Monday 30 January 2012

Land InSights - Film & Video Showcase- CALL FOR ENTRIES - 22nd edition of First Peoples' Festival Présence autochtone

Land InSights >>>CALL FOR ENTRIES
http://www.nativelynx.qc.ca/
22nd edition of First Peoples' Festival Présence autochtone
Film & Video Showcase
July 31st to August 8th 2012
DEADLINE : MARCH 30th, 2012
On-line entry form  http://www.nativelynx.qc.ca/festival/en/register
Terres en vues - Land InSights
6865, rue Christophe-Colomb, bureau 102
Montréal, Québec
H2S 2H3
Tél - Tel: (514) 278-4040
Téléc - Fax: (514) 278-4224
Courriel - Email: tev@nativelynx.qc.ca

Saturday 28 January 2012

Call for Submissions / Polar Film Festival

Call for Submissions / Canadian Film Institute & International Polar Year Federal Program Office / Polar Film Festival / Ottawa, ON / Deadline Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Canadian Film Institute and International Polar Year Seek Films that Focus on Arctic and Antarctic Regions

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), in partnership with the International Polar Year (IPY) Federal Program Office, is officially seeking entries for the Polar Film Festival. The two-day moving image event is a featured presentation of the IPY 2012 Conference: From Knowledge to Action, held April 22-27, 2012, in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

The Polar Film Festival will celebrate the rich diversity of the Polar Regions, as well as examine the many challenges and world-wide implications they face in the 21st Century and onward. As a follow-up to the IPY Film Festival presented by the CFI in 2009, this event highlights the efforts of filmmakers from around the world who approach the Polar Regions from many different industries, research interests, artistic sensibilities, and political perspectives.

The CFI welcomes all films that explore issues and activities of particular relevance to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Any genres of film and video practice - documentary, research, industrial, fiction, activist - from all Polar Regions are encouraged for submission.

Video submissions can be mailed directly to the CFI as a playable DVD or Blu-Ray disc. Digital entries may be submitted via direct download link, or any common digital media format such USB drive or DVD-ROM. Entrants are asked to include production credits, digital stills, director bios and filmography, contact information, and other relevant materials with their submissions.

The submission deadline is January 31, 2012. Please send all submissions to:

CANADIAN FILM INSTITUTE
2 Daly Avenue, Suite 120
Ottawa, ON K1N 6E2
Canada

Email:
info@cfi-icf.ca
Tel: 613-232-6727
Fax: 613-232-6315

The public is encouraged to forward this Call for Entries to relevant producers, filmmakers, researchers, and other parties who may be interested. Please contact CFI Programmer Jerrett Zaroski at 
zaroski@cfi-icf.ca for any questions and further information.

About the IPY 2012 Conference
Occurring at a pivotal time for the environment of our planet, the International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference draws international attention to the Polar Regions, global change, and related environmental, social and economic issues. From Knowledge to Action will bring together over 2,000 Arctic and Antarctic researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and a broad range of interested parties from academia, industry, non- government, education and circumpolar communities including indigenous peoples. The IPY 2012 Conference will contribute to the translation of new polar scientific findings into an evidence-based agenda for action that will influence global decisions, policies and outcomes over the coming years. More information on the conference can be found online at http://www.ipy2012montreal.ca.

About the CFI
The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, non-governmental, non-profit cultural organization. It is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world. More information can be found online at http://www.cfi-icf.ca

Friday 27 January 2012

The 2012 Great Northern Canada Writing Contest Deadline - April 30, 2012

Annelies Pool [anneliespool@me.com] on behalf of Great Northern Canada Writing Contest has requested distribution of the following call for submissions:

The 2012 Great Northern Canada Writing Contest
Deadline - April 30, 2012

To enter, submit a piece of prose, either fiction or non-fiction, of up to 1,000 words about life in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Nunavik. Previously published items are not eligible.

Entries should be typed and double-spaced with the title, but not your name, on each numbered page. Please submit a separate cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, email address, word count and whether your piece is fiction or non-fiction.

Entries must be mailed to:

Great Northern Canada Writing Contest
Box 1256,
Yellowknife NT
X1A 2N9

We do not accept emailed or faxed entries.

Deadline is April 30, 2012. That means they must be postmarked by that date.

