Saturday, March 31, 2012

@nsicanada gets worthy boost for their #ShortFilm festival

This is a totally overdue post...some exciting investment happened in Canadian short films earlier this month...and it's high time we wrote about it.

Seems the pocketbooks at Shaw saw fit to invest in Canada's best online short film showcase.  A wise choice considering the quality and integrity of this festival of shorts.  If you're a filmmaker at the precipice of the online stage of your film's journey, consider the NSI Online Short Film Festival before all others.

Here's the official bumpf on the new investment.  Well done Shaw!


The National Screen Institute (NSI) is proud to announce a $20,000 investment by Shaw Media in the NSI Online Short Film Festival. This includes a new $2,500 quarterly prize: The Fearless Female Director Award.
Shaw Media’s commitment launches April 2 with Fearless Female Director Month – a curated showcase of short films by female directors from the festival’s archives.
Also coming April 2 is the new call for film submissions for the NSI Online Film Festival. All selected films by female directors will be eligible for the Shaw Fearless Female Director Award. This $2,500 prize will be awarded four times a year with each round of films.
“Shaw Media has been an outstanding long-term supporter of NSI across many of our film and television programs,” said John Gill, NSI CEO. “Partnering with them for the Fearless Female Director initiative is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our country’s diverse creative talent.”
“We are proud to join with NSI to recognize the many talented female directors in our industry,” said Paul Robertson, President of Shaw Media. “Diversity of viewpoints leads to a richer product on screen and this partnership will help ensure we give audiences the best that Canada has to offer.”
The Fearless Female Director Month lineup:
APRIL 2Patricia Chica - Day Before Yesterday 
Sheona MacDonald – Momentum
APRIL 9Danishka Esterhazy - The Red Hood
Sophie Jarvis - Margaret and the Dollhouse
APRIL 16Liane Balaban, Vanessa Matsui & Jenna Wright - Johanna
Michelle Nolden – Loonie
APRIL 23Talia Pura - The Strawberry Confession
Laura Cassis - The Conversation
APRIL 30Tracy D. Smith - Curse of the Jade Falcon
A. Megan Turnbull - Evolucity
The next call for film submissions will be on April 2, to coincide with the debut of the redesigned NSI website at nsi-canada.ca.