The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and National Screen Institute (NSI) are teaming up to support emerging Aboriginal filmmakers in the 2014 and 2015 editions of the NSI Aboriginal Documentary course.
Thanks to this new partnership and the NFB Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP), filmmakers participating in the course will travel to the NFB’s headquarters in Montreal to be mentored through post-production processes, including video and audio post-production on the films they create for the NSI Aboriginal Documentary course. These films will later be streamed on the NFB’s award-winning online portal NFB.ca, following their first window on aptn.ca.
Filmmakers will be welcomed to their first day of boot camp by legendary NFB director Alanis Obomsawin, who will share insights and experiences drawn from a pioneering career in documentary cinema, chronicling the lives and concerns of Aboriginal peoples throughout four decades.
This partnership spans a minimum of two years, broadening the range of NFB programs already in place to mentor emerging Aboriginal filmmakers, and contributing to the world-renowned body of work that the NFB has produced with Aboriginal directors over many decades―works that have brought Aboriginal stories and concerns to the screen, changed perceptions and helped improve lives.
“This new initiative is part of an ongoing and sustained commitment at the NFB to Aboriginal and emerging filmmakers,” said Claude Joli-Coeur, Acting Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson. “NSI has built its Aboriginal Documentary into a national program benefiting directors and producers from every part of Canada and we’re excited to be working with them in this effort.”
“Developing emerging Aboriginal filmmakers is a priority of both NFB and NSI,” said NSI CEO John Gill. “NSI trains the NSI Aboriginal Documentary filmmakers through an intensive boot camp and mentorship, and now the NFB will mentor the teams through post-production as they complete their films for broadcast, theatrical and online screens.”
About NSI Aboriginal Documentary
• Now entering its third year, NSI Aboriginal Documentary is a short documentary film training program designed to take emerging Aboriginal filmmakers to the next level of their career. A development launch pad for emerging producer/director teams, the course pairs filmmakers with an industry mentor to help with the final development and production of a 10-minute documentary. Four films have been completed through the NSI Aboriginal Documentary program to date, with four more currently in production.
• The documentaries will air nationally on APTN and stream on aptn.ca and NFB.ca. A trip to the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto is also included, where participants attend screenings, conference sessions and panels and are introduced to industry professionals.
• The call for applications for the next NSI Aboriginal Documentary is open until 4:30 p.m. CT Friday, November 7, 2014.
For the National Screen Institute
Laura Friesen, Communications Coordinator, NSI
Tel.: 204-957-2999
E-mail: laura.friesen@nsi-canada.ca
For the National Film Board of Canada
Pat Dillon
NFB Publicist
Cell: 514-206-1750
E-mail: p.a.dillon@nfb.ca
Twitter: @PatDoftheNFB
Lily Robert
Director, Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs, NFB
Tel.: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca
Renowned for having given many emerging filmmakers, television writers and producers their first breaks, the National Screen Institute provides training and production support through courses like NSI Totally Television, NSI Drama Prize, NSI New Voices, NSI Features First, NSI Aboriginal Documentary and Movie Central Script to Screen. NSI also offers national exposure through the NSI Online Short Film Festival and provides vast resources and support to those in the film, television and digital media industries at nsi-canada.ca.
A world leader in Aboriginal film and digital media, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) marks 75 years of innovation and leadership in social-issue documentaries, auteur animation and groundbreaking interactive works. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 10 Webbys, 9 Canadian Screen Awards, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
