Selected Candidates Announced!
The National Film Board of Canada Pacific and Yukon Centre and Praxis Centre for Screenwriters are pleased to announce their selected candidates for The Art of Documentary 2008. The jury was impressed by the wide range of subject-matter and qualitative submissions. Following a rigorous selection process, the jury has invited the following twelve documentarians to attend our workshop in May 2008:
- Dennis Allen, Whitehorse, YT
- Garry Beitel, Montreal, QC
- Karen Cho, Montreal, QC
- Trish Dolman, Vancouver, BC
- Erika Drushka, Victoria, BC
- Lisa Jackson, Vancouver, BC
- Patricia Kearns, Montreal, QC
- Adamm Liley, London, ON
- Anne Marie Nakagawa, Calgary, AB
- Jill Sharpe, Vancouver, BC
- Evann E. Siebens, Vancouver, BC
- Katarina Soukup, Montreal, QC
Please scroll down for more information on this year's Participants.
The jury wishes to thank everyone who applied to The Art of Documentary 2008.
The Art of Documentary 2008
An Intensive Workshop for Canadian Filmmakers
With Jennifer Baichwal and Connie Field
23-26 May 2008
The National Film Board of Canada and Praxis Centre for Screenwriters proudly announce The Art of Documentary, an intensive four-day workshop for mid-career filmmakers dedicated to exploring and expanding the aesthetic potential of the documentary.
We will invite up to twelve filmmakers from across Canada to bring their projects at any stage from development through fine cut for four days of focused workshops with mentors Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes; Let It All Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles) and Connie Field (Have You Heard from Johannesburg; The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter), noted producer, researcher and copyright expert Elizabeth Klinck, and specialists in editing, producing and sound design. Each project will receive individual attention as well as participation in small groups. The workshop will include film screenings, master classes and a public dialogue devoted to the art of documentary.
Eight of the eleven projects from our 2006 inaugural workshop are now in production or completed. Participants from this group wrote:
° “It gave me the much needed opportunity to focus on the creative and artistic aspects of documentary filmmaking, which can sometimes get muddled with all the other details. It was…inspiring to ‘talk shop’ with so many passionate directors.”
-- Tracey Deer, Club Native
° “I had a FANTASTIC time at Art of the Doc. A great blend of collegial support and experienced mentorship…The ‘retreat’ nature of the workshop gave us a rare opportunity to think about our projects outside of the rat race fundraising side of documentary filmmaking...”
-- Brett Gaylor, Basement Tapes
° “I would categorize [it] as the best workshop; I believe it was worth a university degree for me.”
-- Jiyar Gol, The Lost Daughters of Kurdistan
° “[It] was by far the most inspiring and exciting professional development experience I have ever had. I remember it with a wistful fondness now and I miss the wonderful discourse that we all enjoyed. What an amazing group of people!
-- Anne Troake, Feel the Earth Move
APPLICATION DEADLINE: MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2008 (postmark date)
NOTE: APPLICATION FOR 2008 NOW CLOSED
To apply, please send two copies each of a 2-3 page documentary proposal or treatment, a 2 page resume, and a letter explaining your interest in the workshop. There is no fee for the application or the workshop, but participants may be required to cover travel expenses.
Send all entries to:
Praxis Centre for Screenwriters
Room 3120
515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
V6B 5K3
For more information, contact Michael Boucher at Praxis: praxis@sfu.ca or 778.782.7880.
Dennis Allen: Hello... CBQM
Dennis Allen is a writer director from Inuvik Northwest Territories whose work reflects his strong aboriginal heritage. His first short drama was screened at Sundance in 2001. Dennis has writing and producing credits with the National Film Board of Canada, The Knowledge Network, CLT Access, The Aboriginal People’s Television Network, and the Discovery Channel. Dennis’ natural storytelling shines through in his work.
HELLO... CBQM
“Hello…CBQM” is charming documentary about a folksy little volunteer run radio station in the small town of Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. CBQM is the bona fide moccasin telegraph and purveyor of the finest in old time Country and Western Music. Described by lonely trappers as a man’s best friend, CBQM is certain to leave a lasting smile on your face.
