Call for submissions: 44th Festival du nouveau cinéma

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2015

Montreal's Festival du nouveau cinéma has announced a call for submissions for their 44th edition of the festival. They are looking for films, interactive works and performances for the next festival which will run from October 7 to 18, 2015 in Montreal.

The Festival du nouveau cinéma is committed to the exploration and development of new practices in cinema and new media. It is a premiere showcase for original and brand-new works, particularly in the fields of independent cinema and digital creation. The Festival du nouveau cinéma’s calling card is its rigorous and diverse programming, consistently presenting high-quality and often unseen works selected for their originality and innovation. The FNC has always developed in tandem with evolving practices and trends in cinema, and equipped with high-tech screening and presentation facilities, it has earned an international reputation as a leading-edge festival.

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announces final 2015 Canadian Screen Awards winners

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce that 43 Canadian Screen Awards were presented tonight during the pre-show and the CBC Broadcast Gala, hosted LIVE by comedy legend Andrea Martin from the gorgeous Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

“Tonight we celebrate our country’s brightest and best in film, television and digital media at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards,” says Academy CEO Helga Stephenson. “We sincerely congratulate all of the nominees and winners. And we would especially like to thank the fans who voted for this year’s Fan’s Choice winner as well as the loyal fans who catapulated the most-watched drama and reality shows to win our new Golden Screen Awards for Television.”

“Our film, TV and digital media inform and entertain us – but more than that; they reflect who we are to one another and to the world,” says Academy Chair, Martin Katz. “We at the Academy are the only organization that reflects all the people working in our industries in front of and behind the camera, above and below the line – working in French and English across the country.”

2015 Canadian Screen Awards – Winners in News & Sports, Documentary, Lifestyle, Reality and Digital Media

by Allan Tong

The first round of Canadian Screen Awards were handed out last night at a gala dinner, celebrating 46 categories in news, factual television and some digital media. The event was hosted by comedian Darrin Rose at the Sheraton Centre Toronto. Highlights include:

Our Man in Tehran which captured Best Direction in a Documentary Program by Drew Taylor and Larry Weinstein as well as best documentary program and Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program or Series for Steve Weslak and Best Sound in that category. It won all five categories for which it was nominated.

HGTV's Income Property winning Best Lifestyle or Talk Program or Series and Best Direction in a Lifestyle/Practical Information Program or Series.

CBC News: Toronto capturing Best Local Newscast, including co-anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake (pictured here).

2014 Canadian Screen Awards – nominations

The 2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS nominees in film, television and digital media were announced today by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

“We are exceedingly proud today to reveal the nominees for the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards,” says Academy Chair Martin Katz. “This was a year marked by a record-breaking number of submissions, reflecting a robust level of activity in the screen-based industries in Canada which we will celebrate during Canadian Screen Week, March 3-9. Congratulations to all,” says Katz.

“2014 marks 65 years of celebrating leading talent in Canada: first film, then television and now digital media...with the greatest Canadian stars in our history gracing our awards year after year,” says Academy CEO Helga Stephenson. “From Mary Pickford to Martin Short, we have been blessed with the best, a tradition we intend to carry forward,” adds Stephenson. “Congratulations to all the nominees, you have already won.”

2013 Festival du nouveau cinéma announces complete programming

This morning at a press conference at the Agora Hydro-Québec in UQAM’s Cœur des sciences, the Festival du nouveau cinéma announced its full programming for the 42nd annual edition. It promises to be another exciting year for what has fast become Montreal's preeminent film festival.

Among the works programmed this year is a web documentary I directed called Jazz Petite-Bourgogne (or Burgundy Jazz. It is presented in the FNC Lab section for "experimental, expanded and multidisciplinary cinematic forms at the crossroads of cinema, art and new technologies." Jazz Petite-Bourgogne explores the rich history of Montreal's jazz scene from the perspective of the black community in the neighbourhood called Little Burgundy or Petite-Bourgogne (formerly called St-Antoine or St-Henri).

The 42nd Festival du nouveau cinéma presents 273 films from October 9–20 at various venues around downtown Montreal.

Watch the interactive documentary Burgundy Jazz online for free

Today is the official opening day for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the world's largest jazz festival. To get into the spirit of things, check out the interactive documentary I directed called Burgundy Jazz that launched last week to great fanfare.

Burgundy Jazz is an exploration of the rich history of jazz in Montreal in the decades before the festival, with a focus on the black community that was centred in the area now called Petite-Bourgogne or Little Burgundy. You'll discover many new things about Montreal and jazz, and hear about personalities such as Oliver Jones, Nelson Symonds, the International Band, the Sealey Brothers, Charlie Biddle and of course Montreal's most celebrated jazz star Oscar Peterson.

Launch event for Burgundy Jazz, June 19

Tomorrow night, there will be a launch event for the interactive documentary Burgundy Jazz, a project I've been working on for the last two years (and why I haven't posted much in the last while).

