Canada's Coolest Film Festival Welcomes Maori
March 1, 2005
Canada's Coolest Film Festival Warmly Welcomes Aborigine and Maori Producers
Aborigine and Maori producers swap the sun for the snow this week as they brave the brisk Canadian climate to share their industry expertise with delegates at National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI) FilmExchange Canadian Film Festival, March 2- 5 in Winnipeg, Canada.
The visit is part of the NSI Aboriginal Cultural Trade Initiative (ACTI) - a program developed to give established Canadian Aboriginal producers the opportunity to build relationships with Maori and Aborigine producers with the ultimate goal of creating film and television co-productions. It follows an export mission by Canadian Aboriginal producers who travelled to Australia and New Zealand in April 2004 to launch ACTI.
"We are thrilled to welcome these guests to Winnipeg," said Liz Janzen NSI Director of Programming. "This invaluable cultural exchange provides the producers with the chance to share their industry expertise with our festival delegates, screen Canadian works and get a taste of our infamous Canadian Winter. We've fitted them out with Parka coats, woolly gloves and thermal underwear and are excited about treating them to a unique experience while they take in a great Canadian film festival." A number of the producers will join Canadian and American acquisition executives and distributors and broadcasters for a special festival event to share their industry know-how with other film and television industry delegates. The event kicks off with an hour-long information session exploring the New Zealand and Australian television markets.
NSI FilmExchange Canadian Film Festival welcomes the following guests to Winnipeg:
* Cliff Curtis: Producer and Actor - star of the international hits Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors. He has also appeared in such major motion pictures as The Piano, Blow, Collateral Damage and Training Day. (New Zealand) * Caterina De Nave: Head of Drama & Comedy Production - TV3 (New Zealand) * Nicole Hoey: Executive Producer - Cinco Cine Productions (New Zealand) * Dave Gibson: Executive Producer & Managing Director - The Gibson Group (New Zealand) * Glynnis Paraha: Acquisitons Assessor - Maori Television (New Zealand) * Greg Traill: Programs - Maori Television (New Zealand). * Joanna Paul: Media consultant (New Zealand) * Paora Maxwell: Te Aratai Productions Ltd. (New Zealand) * Pauline Clague: Core Films (Australia)
The National Screen Institute - Canada, with headquarters in Winnipeg, is one of Canada's four nationally recognized film and television training schools. Every March in Winnipeg, NSI presents NSI FilmExchange Canadian Film Festival, the largest established film festival showcasing 100% Canadian short and feature films. "Canada's Coolest Film Festival" offers an exciting collection of films, master classes, industry sessions, great parties, National Exposure Amateur Movie Contest, and SnowScreen, an outdoor movie screen carved from snow!
The National Screen
Institute - Canada operates with ongoing funding from
Telefilm Canada
The NSI Aboriginal Cultural Trade Initiative is funded by Department of Heritage Trade Routes, Telefilm Canada, Alliance Atlantis and CanWest Global.
ENDS