“Hello…CBQM” is in production with about fifty percent of principal photography complete. We have two more shoots scheduled for April and May of 2008. We hope to begin editing shortly after with a release date of March 2009.
Garry Beitel: The 'Socalled' Movie
Garry Beitel is a Montreal based documentary filmmaker. His probing portraits of individuals and communities have been broadcast on Canadian television for over 20 years, winning national and international awards. He works primarily in Canada ˆ both in English and French - but has also made films in West Africa, South America and Mexico. His acclaimed Bonjour! Shalom! won three Gémeaux awards including Best Quebec Documentary (1991). More recently, Vive le Québec∑ Anglé! was nominated for a Gémeau (2004) for best direction in a public affairs documentary. Garry has taught courses on documentary film and cultural studies at McGill University for nearly 20 years.
THE 'SOCALLED' MOVIE
The "Socalled" Movie will be an edgy feature documentary film about a multi-talented, witty, 30 year old musical wizard on the cusp of international success. With 1.7 million hits on his latest YouTube music video, Montreal-based Josh "Socalled" Dolgin's eclectic blend of hip hop, funk and klezmer is on the vanguard of contemporary world music. He plays to sold out crowds in Paris, London, New York, Berlin and Moscow. Occasionally a musical road movie, The "Socalled" Movie will be a textured exploration of the creative process of an original artist. Inspired by François Girard's 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, we will develop a series of short films, each with an original treatment or twist, reflecting the percolating talents which drive Josh‚s creativity. Primarily a documentary, the film will also use fiction and animation as we explore Socalled's singular creativity with a parallel cinematic language.
The "Socalled" Movie is currently in development with production slated to begin this summer.
Karen Cho: Ten Thousand Roses
Karen Cho is an emerging filmmaker from Montreal and graduate of Concordia University's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2003, through the NFB's "Reel Diversity” competition, Karen directed "In the Shadow of Gold Mountain" a film that uncovers the legacy of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act. The film won a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Multicultural Documentary at the 2005 Yorkton Film Festival and also garnered the 2006 Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Golden Ribbon Award for Diversity in News and Information Programming.
In 2004-2005, Karen worked as a series director for "Past Lives" a Global TV documentary series about Canadians in search of their ancestral roots.
Karen is currently shooting “Refuge” a documentary about refugees in Canada that will air on Radio Canada and CBC in 2008-2009.
TEN THOUSAND ROSES
Ten Thousand Roses is a documentary that chronicles the second wave of feminism in Canada. Based on Judy Rebick’s acclaimed book, the documentary will capture nearly four decades of struggle, defeat and triumph from the 60s though the 90s. From free abortion on demand to violence against women, childcare, and employment equity, Ten Thousand Roses will explore the issues that mobilized a country and sparked a grass-roots revolution. The film celebrates the unique, diverse, and outstanding character of Canadian feminism while also exploring the differences and criticisms that both divided and strengthened the movement.
Ten Thousand Roses will tackle the much hyped “backlash” to feminism and its aftermath. The film also will look at the future of feminist organizing through the lens of a younger generation of women who are challenging, expanding, diversifying, and re-defining what it means to be a “feminist” today.
Ten Thousand Roses is in the early development/research phase. Preliminary research has been conducted and a project outline has been drafted. At this point, more in-depth research is needed to focus the themes and develop a succinct and polished documentary script.
Trish Dolman: Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson
Coming Soon!
Erika Drushka: At Poland’s Trough
Erika Drushka is a director and editor specializing in character-based documentaries. Her past projects include Morbidly Obese, a film chronicling the metamorphosis of three obese individuals who undergo radical bariatric surgery, and Rooted Lives, a documentary about career treeplanters working on British Columbia’s rugged coast. Erika divides her time between Victoria, B.C., and her home on a small island in Barkley Sound.