First Prize is $500 and publication in above&beyond, Canada's Arctic Journal.
http://www.arcticjournal.ca/

Special Emerging Writer Prize of $250 and publication in above&beyond, Canada's Arctic Journal, for writers who have never been published for payment. To qualify, identify yourself  "emerging writer" on the cover sheet you submit with your entry.

Winners will be announced at the 5th Annual NorthWords Writers Festival in Yellowknife, NWT on May 31 – June 3, 2012.

The following are not eligible: Staff and contractors of above&beyond magazine and their families, writers who have been published in above&beyond in the last five years, organizers and paid staff of the NorthWords Writers Festival and their families.

Monday 23 January 2012

Commonwealth Foundation call for short films

Commonwealth Shorts
The Commonwealth Foundation is inviting filmmakers from across the Commonwealth to submit an idea for a short film about relationships. Individual filmmakers or collectives should submit a proposal which explores the theme of love in its broadest sense, whether inter-racial, inter-generational or within and between the sexes. The theme should be relevant to the filmmaker and their community.
We're looking for original, bold and authentic films in any genre which entertain as well as stimulate and encourage debate both locally and globally.
Deadline for receipt of applications is 31 January 2012 (5pm GMT)
>> Eligibility criteria
>> Application guidelines
Click here for the online application form >>
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/Howwedeliver/Prizes/CommonwealthShorts
All enquiries should be sent to e.dcosta@commonwealth.int  

Saturday 21 January 2012

#NWT's old Slave River fur-trade route could provide relief from Alberta's troubled pipeline dreams

Old fur-trade route could provide relief from Alta.'s troubled pipeline dreams

 

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/trade+route+could+provide+relief+from+Alta+troubled+pipeline+dreams/6033189/story.html#ixzz1kAHmnAps

[excerpts]

Long forgotten in the far northeastern corner, Fort Fitzgerald, population eight according to the 2010 census, was once bustling with boats and barges ferrying cargo up the mighty Slave River.

It may boom again, and soon.

[...]

A proven northern route that can expedite shipments from Fort McMurray to oil-hungry customers in China and India may just be the answer.

"We need to look at as many options as possible," says Travis Davies of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, "mostly in terms of moving equipment and components."

As the producers of oil from the bituminous sands continue to expand their operations, Davies notes, "We've got an amazing resource here and we need to continue to explore all kinds of ways to get it to market."

Imperial Oil may also need to consider using water routes up the Mackenzie, Slave and Athabasca rivers to bring heavy machinery to existing operations in Fort McMurray and especially for its Kearl oilsands project currently under construction.

[....]

It would be a hard slog to get any northern oil route approved, as seen by the 30-year-old (and still waiting) Mackenzie Valley pipeline proposal.

If a way were to be found, oil would be the latest in a long list of products transported on the Slave River.

Formed where the Athabasca and Peace Rivers come together, the Slave River was a lifeline for explorers, fur traders and early oilmen.

Our present-day society is built around the road. But 200 years ago the rivers were the superhighways of Canada.

[...]

Explorers in this region included Alexander Mackenzie, who in 1789 travelled the length of the 1760-kilometre-long river that now bears his name. But that big river drained into the Arctic Ocean, not the Pacific.

In 1804 the Hudson's Bay Company built a trading post at today's Fort Simpson — at the confluence of the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers. In 1805 it built another one where the Bear River flows into the Mackenzie River — now Fort Good Hope. The system expanded in the early 1800s, and might have become even greater had it not been for one navigational challenge.

Near the border between Alberta and the Northwest Territories, four sets of violent rapids in one 25-kilometre stretch prevent river travel. In the days of canoes and York boats, river craft had to be portaged around four mighty rapids: Cassette, Mountain Portage, Pelican and Rapids of the Drowned.

All but the Rapids of the Drowned are in Alberta. The total drop is 33 metres. That's why a 40-kilometre portage road links Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta, to Bell Rock, just to the north of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories.

River navigation is hindered, but not impossible, along this stretch of the Slave River. Were it not for the rapids, large ocean vessels could ascend the Mackenzie River, cross Great Slave Lake, continue up the Slave and Athabasca rivers to the geographical centre of Alberta — the town of Athabasca.

