Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Congratulations to Kirsten Carthew whose NSI Features First-developed film The Sun At Midnight won the Prix Carrousel for best feature film, adolescent section, at the Carrousel International Film Festival in Rimouski, Quebec.

The Sun At Midnight tells the story of an unusual friendship between a hunter obsessed with finding a missing caribou herd and a teenage rebel who gets lost while on the run.

Read more about the film’s awards and festival screenings.

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NSI Features First is a development training launch pad for producer/writer teams looking to produce their first or second feature film with strong commercial appeal.

NSI Features First is funded by Presenting Sponsor Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Entertainment One, Super Channel, Corus Entertainment and Breakthrough Entertainment; Provincial Sponsors Creative Saskatchewan and Creative BC through the Daryl Duke and William Vince Scholarship Fund; and Service Sponsor William F. White. NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.

The post NSI Features First-developed The Sun At Midnight wins at Carrousel International Film Festival appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

After receiving his father’s bequest, Luc has difficulty with his roommates accepting a new knick-knack in the living room.

Creative team

Writer: Jonny Scribe
Director: Jonathan Audette
Producer: Mark Aylward

Filmmaker’s statement

This all began in the aftermath of my own father’s death, over a decade ago, when my brother and I were going through his things and we stumbled upon his dentures! My brother jokingly said, “Who would actually keep someone’s dentures?”

I guess my subconscious held on to them and when I wrote the screenplay (I’m also ‘Jonny Scribe’ by the way) I’d established that my tragic character would succumb to his demented father’s dentures, which became the plot device in what drives my character to insanity. The dentures represent his father and, psychologically, the dentures have possessed him for the worst.

I wrote the screenplay in one sitting and, when I sent it to my producer Mark Aylward, he immediately loved it and wanted to make the movie asking me if I wanted to direct it. So I took on the challenge that has now led me here. I’ve never gone to film school yet this movie serves as my ‘student film’ that I may have graduated with had I gone to film school.

My ‘film school’ was watching movies and teaching myself how to write screenplays.

Thanks to Mark and his experienced technical knowledge, we managed to create this professional-looking, classy homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s brand of thriller which I see as an echo of Psycho. Instead of ‘mother’ we have ‘father’ who drives my Norman Bates-like character to homicidal madness.

The funny thing about this is I hadn’t even realised I’d written a Hitchcockian type thriller when I first sent my screenplay to Mark, who made me realize it.

We both then knew we had to shoot this movie in black and white, so … we didn’t!? We shot the movie in colour and later converted it to black and white using the ‘right’ colour palettes and lighting so the transition would have the proper visual aesthetics.

The experiment worked out beautifully, also having taken as many takes per scene as necessary to ensure we had every shot for the editing/actual ‘creation’ of the movie. Seems our end result was a justified gamble.

Overall, why did I write the screenplay in French-Canadian? Well, I’m a bilingual, French-Canadian resident of Canada, born and raised in a mainly French-speaking, small Quebec town and household. I wanted to honour my roots and culture with my first attempt as a movie director (without initially knowing I’d get to direct my screenplay) so, I resolved to use my actual name, Jonathan Audette, as my directorial credit.

I couldn’t be prouder of my first serious attempt as a writer/director with my little thriller (that I’ve affectionately nicknamed “Shorty”) which I feel works as a French-Canadian would-be episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Creating this movie is a milestone to cherish. Everything fell into place, working with my incredibly talented cast and crew who delivered beyond my expectations. It enabled me, an amateur screenwriter, to evolve into a professional/amateur writer/director.

I’m not a religious person yet I feel blessed with the notion that I’ve pulled off a ‘miracle’ with my glorious cast and crew, working with my initial, logical resolve in the creation of this ‘classic silver screen’ piece of fiction.

Set a goal, make it happen!

About Jonathan Audette

Jonathan Audette is a Montreal filmmaker. He comes from a French-Canadian family with English as his second language.

Jonathan wants to create original films that are both influential as well as entertaining in French and English. This is his first film.

The post A Bone to Pick With You appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Rik’s spent the last few years toiling at inadequate firms and he’s desperate to work for a notable company. He finally catches a break when his cousin secures him an interview with her boss, Colin. However, when the interview begins it’s clear that Colin has something else planned for Rik.

Interview is a galvanizing short film where a traditional meeting quickly descends into a tense confrontation around privilege, race and the power of words.

Creative team

Writer: Ahsan Butt
Writer/director: Ryan Kayet
Producer: Dave Gibson

Filmmaker’s statement

Interview was born of a desire to create a rich story from the simplest possible setting.

With that, I challenged myself to make an engaging film based on a purely character-driven narrative with no distractions. It really forces a person to focus on the raw fundamentals of filmmaking.

Working with writer Ahsan Butt, we created two strong characters struggling for dominance in a power dynamic that is both subtle and shifting. I savoured the opportunity to take such a deep interaction and break it down beat by beat to create a vision of how this relationship would play out.

Working closely with two incredible actors to rehearse and perfect their delivery for camera was definitely my favourite part of the project. Richard and Charles were electric on screen and really helped bring my vision to life.

With every project I strive to grow as a filmmaker and create something to be proud of. Interview truly accomplished both of those goals.

About Ryan Kayet

Ryan is an up-and-coming filmmaker who excels as a screenwriter, director and producer.

After receiving high praise for his thesis film, Lurker, Ryan co-founded Riverlife Productions with a desire to focus on strong character-driven narratives.

He has directed the bravoFACT-funded short film One Day at a Time based on the award-winning Canadian play Cancer Can’t Dance Like This, and several music videos that have been featured on Much Music and many websites.

Interview, a dramatic short about race, power and the importance of choosing your words carefully, was funded by the Ontario Arts Council. The short film has recently culminated its festival run, and is currently featured online as a part of the National Screen Institute catalogue.

His most recent project, Cancel the F—ing Internet, is a comedy short film that has just recently begun its festival circuit. Including many notable official selections, it has already been awarded a Runner-Up Audience Choice Award (Cinéfest Sudbury, 2017).

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