Film Nova Scotia Congratulates Local Team for Its TIFF Debut

A local production team will be attending the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to premiere its short film, Heart of Rhyme.

Directed by Cory Bowles and produced by Preston Hudson, Heart of Rhyme tells the story of Saxton Mahoney, an elderly man who receives a heart transplant. After the surgery, when he finds himself with the power to see rhythms and an unexplained skill for rapping, he decides he must seek out the origin of his donor.

The short film won the CBC/Film Nova Scotia Bridge Award in 2010. The prize included $20,000 in equity funding from Film Nova Scotia and an equal amount, in licences and services, from CBC. Heart of Rhyme is the first Bridge Award winner to be officially selected into TIFF.

"The Heart of Rhyme team is thrilled to be invited to showcase our work at TIFF," said Mr. Hudson. "It's because of the funding and services we received through the 2010 Bridge Award that we were able to bring our story to life. We would like to thank Film Nova Scotia and CBC for their continued support."

This year, Film Nova Scotia will also be partnering with TIFF organizers to host a Spotlight on Nova Scotia emerging filmmakers. The eight short film productions included in this spotlight are:

• Afghan, directed and produced by Pardis Parker
• Discrimination of the Dead, directed and produced by Angus Swantee
• Like Father, directed by Jesse Harley and produced by Chris Turner
• Pawnshop, directed by Andrew Bush and produced by Angus Swantee
• Rhonda's Party, directed by Ashley McKenzie and produced by Nelson MacDonald
• Super Science, directed by Joel MacKenzie and produced by Mark Purdy
• Treevenge, directed by Jason Eisener and produced by Rob Cotterill
• The Wake of Calum MacLeod, directed by Marc Almon and produced by Nona MacDermid.

Not only does this opportunity highlight Nova Scotia talent, but it also raises the exposure of individual producers for future projects.

Another locally directed film, Afghan Luke, will also have its North American premiere in Toronto. Directed by the Trailer Park Boy's Mike Clattenburg and produced by Clattenburg, Barrie Dunn and Michael Volpe, the feature film follows a disheartened reporter who returns to Afghanistan to reveal the truth after his story about Canadian snipers possibly mutilating corpses is buried.

"TIFF has always proven to be a strong market for films to gain exposure," said Ann MacKenzie, president and CEO of Film Nova Scotia. "Through Shorts Spotlight and Heart of Rhyme's premiere, we will have a strong representation from Nova Scotia, ensuring that our local talent is showcased on an international stage."

TIFF is one of the world's leading public film festivals and key events for the international film industry. Throughout the years, artists such as Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine), John Woo (Mission Impossible 2), and Jason Reitment (Juno) have looked at TIFF as where their careers were built. This year, the festival will be held from Sept. 8-18.

Film Nova Scotia is a provincial Crown corporation reporting to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. The corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to support the province's audiovisual industry. Nova Scotia is among the largest production centres in Canada.