Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2008.

News release: November 19, 2008

Students selected for a new program which aims to get more Aboriginal audiovisual professionals into feature filmmaking begin training this week.

Telefilm Canada’s Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program (FASP) brings together 21 filmmakers for four days of intensive work on their feature film projects.

The training program is an initiative of Telefilm Canada in partnership with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) for which the training component is being delivered by the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI).

The writer, producer and director participants hail from across the country from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.

Liz Jarvis of Buffalo Gal Pictures (Seven Times Lucky, The Stone Angel) will manage the program. Liz Janzen and Brendon Sawatzky are co-ordinating the program from within NSI.

Story consultants and industry veterans Shelley Gillen and Elke Town will work with fourteen writers at Jump Start and producers will learn about the creative and business sides of feature film production.

Following Jump Start, selected projects will continue with additional training, receiving customized mentorship until the end of March 2009. Ultimately, it is hoped that this professional development will move these projects on to receive support from Telefilm’s Canadian Feature Film Fund production programs.

"Telefilm Canada’s Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program has been designed to fill a gap in existing training available to Aboriginal filmmakers," said Liz Janzen, Director of Programming for the National Screen Institute.

"Building on NSI’s excellence in training and relationship with the Aboriginal community through existing NSI programs NSI New Voices and NSI Storytellers, we’re pleased to provide the training component for this important initiative."

Danny Chalifour, Director, National and International Business Development at Telefilm Canada, noted "There is a need for a broader diversity of voices among the projects being supported by the Canadian Feature Film Fund. This program is one step toward providing the professional development needed to train Aboriginal filmmakers and advance their projects – stories that are ready to be told."

For more information on the program and the selected participants and their projects, visit the Telefilm Canada website.

About Telefilm Canada

Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to the development and promotion of the Canadian film, television and new media industries. With the objective of building larger audiences for Canadian cultural products, the Corporation acts as a partner to the private sector through investments in diverse productions with wide appeal.

About APTN

September 1, 2008 marked the nine-year anniversary of the launch of the first national Aboriginal television network in the world with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples to share with all Canadians and viewers around the world. APTN is available in approximately 10 million Canadian households and commercial establishments with cable, direct-to-home satellite (DTH), telco-delivered and fixed wireless television service providers. APTN does not receive government funding for operations but generates revenue through subscriber fees, advertising sales and strategic partnerships. APTN broadcasts programming with 56% offered in English, 16% in French and 28% in Aboriginal languages. For program schedule or for more information, please contact APTN at (204) 947-9331 or toll-free at 1-888-278-8862, or visit their website.

About the National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI)

NSI is widely known for its prestigious training programs for Canadian writers, directors and producers working in the film, television and digital media industries. Most programs are part-time so students keep their day jobs while they train. Participants do not have to relocate – intensive training happens in one place and participants return home to work with a mentor for the rest of their program. All training is delivered by senior industry experts.

Media enquiries

Téléfilm Canada (médias francophones)
Mélanie Larente | larentm@telefilm.gc.ca
(514) 283-0838 #2014 ou 1-800-567-0890

Telefilm Canada (Anglophone media)
Alejandra Sosa | sosaa@telefilm.gc.ca
(416) 973-6436 #2505 or 1-800-463-4607

APTN
Sylvia Kolopenuk | skolopenuk@aptn.ca
(204) 947-9331 #339

National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Glynis Corkal | glynis.corkal@nsi-canada.ca
(204) 956-7800 #205