Large and heavy loads could be brought to the massive industrial area further north at Fort McMurray. One of the challenges of the North is its distance from markets and suppliers of machinery and supplies.

But that did not stop the U.S. army during the Second World War. In 1942, Fort Smith had a population of just 250 souls, but it played host to 2,000 American soldiers. They portaged thousands of loads of oilfield and pipelining equipment around the Slave River rapids in aid of the booming oilfield at Norman Wells. Their efforts also made possible the construction of history's most expensive and shortest-lived pipeline. The Canadian American Norman Oil Line (CANOL) cost almost $2 billion in today's currency, or five times the original estimate.

The wartime CANOL pipeline only operated during 1944 and 1945, and delivered less than a million barrels of oil from Norman Wells to Whitehorse in the Yukon — at a cost of about $200 per barrel in 2011 currency.

[...]
David Finch paddled the mighty waters of the Slave River in a voyageur canoe as part of the Slave River Paddlefest celebrations in July 2011.

Friday 20 January 2012

The Romance of the Far Fur Country - Arctic Canada caught on 1919 silent film

One of the world's earliest documentaries has been restored and is getting a new screening.

[excerpt] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/magazine-16648847

By Chris Nikkel
Documentary maker

One of the world's early documentaries featured unique footage of the lives of Arctic fur trappers in 1919. After long being forgotten, it's now been restored for modern audiences in Canada, including communities descended from those featured in the silent film.

In July 1919, the RMS Nascopie departed Montreal. It carried supplies bound for Arctic fur trade posts.

But the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) ice-breaker had extra cargo on its annual trip. A film crew is on board.

The ship headed north. As they travelled, a cameraman filmed the Nascopie crashing through ice floes.

When the ship anchored, he went overboard, trudging across the ice with a tripod cradled in his arms. A second camera rolled from the deck, recording it all.

The film crew had orders from the HBC headquarters in London. They were to make a film capturing the company's workings and commercial land holdings, holdings that once covered one twelfth of the earth's surface.

But the HBC wanted rid of the land, and were looking for people to settle on it.

And thus a memo from HBC executives - the film should be "advertising the Company and incidentally its lands, without appearing to do so".

The silent film was eventually called The Romance of the Far Fur Country. It was used to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the historic company in 1920.

Over the course of six months, the film crew crossed Canada. They captured extraordinary footage in the most inhospitable conditions imaginable.

In northern Alberta, they travelled by dogsled over a frozen river. The camera caught a sled tipping, with crates of film equipment thrown into the snow.

On the Abitibi River, in northern Ontario, they filmed from canoes. They ran rapids, portaged hills with canoes on their shoulders and camped in the wilderness. They played with silhouettes against the flowing river, one camera filming the other.

At Lake Harbour, on Baffin Island, one of the most memorable scenes unfolded. An Inuit man named Inqmilayuk sat around a campfire, talking. A white man, who is in fact the captain of the Nascopie, Edmund Mack, listened intently, puffing on a pipe.

"I was but a youth when I learned to hunt, as my fathers did before me", the title reads. It is followed by a cut-away of a man throwing a harpoon.

"She told me that she loved me", reads another title, introducing Inqmilayuk's budding romance with a woman named Innotseak. In the final scene, the lovebirds walk into the horizon, backs to the camera. The screen goes to black like in a Charlie Chaplin comedy, the iris closing in around the characters.

According to Canadian visual historian Peter Geller, these scenes can place The Romance of the Far Fur Country in the context of the history of documentary film, a history dominated by Robert Flaherty, who British film icon John Grierson hailed as the father of documentary.

"Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North (1922) is seen as a pivotal moment in the history of non-fiction film," Peter says. But he adds a caveat.

"What has been forgotten is that the HBC film shot in 1919 used many of the filmic and narrative techniques to tell its 'Life Story of the Eskimo' that Flaherty would later employ in his film. And outdoing Flaherty, the HBC film used titles in the Inuit language."

Nanook of the North would become a classic of early film. Commercial spin-offs like the "Nanook Fizz" soft-drink, and "Igloo" refrigeration units cashed in on its popularity.

This same iconic status cannot be said of The Romance of the Far Fur Country. When the completed film premiered across Western Canada and in London, it was accompanied by a live orchestra. It played to packed houses. One Canadian newspaper said the film showed "Scenes Never Shown Anywhere Before".