Burgundy Jazz is about the rich history of jazz in Montreal from the perspective of the black community in Little Burgundy. It reaches back to Prohibition and earlier, and explores how Montreal became a jazz hotspot in the early years – how headquarters set up in Montreal by Grand Trunk Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway attracted black workers at a time when train travel was luxurious and being a porter was the best job available to blacks; and how the rejection of Prohibition in Quebec led to Montreal being the only major city in Canada or the U.S. to legally drink, which attracted tourists for drinking, dancing, gambling, prostitution – and jazz.

Call for submissions: NFB's Highrise project

The New York Times Opinion Pages Announces New Op-Doc Series on High-Rise Living in Collaboration with
the National Film Board of Canada

NEW YORK, March 10, 2013 – The New York Times Opinion Pages today announced a new multiplatform interactive series of Op-Docs in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of its ongoing HIGHRISE project. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE HIGHRISE will premiere this summer on NYTimes.com and subsequently on NFB.ca/highrise.

The series, an interactive project comprised of four short documentaries, explores the history and future of high-rise buildings and their relationship to issues of equity, segregation and social responsibility in cities around the world

Call for submissions: Connect the Docs

A call for submissions has been announced by the Cuban Hat Project in conjunction with the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival for transmedia and interactive documentary projects to pitch at the upcoming edition of Hot Docs.

Connect the Docs is open to all Canadians with an idea for a documentary that uses non-traditional media. Applicants can submit a 3-minute video pitch online. Selected participants will receive the opportunity to present their idea at Hot Docs, as well as possibly win cash plus goods and services.

The deadline for submissions is March 22. A pre-selection committee will then select 12 projects that will be put online from March 29 to April 12 for viewing and public voting. The top five teams will then be given a free accreditation to attend the Hot Docs Industry Conference and will pitch their projects live to an audience of delegates and industry professionals.

2012 Festival Les HTMlles, Nov 10-18

The women's artist-run centre Studio XX launches their 10th edition of the Festival Les HTMlles Festival féministe d'arts médiatiques + de culture numérique (Feminist festival of media arts + digital culture) tonight with an open house. The festival name HTMlles is a clever wordplay on "html" and the French word "elles."

The two floors of the 4001 Berri space will be animated by the festival partners and artists as part of an open house exhibition, Risky Business. There will be a launch of a special double issue of the electronic periodical .dpi, featuring a one-time-only print component at the occasion of the anniversary of The HTMlles. The evening also includes Oboro's Sound Saloon featuring Alexis O'Hara, art performances at the GIV, a projection/installation in CQAM’s window, and 360 degree photos by Time Code and Orangium. Finally, there will be a performance The Ultimate Company – Dominations, risques, profits by Franco-Belgian artist Valérie Cordy

Festival du nouveau cinéma 2012, Oct 10-21

The 41st Annual Festival du nouveau cinéma begins tonight with the Opening Night Gala screening Small Blind (La Mise à l’aveugle) by Quebec's Simon Galiero. The screening will be the film's world premiere. Galiero will be in attendance as will crew members including Micheline Bernard, Louis Sincenne, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Christine Beaulieu and Julien Poulin.

The Closing Night Gala will be French actress/director Noémie Lvovsky’s comedy Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble). It won the SACD Award (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) during the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2012 festival de Cannes and the Variety Piazza Grande Award at the 65th Locarno International Film Festival.

Over the next twelve days, the FNC will screen 288 films from 52 countries, 41 of which are world premieres. In addition, they have 4 international premieres, 66 North-American premieres and 39 Canadian premieres. The festival will pay tribute to a number of filmmakers with retrospectives, including the late Chris Marker. And the FNC Lab section will again highlight experimental and cutting edge works with installations/performances, films, interactive works/Web projects and lectures.

North by Northeast (NXNE), June 11-17

The 2012 North by Northeast (NXNE) Festival begins today. It is a festival that features music, film and interactive sections, both shows for the public and an industry component for artists.

Hundred of musicians will be performing over the next week including John Maus, Eight and a Half, Bad Religion, Plants and Animals, METZ, Ceremony and The Men.

NXNE is featuring over 40 films this year, including feature-length docs, shorts, and music videos. The films cover an array of topics - whether its following the story's of unique and influential bands from a variety of genres, chatting with music and literary icons, or exploring themes of growing up, getting old, or being gay - NXNE has a film for everyone.

CMPA, Bell Fund partner on digital media mentorship program

The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund are proud to announce their exciting new collaboration in the form of a mentorship program that focuses on providing hands-on training opportunities for digital media producers.

Working with an independent production company, participants of this new initiative will develop their technical, business and creative acumen in the digital content production sector. The program emphasizes one-on-one mentoring provided by seasoned producers, and creating enhanced professional development opportunities in a digital media environment.

“In today’s ‘digital age’ it is becoming more and more important for producers to take advantage of the incredible opportunities presented by new technology and innovations”, said Susanne Vaas, VP of Business Affairs & Recording Secretary, CMPA. “We are very pleased to work with the Bell Fund to help producers develop their digital production skills.”

2012 FITC Toronto, Apr 23–25

After a day of Sunday workshops, Monday April 23 marks the opening of FITC Toronto 2012, The Digital Technology Festival. FITC stands for Future, Innovation, Technology, Creativity and is a art, design and technology conference that takes place in cities around the world including Tokyo, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.

