Latest posts from National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

Love Undivided

Posted: 25 Jul 2019 08:30 AM PDT

Love Undivided explores the perspectives of three people living ethically non-monogamous lives.

Creative team

Director: Clare Clovechok
Producer: Rob Oakman
Cinematographer: Kurtis Watson
Editor: Zach Steen

Filmmaker’s statement

I developed this documentary with the help of the Polyamory Toronto community. I won’t say too much else about the film, as anything I say is said much more eloquently by the three outstanding people in the film.

Working on this documentary taught me so much about storytelling and compassion. I hope this film fosters tenderness in those who see it.

About Clare Clovechok

Clare grew up in Edmonton and moved to Toronto to attend Humber College. She just completed her third year of Humber’s bachelor of film and media production program and plans to pursue screenwriting when she graduates in spring 2020.

Clare directed her first documentary, Love Undivided, in spring 2019.

The post Love Undivided appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

Charlemagne

Posted: 25 Jul 2019 08:27 AM PDT

Erik discovers he’s descended from the King of the Franks.

Creative team

Writer/director/producer/DP/actor/editor: Erik Anderson
Camera operator/”mom voice”: Meghan Bradbury

Filmmaker’s statement

It’s true. I’m a direct descendant of Charlemagne. Of course, the way that genealogy works, they say anyone with European ancestry is a descendant of Charlemagne, which is apparently several people. However, I feel that particular ‘fact’ cheapens things. I like to think that any day now, a knock will come at my door and a footman holding a regal box of jewels and a golden crown will present me with my birthright.

I’m also a genealogy hobbyist (see: ‘nerd’). And I’m not alone in my family. A distant cousin in Norway has built an extensive family tree and, through his work, I found out the impressive Charlemagnic news.

When it happened, I think I allowed myself a moment of not-so-ironic pride then realized how ridiculous it was considering the ubiquity of the finding. Indeed, there will be no footman with a purple velvety lined box of jewels any time soon.

That said, one still needs to have fun. And I kept up the false pride around friends – preciously whispering the word “Charlemagne” into the air just to draw out the pompousness, each letter like a generation of greatness. A black and white image of that popped into my head and the idea snowballed from there.

Incidentally, I was headed to Europe for a film festival shortly thereafter, so I figured it might be the perfect opportunity to snatch some glimpses of those whispers against a more Charlemagne-appropriate backdrop which I could then juxtapose to the harsher real world of my life (more or less) in Toronto once I got back, which is far less romantic and kingly. Indeed, the backdrops alone spoke to the prince-to-pauper symbolism, and the rest is sending up the discovery itself and the irony that being descended from an emperor doesn’t necessarily make you one.

But emperor or not, you still gotta try and be productive in this life. So, I borrowed a camera and, with the help of the intrepid Meg Bradbury, I made a short film … hope that ‘gramps’ would see the humour in it.

About Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is an orphan of Canadian cinema. Born on the west coast and self taught in cinema, he began making short films out of pocket in 2002 and, by 2011, completed his first no-budget feature while pursuing an honours degree in political science at Concordia University in Montreal. The film, The Second Times of Troubles, won best feature at both the Os International Film Festival in Norway and the Hamilton Film Festival.

Since then, he’s continued to make challenging work that defies both genre and formal convention. His latest no-budget feature, the meta-cinematic My Thesis Film: A Thesis Film by Erik Anderson, began as a graduate film for an MFA in film production at York University and is most reminiscent of a literary work of auto-fiction (it might also be the longest film in Canadian history).

It screened at TIFF Lightbox last fall and won the prestigious Norman McLaren Award at the Montreal World Film Festival as well as best narrative feature at the Brussels Independent Film Festival.

He lives below the poverty line in an apartment with mice in Toronto and hopes to one day find a producer and a budget to keep making films.

The post Charlemagne appeared first on National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

10 Minute Time Machine

Posted: 25 Jul 2019 08:18 AM PDT

George nervously waits for Lori to show up for their date, an engagement ring sitting heavily in his pocket. But when she arrives with news that she’s found a time machine allowing them to travel 10 minutes back in time, their imaginations run wild with how they can put it to use.

When they realize the time machine is even more powerful than they thought, past and future versions of themselves appear with advice on how to use it. What will they do in the face of adventure, fortune, love and loss? Only time will tell.

Creative team

Writer/Director: Charles Wahl
Producers: Charles Wahl, Kevin Kincaid, Gharrett Patrick Paon

Filmmaker’s statement

10 Minute Time Machine blends two of my favourite genres – sci-fi and comedy – and grounds them in a real-world environment. The result is a film that embraces magical realism, telling the story of two very ordinary people with an extremely out-of-the-ordinary opportunity: they have a time machine that can only go back in time 10 minutes.

The structure of the film is deliberate – the entire story, from title to end of credits, takes place in just 10 minutes. It’s a statement that what may seem like a brief period can, in reality, change the shape of your life.

The film is fun and light, but captures a reality that resonates with all – what is really important in our lives is our human connections, not power, money or opportunity.

I’m excited to have collaborated with some great Canadian actors and crew on this project. Much of the behind-the-scenes talent are at the top of their game in the music video and branded content industries. Everyone involved was committed to giving this project the layers and depth it needed to create something special – a film that entertains but also has heart.

About Charles Wahl

Born in London, England, and raised in Toronto, Canada, Charles Wahl started making short films in high school and hasn’t let go of the camera since.

An award-winning filmmaker, Charles has written and directed work that has been presented internationally at film festivals, broadcast on television and gone viral on the web.

His recent short video project, A Short Portrait: Brent, was chosen as the closing film of the TIFF x Instagram Shorts Festival in conjunction with the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. His latest short film, Little Grey Bubbles, had the honour of screening at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, 2019 Aspen ShortsFest, 2019 Palm Springs International ShortFest, 2019 Seattle International Film Festival, 2019 Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and was selected to be part of the 2019 Telefilm Canada Not Short on Talent showcase in Cannes.

As a commercial director Charles has directed work for clients including BMW/MINI, KIA, TD Bank, Mazda, McDonald’s, Nissan, Toyota, Quaker, Captain Morgan, Campbell’s and BMO.

Charles currently splits his time between Toronto, Ontario and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with his wife, two young boys and their dog Bitey.

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