But then the film faded from view. By the mid-1950s, the footage - more than 20 reels in mismatched order - was given to the National Film Archive, what would become the British Film Institute Archive, for safe keeping. In the 1980s, a safety print was made but the footage had only been watched by a handful of people.

It wasn't until Peter Geller went to London to see the footage in the 1990s - and was able to assess its real worth - that The Romance of the Far Fur Country began its long journey back to the screen.

"What is remarkable is that this unique footage has survived into the 21st Century," says Geller, "especially as no comparable motion picture was made during this period in Canada."

And this is where the Hudson's Bay Company Archives in Winnipeg entered the story.

[...]

See also The Return of the Far Fur Country

http://www.returnfarfurcountry.ca/

http://www.returnfarfurcountry.ca/about_the_film.html

[excerpt]

The Return of the Far Fur Country is a collaborative project to resurrect a lost silent film called The Romance of the Far Fur Country. Produced by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1920, the silent feature film has been shelved, stored in pieces and largely unseen in a British archive for the last half-century. This is a project to bring the 8 hours of film footage back to Canada, to reconstruct the original film, then to return these archival moving images to the communities of origin. Collaborating on the project are archivists, academics, filmmakers and community groups.
The goal of this project is to explore the contemporary meanings of these images through consultations with various stakeholders. This process includes the preservation of the nitrate film elements, the re-release of this historic film, and a revisiting of the route taken by the filmmakers in 1920 to host town-hall screenings for communities to contribute names and knowledge to this unique archival collection.
The end result of the project is the distribution of these images and stories to the public through a documentary film, web site, and traditional print publications; contributing to the ongoing discourse of Canada's regional and national identity.

[...] See also NITRATE TREASURES: ACHIVAL HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY FILM

Wed Feb 15 at 7:00 PM

1920, 30 MIN, Silent, BW

http://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/cinematheque/nitrate_t.aspx

* Q & A and reception to follow

The Manitoba Historical Society in partnership with the Hudson's Bay Company Archives and Five Door Films will host an event to celebrate the return to Canada of rarely seen films documenting the Hudson Bay Company's activities and first nations communities in the Canadian north in the early 20th century. The screening includes excerpts from the newly transferred nitrate film footage of The Romance of the Far Fur Country which premiered on May 23, 1920, at Winnipeg's illustrious Allen Theatre. The film was then released across Western Canada, and was eventually re-cut for a British version and screened in London. Less than a decade later, the film disappeared from public view; the canisters of nitrate film stock were packed away by the HBC in an archive in London for safe keeping — but lost to the world... until now.

The screening will be followed by presentations that will discuss the circumstances surrounding the return of the films as well as the projects that are underway to promote them to wider audiences and to the communities represented in the films.

This event is generously sponsored by the Hudson's Bay Company Archives and the Manitoba Historical Society

Winnipeg Film Group‎
100 Arthur Street #304
Winnipeg, MB R3B 1H3
(204) 925-3456

OUR LOCATION

Cinematheque is located in the heart of Winnipeg's historic Exchange District, across the street from Old Market Square. We're on the main floor of the Artspace Building at 100 Arthur Street at Bannatyne - just one block west of Main. 

We are within a block of many great restuarants such as Oui, King's Head Pub, Fyxx Cafe, Mondragon and the Line Up.There is ample free evening parking on the street around us, and there are several close-by pay parking lots.

 

#YZF #NWT Northwestel Cable 20 needs a videographer in Yellowknife

Northwestel Cable 20 needs a videographer

Scope: Gather footage of the Team NWT Arctic Winter Games Snowboarding and Wrestling Trials Jan 28/29 (exact times/locations TBD). Conduct interviews with participants at each location (Cable 20 will help arrange interviews and notes on questions). For each event record highlights of the competition, two talking-heads interviews (if possible), ample b-roll.

Footage will be edited by Community TV for 3-minute story in an Arctic Winter Games magazine-style news show. The footage will be used to create stories similar to the Dene Games Trials story in this episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvHQLF_umTs

Time required: 1-2 hr max at each location. Raw HD footage file delivery required between 9am and 12 noon Monday Jan 30 to Mark Gill at Northwestel Retail Store location, Yellowknife.