AT POLAND'S TROUGH
As the world’s agriculture becomes increasingly industrialized, Poland remains a fertile oasis; the country’s rich soils are virtually untouched by fertilizers, pesticides and GMOs. Yet the past decade has seen an invasion of the country by multi-national corporations drawn by the country’s low wages, well-educated population and lax environmental laws. The result has been catastrophic: millions of farmers are losing their livelihoods, the environment is being devastated and the nation sways on its newly formed democratic footing. At Poland’s Trough is a character-based documentary that examines the intersecting relationships between free trade, agri-business and food politics through an exploration of the current crisis in Poland’s pig farming industry. The film will draw a direct link between Canadians and our global partners in trade, illustrating the critical yet invisible links that supply us with our food.
At Poland’s Trough is currently in development.
Lisa Jackson: No Word for Goodbye
Coming Soon!
Patricia Kearns: Pink Inc.
An independent filmmaker living in Montreal, Patricia Kearns brings a strong sense of community and a wide range of interests to her work. Through her company Pack Productions, she has produced and directed such acclaimed experimental documentaries as If the Family Fits, a thoughtful deconstruction of the family-values agenda, and Choir Girls, a celebratory portrait of a women's choir. Her most recent film, XS STRESS: Teens Take Control is the second documentary she has directed for the National Film Board, following Democracy à la Maude, a profile of Canadian social activist Maude Barlow.
She worked with the UK-based Amber Films on their experimental drama Like Father, and is a founding member of Montreal's Image + Nation Film Festival and Studio XX, a centre dedicated to enhancing women's participation in new media technologies.
PINK INC.
Breast Cancer has become the poster child of cause-related marketing; we are reminded of this each October when pink ribbons flood the marketplace - everything from toilet paper to bridal gowns. It is a known fact that companies try to reinforce their image and boost their bottom line by connecting themselves with a good cause. But who really benefits, the cause or the company? Pink Inc. peels back the layers of rosy veneer to expose some disturbing truths. The National Film Board has optioned Samantha King's book, Pink Ribbons Inc: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy which traces the evolution of the breast cancer movement from meaningful civic participation to purchasing products.
Pink Inc. is currently in development
Adamm Liley: That's My Time
A producer, director and cinematographer, Adamm now spends most of his time chasing sleep, changing diapers and staring at his beautiful baby girl Haylee. Over the last ten years in the film and television industry in Canada Adamm has found himself in many interesting situations from shooting Trailer Park Boys to chasing down Prime Ministers for “This Hour Has 22 Minutes”. Currently in production on his third feature Documentary “That’s My Time”, Adamm reminds himself daily how lucky and fortunate he really is.
THAT'S MY TIME
Irwin Barker is one of Canada’s best-loved comedy writers and stand up comedians. Most Canadians wouldn’t recognize him in the supermarket aisle. But within the comedy business, at the comedy clubs and in the writing rooms of television shows, and in the green rooms of Canada’s comedy festivals, Irwin is a living legend. He’s the stand-ups’ stand-up; a master at his craft, who sets the standard that younger comedy writers (the smart ones at least) aspire to. These days, living in Toronto, Irwin is working up new material. It may be the most hilarious and fulfilling writing of his life. And it may also be his last. Irwin Barker is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“That’s My Time” is a one hour documentary that chronicles Irwin’s journey with cancer, and his determination that he will “find the funny” in what is for most of us the least funny predicament imaginable “there is a purpose and a value to finding the humour in cancer. I’m sure of it. So that’s it. I’m doing it.”
Anne Marie Nakagawa: Point of Return
Coming Soon!
Jill Sharpe: Chasing the Muse
Since the early 1990s, director Jill Sharpe has created an award winning body of work in the documentary genre. Her films have been presented internationally at film festivals and along broadcast airwaves in over 20 countries. Sharpe’s interests span issues of social justice, media and culture.
