Investment Boosts Nova Scotia's Film, Television, New Media Industry
The future of Nova Scotia's film, television and new media industry is on a roll with an increased investment from Film Nova Scotia for the training and development of producers, directors and writers.
Film Nova Scotia is investing nearly $200,000 in training and professional development programs in 2008-09, an increase of more than $60,000 from the previous year.
"Investing in the training and development of talent in the province is a key component in growing our already strong film, television and new media industry," said Ann MacKenzie, president and chief executive officer of Film Nova Scotia.
"Film Nova Scotia has seen how participating in training and development initiatives leads to success and professional growth for producers in the province," said MacKenzie.
Film Nova Scotia will again offer the CBC/Film Nova Scotia Bridge Award, which provides eligible emerging producers an opportunity to produce a six- to 16-minute television production for regional broadcast.
Past Bridge Award winners include Jay Dahl and Paul McNeill, who have gone on to produce feature films. McNeill's feature Summerhood closed the 2008 Atlantic Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Award. Dahl's horror film The Harton Interviews will be released to theatres in 2009.
Film Nova Scotia is a partner with the Canadian Film and Television Production Association for the Atlantic Mentorship Program. The program matches emerging producers with senior association companies for a 26-week internship in Atlantic Canada.
Film Nova Scotia is also the major sponsor for the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative's Film 5 program, which provides training for emerging Nova Scotia producers, directors and writers. It also sponsors the Centre for Art Tapes' Scholarship Mentorship Program, that provides support for artists working with video, audio and new media.
Jason Eisener is a graduate of the cooperative's Film 5 Program, a past Pitcher Perfect participant and one of the producers selected to participate in the Atlantic Mentorship Program. Eisener co-produced the short film Hobo with a Shotgun, which won the Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse Trailer Competition and was featured at the South by Southwest Film Festival screening of Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's film. Eisener and his producing partner are adapting Hobo with a Shotgun into a feature length film.
Along with the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Film Nova Scotia offers the Film Nova Scotia Bachelor of Fine Arts Film Production Fund. It provides up to six production grants of $2,500 each, one per film, to assist fourth-year students with undergraduate thesis films.
Film Nova Scotia also offers professional development for the local industry through its annual Business Issues and Pitcher Perfect Workshops.
To ensure the work of emerging producers is seen throughout the province, Film Nova Scotia hosts a Screening Night program with Empire Theatres and sponsors the Atlantic Film Festival, the CBC/AFF Short Film Face Off and Eastlink's Aperture Atlantic.