Shooting 1920x1080 @30p. Shooting preferably on pro-sumer video camera such as Sony EX-1 or Panasonic HVX-200. Please let me know what type of camera will be used in advance of shooting.

Fee: Cable 20 will pay $60/hr for shooting time, including camera and audio gear. $30/hr for other time required for file transfer /delivery.

Contact: Chris McNutt, Manager Community Media, Northwestel 867-393-7669 / cmcnutt@nwtel.ca if interested.

Thursday 19 January 2012

Green Party of Canada : Put Our First Nations and Canada's best interests before oil industry profits



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <Elizabeth.May@parl.gc.ca>
Date: 19 January 2012 12:06
Subject: RE: Put Our First Nations and Canada's best interests before oil industry profits
To: georgelessard@mediamentor.ca


Thank you for your letter of concern regarding the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. I strongly oppose the Northern Gateway Project and the overturning of our moratorium on oil tankers on the British Columbia coastline.

This moratorium disallowing tanker ships from entering the coast of B.C. has existed since 1972 and has resulted in the conservation of B.C's coastal ecosystems and prevention of oil spills. If the Northern Gateway pipeline is approved, there will a serious risk of oil spills risking the livelihoods of coastal communities. In December 2010, the Government's own Commissioner for the Environment reported that Canada does not have the proper tools to respond to an oil spill. 

The proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline requires 1200 kilometres of pipeline to be built through First Nations land and B.C. wilderness including the Great Bear Rainforest and other protected areas. The complete disregard for the Government's relationship with First Nations communities has been disrespectful. As well, a pipeline this size cannot proceed without a proper process of environmental and economic assessment as well as community consultation. The Harper Government has prejudged the environmental assessment and seems bound and determined to demonize those of us opposed to the pipeline as "foreign radicals."

You can read my open letter to the Hon Joe Oliver at http://elizabethmaymp.ca/news/blogs/2012/01/09/an-open-letter-to-joe-oliver/.  In addition, you can sign the petition opposing the Northern Gateway Pipeline at http://elizabethmaymp.ca/wp-content/uploads/Northern-Gateway-Pipeline-Petition.pdf. In order for this petition to be presented to the House of Commons, it must be printed single sided and have a minimum of 25 signatures. Please mail back to my Parliament Hill office at which point I will then present the petition to the House of Commons in an effort to stop this project.

I appreciate your concern for this issue. Please keep up the pressure!

Sincerely,

 

Elizabeth May, O.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Saanich- Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada

 


New Democrats on Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <Nycole.Turmel@parl.gc.ca>
Date: 19 January 2012 09:48
Subject: New Democrats on Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline
To: Nycole.Turmel@parl.gc.ca


Thank you for your email outlining your concerns with oil tanker traffic on
the coast of BC via the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Please know that I share
your concerns.

First, let me comment on the Conservatives' recent musings about
environmental assessments and funding sources for environmental NGOs. When
it comes to an environmental assessment process, many Canadians have a stake
in both the process and the outcome. New Democrats recognize that this is
entirely legitimate. Interestingly, one must ask themselves: whose interests
are the Conservatives representing? Canadians or the interests of the
American and Chinese companies who will profit from the pipeline?

Furthermore, while the Conservatives feign concern over foreign donations to
Canadian NGOs, they seem to have no problem with one of their favourite
think-tanks, the Fraser Institute, receiving 9% of their funding from
foreign sources! (Annual Report, Fraser Institute, 2010 (pg 39):
http://www.fraserinstitute.org/about-us/who-we-are/annual-reports.aspx)

We are glad that President Obama has listened to people's concerns on both
sides of the border, questioning whether this pipeline is worth the high
environmental and social cost. This outcome is the direct result of this
government's inaction on the environment and refusal to properly regulate
the oil sands. That's why some of our closest trading partners are shutting
their markets to Canadian oil.

For our part, we have been consistent in our call for the government to ban
oil tanker traffic on the BC coast. Building on NDP past work that included
a motion calling on the government to ban oil tanker traffic on the BC
coast, in June 2011 NDP MPs Fin Donnelly and Nathan Cullen laid out a
legislative proposal for a permanent ban on oil supertanker traffic off the
north coast of British Columbia.