The conference includes workshops, lectures and panels, and offers over seventy guest speakers. Highlights include Through the Shredder: The Magic Behind Making Abstract 3D Portraits with Ayaka Ito and Randy Church; The Future of HTML5 Motion Design with Mark Anders; Kinect-Based MoCap for After Effects with Nick Fox-Gieg; and BLA BLA: Making a Film for Computer with Vincent Morisset.

TIFF Nexus Women in Film, Games and New Media Day

TIFF presented the first ever TIFF Nexus conference on October 28 that explored locative media. Now they're back with their second conference that focuses on the women's market.

Presented in partnership with Women in Film & Television – Toronto (WIFT-T), Women in Film, Games and New Media is a one-day conference that explores gaming, digital media and film with an emphasis on creative opportunities and analysis of sectoral gaps.

The event will be hosted by Nora Young. She is the host and creator of Spark, a show about technology and culture that airs nationally on CBC Radio.

The featured speakers Leigh Alexander, game culture journalist and editor at large for Gamasutra; Kate Hartman, Assistant Professor at OCAD University; Mare Sheppard, President of Metanet Software; Kirsten Forbes, COO of Silicon Sisters Interactive; Heather Webb, Executive Director of WIFT-T; Caitlin Fisher, Associate Professor and Director of York University’s Augmented Reality Lab; Pearl Chen, Research & Technology Manager of the CFC Media Lab; Alex Leitch, Co-founder of Site3 coLaboratory; and Emma Westecott, Assistant Professor of Games Studies at OCAD.

Call for submissions: imagineNATIVE/NFB digital media partnership

Call for Interactive Digital Media Proposals

(cliquez ici pour le français)

imagineNATIVE and the NFB Renew Digital Media Partnership with Call for Proposals for Innovative Interactive Works (download PDF)

Toronto, November 16, 2011 – The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) have renewed their digital media partnership for a second year of collaboration, and are inviting Canadian Aboriginal artists to submit proposals for innovative interactive digital media projects. Proposals can be for works in any digital medium and genre, including interactive documentary, mobile and locative media, interactive animation, interactive photo essay, data visualization and physical installation.

De Nort, an online locative video, photo and auditory journey into life on a northern reserve by Winnipeg’s ITWE collective, was selected through last year’s call for proposals and is now in pre-production at the NFB’s Winnipeg production studio. It’s slated to launch at the 2012 imagineNATIVE Festival.

Digifest, Toronto's Digital Media Festival, Oct 26-30

After a five year hiatus, Digifest returns with its 4th edition of their Toronto Digital Media Festival. For the event, the School of Design at George Brown College has partnered with the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFF), Applied Arts Inc., Meet The Media Guru (Italy), TOJam and various academic, cultural, media and venue partners.

For the next five days, you'll have a chance to attend various events and activities such as Innovation Days, Meet The Media Guru talks, the All Our Digital Futures conference, the Halloween Spooktacular, and the opening and closing parties. Free events include the Gaming Incubator Launch Party, The Applied Arts Annual Winners Exhibit, the First Person Show, the Link Exhibit, TOJam Arcade, and the Yonge-Dundas Square Funday Sunday.

The first-ever TIFF Nexus Innovation Day is an all-day event on Friday October 28 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. It will feature emerging technology talks and presentations, and they will present the results of the 2011 Gaming Peripherals Jam (where game developers and hardware hackers worked together) at an evening reception.

TIFF introduces TIFF Nexus for gaming and interactive media

CULTURE, LEARNING, TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY COME TOGETHER THIS FALL WITH TIFF NEXUS
New series unites the world of film, games and interactive media, enhancing TIFF’s commitment to the art of the moving image. Video introduction available at tiff.net/nexus

Toronto – TIFF announced today an exciting new initiative designed to equip a new generation of Ontario storytellers with the network, skills and partners that they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving and growing digital media landscape. Launching this fall, TIFF Nexus will support Canada’s film, game, digital and new media communities as well as foster integrations between academics, industry members and enthusiasts. Complementing such other TIFF programmes as Future Projections, Talent Lab and the Student Film Showcase that are dedicated to supporting filmmakers and visual artists, TIFF Nexus will encourage relationships between the existing and emerging sectors of film, gaming and interactive media and utilize the cinema, educational and exhibition spaces of TIFF Bell Lightbox as an opportune home for its activities.

Call for submissions: Festival du nouveau cinéma's 3x3x3

The Festival du nouveau cinéma has put out a call for submissions for its cross-media workshop 3x3x3, part of their industry program FNC Pro. They are looking for filmmakers or content creators with projects that will function on three platforms. They will select three projects and their creators will have the opportunity to spend days during the Festival du nouveau cinéma working with three mentors.

The program also involves a pitch competition where the three project teams pitch their ideas to a jury and an audience. Prizes will be awarded by both jury and audience.

The deadline for submissions is September 1. The 40th edition of the Festival du nouveau cinéma takes place October 12-23, 2011. The transmedia component of FNC Pro takes place from October 17-19.

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