on the Academy Award-winning Two Soldiers by Aaron Schneider.

In 2006, he switched gears and directed a feature-length documentary, Crokinole. He later co-founded Rosco Films, a Canadian-based production company.

His first narrative feature, The Volunteer, premiered at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival 2014.

A point-of-view narrative that follows Sam as he reminisces on his past with Riley.

When Sam finally gets to the memory of their breakup, the story unexpectedly switches point of view and another doomed relationship starts all over again.

Creative team

Writers: Marc Pannia, Lilianna Wilde
Director: Marc Pannia
Producers: Lori Pannia, Greg Pannia

Filmmaker’s statement

OverAgain explores how we create idealized versions of our past that often lead us to miss the good things in front of us because of the fantasy behind us.

Narrated by Sam (Sam Krumrine), he reminisces on a romanticized history during his breakup with Riley (Riley Dandy). Lines blur between fact and fiction – is this how the relationship really was or is this just how Sam wants to remember it?

Although the film is written and directed through the eyes of young adults navigating modern dating, the reach feels much larger than that. Anyone who at one time has wondered, “What if it didn’t end?” can find a moment in the film they connect with.

I wouldn’t put an age, gender or demographic on it. If you’ve been through a breakup and struggled to move past it, OverAgain will resonate.

About Marc Pannia

Marc’s background in advertising and public relations led him to Los Angeles in 2014 where he began his pursuit of filmmaking.

Marc co-wrote and directed his first short OverAgain which won the Las Vegas International Film Festival’s wildcard award in 2016.

As a writer and director, Marc is in the final stages of post-production on two more shorts, The Visitor and The Last Bookstore for 2017.

He is currently in pre-production on two music videos for artist Lilianna Wilde’s upcoming singles, King and Hollywood Hills.

A young couple is expecting their first child.

After the pregnancy test reveals the baby will be gay, the woman decides she doesn’t want the baby anymore.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer: Julian Liurette

Filmmaker’s statement

Life is about choices. How do you know you are making the right one?

Being gay myself, I find the question of difference fascinating. Could medical tests eventually anticipate sexual orientation? If so, what would you decide if you discovered your son was going to be gay?

The book Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon inspired me to come up with this story.

About Julian Liurette

Julian Liurette was raised in Paris and graduated from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal.

He was nominated for an Emmy award for his work as editor for a major multimedia project by The Globe and Mail called Inside Hamas.

Julian is a director, script writer and composer and is currently based in Toronto.