Posted on Monday, April 26, 2010.

News release: April 26, 2010

Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program (FASP), a development program for Aboriginal feature film writers, writer/directors, and producers, is accepting applications until Thursday, May 20, 2010.

FASP is an initiative of Telefilm Canada in association with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) for which the training component is being delivered by the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI). This is the third consecutive year that NSI will be delivering the training.

Get the application kit and support documents including Frequently Asked Questions.

FASP participants benefit from a combination of training, professional development and personalized mentorship activities, as well as a development advance which is administered by Telefilm Canada. Some key elements of the program have been revised for 2010-2011, including changes made to development-stage funding. See Telefilm’s Industry Advisory of April 13 for details of the changes.

The launch of this year's training – Jump Start to Film Immersion – will take place in Toronto at the end of August.

FASP aims to broaden the industry’s capacity within Aboriginal communities and enable Aboriginal filmmakers to more easily access the main funding programs of the Canada Feature Film Fund.

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, 2009 marked the 10-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. The network launched its high definition channel APTNHD in the spring of 2008. 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 the website at www.aptn.ca.

About 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. NSI also runs a year-round online short film festival.

For more information:

Telefilm Canada
Eva Hartling | hartlie@telefilm.gc.ca
514-283-0838 or 1-800-567-0890, ext. 2090

APTN
Sylvia Kolopenuk | skolopenuk@aptn.ca
204-947-9331 ext. 339

National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Glynis Corkal | glynis.corkal@nsi-canada.ca
204-956-7800 ext. 205 or 1-800-952-9307

NSI on the web