We have long felt that these supertankers are all risk and no reward - it's
all about shipping raw bitumen from Alberta's tar sands to Asia.
Additionally, banning oil tanker traffic would effectively stop any move by
Enbridge to ship oil through its planned $4.5 billion Northern Gateway
Pipeline.

You may also be interested to know of our party's efforts to cut subsidies
to non-renewable energy producers, and redirect these revenues into clean
energy projects. We feel that the Conservative government's irresponsible
support for the fossil fuel industry is leaving Canada behind and costing us
billions. (http://www.ndp.ca/platform/tackle-climate-change#section-4-2).

You can read more about our ideas to help achieve a cleaner and healthier
environment by visiting:
http://www.ndp.ca/platform/tackle-climate-change
http://meganleslie.ndp.ca/post/ndp-calls-for-action-against-climate-change
http://www.ndp.ca/press/climate-change-conservatives-inaction-putting-jobs-r
isk

Our team of New Democrat MPs remains committed to putting forward practical
solutions that will move Canada forward and ensure that we maintain a clean,
sustainable Canada for future generations.

Again, I appreciate the time you have taken to voice your concerns. I invite
you to visit our website at www.ndp.ca to learn the latest about our team of
New Democrats. Also, feel free to pass along my response to your network of
friends and family.

All the best,


Nycole Turmel, M.P.
Interim Leader of the Official Opposition
New Democratic Party of Canada


Wednesday 18 January 2012

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge - I support #wikipediablackout! Show your support here

I support #wikipediablackout! Show your support here http://tinyurl.com/7vq4o8g

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia. Learn more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more


Friday 13 January 2012

Arctic Cinema and Applied Arts conference, 10-12 April, 2012

Arctic Cinema and Applied Arts conference, 10-12 April, 2012

Fri, Jan 13, 2012
UArctic's Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design is organizing a two-day (10th - 12th April, 2012) conference, Arctic Cinema and Applied Arts, which will take place at Inari, Finland, brings together national and international experts from the fields of culture, cinema and arts. The event will be of interest to anyone with a professional interest in art and culture in the north; entrepreneurs within culture, arts, and tourism, artists and art associations, students of culture, arts, and tourism.
http://kulttuuri.luc.fi/conference2012/ACAA.iw3
"...

Arctic Cinema and Applied Arts

What tales are to be told about how the creative industries, artists and entrepreneurs could work together to benefit people living in the North? What can be learned about new ways of engaging communities through the arts and the role of cinema in the Arctic? What is distinctive about art and cinema in the North? These are the sorts of questions that will be addressed at this inaugural conference, hosted by the Institute for Northern Culture in the newly opened Sámi Cultural Centre, SAJOS, in Inari.

The idea of a discussion is at the heart of the conference, and delegates will explore the two central themes: cinema and applied arts from a northern perspective. Entrepreneurs in arts and culture, artists, policy makers and educationalists are invited to consider how the arts contribute to the economic life and general well-being of people living in the North.

About the conference

This two-day (10th - 12th April, 2012) conference brings together national and international experts from the fields of culture, cinema and arts. The event will be of interest to anyone with a professional interest in art and culture in the north; entrepreneurs within culture, arts, and tourism, artists and art associations, students of culture, arts, and tourism. The conference will also appeal to decision makers in development organisations, municipalities etc.

The programme includes internationally renowned scholars, filmmakers and artists...."

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Make a short film with LIFT for imagineNATIVE 2012 - Submit Now!

Make a short film with LIFT for imagineNATIVE 2012 - Submit Now!

LIFT and imagineNATIVE
8th ANNUAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM: CALL FOR APPLICANTS
Make a short film for imagineNATIVE 2012

Application Deadline: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by 5:00pm

Do you have a great idea for a 5 minute short film? Explore 16mm filmmaking through LIFT's workshops, equipment and facilities (other mediums may be employed). Shoot and edit your ideas to film, and see them on screen at the 13th annual imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, which will take place in Toronto from October 17–21, 2012!

You will be provided with a LIFT Membership, and be eligible to enroll in any training workshop offered during their Winter and Summer 2012 calendar. You will be paired with LIFT's knowledgeable staff and a specially selected mentor to help you through your various development, production and post-production stages. imagineNATIVE will subsidize some additional costs related to your project, and facilitate aspects of your post-production stages.