2007 “Corporations in the Classroom”
2005 “Girls Don’t Fight”
2004 “Weird Sex & Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche” 2002 “CultureJam: Hijacking Commercial Culture”
CHASING THE MUSE
Chasing the Muse explores the creative passion of three cardinal painters of the North American Continent: Frida Kahlo (Mexico), Emily Carr (Canada) and Georgia O’Keeffe (United States). Together, these women shook their respective art worlds and collectively gave birth to modern primitivism in paint. The film dramatizes key moments in each woman’s artistic process and struggles to find her unique vision in an era where women were to be painted—not painters—the subject of art, but not its creator.
Chasing the Muse is an experimental biography of the creative process told by each nation’s legendary female painter.
The film is in development with the National Film Board. In the past six months I have culled through 6,000 pages of journal writings, letters and biographies to craft a narrative foundation for my film. Currently I have a 50-page voice-bible culled from each woman’s first-person writings. This voice-bible is not the film script itself, but contains key first person quotes illustrated with their paintings I will eventually draw from. I have also conducted a wealth of visual research and have a full catalogue of images /paintings and ideas I intend to work with in my script.
My next phase with this project is to hone and shape the film’s story focus. A research trip has already been completed and permission from estate and rights holders has been approved.
Evann E. Siebens: Nutcracker Nation
Based in Vancouver, Evann Siebens specializes in making films on and about dance. She recently directed and co-produced a documentary on hula dancers and the Hawaiian community that was broadcast on the PBS series POV, received a Golden Cine award and ratings of over 3.5 million people. Her work has been shown at venues such as Lincoln Center, The Georges Pompidou Centre, The Hammer Museum and MOMA. Evann is a former dancer who trained at the Royal Ballet School, and danced with the National Ballet of Canada, The Bonn Ballet in Germany, and modern dance companies in New York and San Francisco. She has performed in many, many Nutcrackers…
NUTCRACKER NATION
Every December, children in their best finery are accompanied by their families to see their first, and often their only, evening-length ballet, The Nutcracker, where sugar plums dance, mice and soldiers fight, snowflakes fall and trees grow. Battalions of children perform, fulfilling newly wrought dreams, while professional dancers tape their toes and groan as their number of ‘Nut’ performances enter the hundreds. It often becomes the ballet we love to hate, but beneath the surface popularity are deeper roots and secular traditions. The documentary Nutcracker Nation will address how The Nutcracker has broken beyond its traditional niche into diverse versions such as Donald Byrd’s The Harlem Nutcracker, a Hawaiian hula Nutcracker or a traditional Indian bharata natyam Nutcracker. By filtering the ballet through a multi-faceted lens: historical, cultural, racial and through the personal stories of participants, the documentary will reveal how The Nutcracker has evolved from an old world Russian ballet into a uniquely North American ritual.
Nutcracker Nation is currently at the Pre-production/production stage.
Katarina Soukup: Peter Pitseolak Time Traveler
Katarina Soukup is an independent documentary producer and director who collaborated for almost 10 years with the Inuit filmmakers behind the Canadian cinema classic Atanarjurat The Fast Runner (Camera d’or Cannes 2001) before founding Catbird Productions, her own production company. Her producing credits include Urban Inuk, Kiviaq Versus Canada (directed by Zacharias Kunuk and co-written by Kunuk and Soukup), and Umiaq Skin Boat (Official Selection Hot Docs 2008).
PETER PITSEOLAK TIME TRAVELER
Peter Pitseolak Time Traveler is a meditation on photography, memory, history, and cultural resistance through the life and work of one extraordinary artist: the Inuit photographer Peter Pitseolak (1902-1972). Raised in the traditional nomadic life of hunting and gathering, Pitseolak sensed Inuit were on the cusp of momentous changes and felt the urgent need to document his culture and traditions on film before they disappeared forever. His photographs capture an intimate, insider's view of history in the making –a culture in dramatic flux. Through his photography, the film bears witness to the astonishing time-travel Inuit people have undergone in the last 100 years, and also to their enduring ingenuity in re-appropriating southern technologies for their own purposes.
Peter Pitseolak Time Traveler is currently in development.