Praxis originated in 1987 as a program of Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts, with core funding from the government of British Columbia. Our signature program is our Fall and Spring workshop series for feature film scripts, which bring together screenwriters from across the country to work with key film industry personnel in private and group sessions to develop both creative skills and marketing opportunities for their projects. Praxis Fellows have come from all ten Canadian provinces and the Yukon, and their advisors have covered a range from Hollywood screenwriters and directors to independent Canadian filmmakers such as Atom Egoyan and Don McKellar. Over thirty Praxis scripts have been produced – most recently Jacob Tierney’s The Trotsky.
"At Praxis we're looking first of all for scripts that the writers care about. Craft is one thing, but that has to be combined with originality and meaning -- why should this film be made? What does it have to say? That doesn't mean that we're looking for messages or that we never go for 'genre' scripts -- we've had some terrific thrillers, romantic comedies, and even a horror film. But the scripts must communicate. Most of the time (though not always) that means character-based writing. (ScreenTalk Interview)
Praxis, in collaboration with the National Film Board, runs The Art of Documentary national workshop every two years for hand-picked documentary projects in development under the mentorship of senior documentary filmmakers. We have hosted numerous public events including seminars, screenwriting courses, weekend workshops, master classes, and guest directors. Recently we have held events with editor Walter Murch, actor Graham Greene, screenwriter Matthew Robbins, and directors Agnieskzka Holland, Costa-Gavras and Deepa Mehta.
For 2010, in addition to our regular slate of film-related activities, Praxis is programming the multi-disciplinary inaugural season for SFU Contemporary Arts to celebrate its move from Burnaby Mountain to SFU Woodward’s in Fall 2010. This involves several live theatrical events, including The Blue Dragon by renowned Canadian Theatre artist Robert Lepage, as part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.