Please note: Projects must be realistic in scope and subject matter as they must be completed and transferred to tape by September 25, 2012.

The participant will receive the opportunity to use LIFT's extensive 16mm production equipment and facilities for their film. As every film is unique, equipment and facilities access will be established in the development phase (past equipment and facilities budgets have ranged from $500–$5,000). Any additional equipment, facilities, and production costs will be the responsibility of the participant.

imagineNATIVE will provide a $500 bursary towards production costs and 1,200 feet of film stock will be provided by Kodak. Assistance with transferring and processing will also be provided (approximately a $750 value). All other associated costs are to be covered by the participant.

Eligibility Criteria:

    This call is open to Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit, other international Indigenous) candidates living in or near the GTA only
    Preference will be given to artists who have not had the opportunity to work in film (Note: you do not have to be a youth, but youth may also apply)
    Candidates must commit to attending the LIFT training workshops from March–August 2012. We strongly encourage applicants who are deadline driven and self-starters.
    You must live in Toronto or within commuting distance from the city in order to access LIFT workshops and equipment. Travel subsidy and cost of living are NOT covered by this mentorship.

Your Application Must Include:

    One-page short film idea
    A half to one-page statement on why you would like to participate and how you would benefit from this mentorship;
    Your bio (no resumes or CVs please). Please be certain to indicate your past experience with film, video and other artistic mediums, if any, and your Indigenous affiliation.
    Contact info, including email, mailing address and phone number.
    Email to LIFT@imagineNATIVE.org or Fax to 416.585.2313

Should you have additional questions, please call Daniel Northway-Frank at 416.585.2333 or programming@imagineNATIVE.org

The deadline for submissions is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012 by 5:00PM

More at
http://www.imaginenative.org/newsdetails.php?id=212

Tuesday 10 January 2012

NWT Premier Roland gave Kate & William 692 diamonds during Yellowknife visit last summer


'Brooch' and 'pair of cufflinks'...included a total of 692 diamonds – 302 for Kate and 390 for William.....Kate and William were given a gift each by the premier of the Northwest Territories while visiting the town of Yellowknife.
These trinkets were modestly listed by the couple's office as 'brooch' and 'pair of cufflinks'.
But both were made from platinum, studded with diamond pave and specially commissioned from world-renowned jeweller Harry Winston, a favourite of A-list stars.
[...]
According to the firm's chairman, Robert Gannicott, it took their best craftsmen 250 hours to make the royal gifts. 'These convey the wealth of respect and affection that we hold for the royal couple,' premier Floyd K. Roland said as he handed over the gems.
The items together included a total of 692 diamonds – 302 for Kate and 390 for William. However, Clarence House insisted that it was 'inappropriate to highlight whether a gift was valuable'..."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2084973/Kate-Duchess-diamonds-Gift-Canada-listed-officials-brooch-revealed-designer-platinum-302-stones.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

'pair of cufflinks'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/11/article-2084973-0F67D8A900000578-757_634x286.jpg

'brooch'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/11/article-2084973-0F681F3D00000578-297_634x1183.jpg

Monday 9 January 2012

Aboriginal Storytellers: Remember To Apply By Jan 16 for Banff's "Hi-Rez Storytelling"

Aboriginal Storytellers: Remember To Apply By January 16

The Banff Centre: Indigenous Storytellers Invited to Apply
Program dates: February 27 – March 10, 2012
Application deadline: January 16, 2012

Scholarship and financial aid covering 100 per cent of the program fee is available.

Hi-Rez Storytelling is a program designed to support emerging to mid-career Aboriginal filmmakers and new media screen-based writers and producers. During the course of this unique two-week residency at The Banff Centre, participants will develop a project they bring with them to the program, write for multi-platform environments, and learn digital strategies that provide a continuum for contemporary storytelling forms.

Hi-Rez Storytelling will provide one-on-one mentorship and guidance with outstanding faculty and guest speakers. At the end of residency, participants will leave with a developed story, plans for production, and fundraising and/or pitching plans. Participants may be storytellers of any genre who want to explore how to tell and visualize their story, and who wish to explore an Indigenous esthetic in storytelling and interactivity.

http://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/program.aspx?id=1235

For more information about Hi-Rez Storytelling and Aboriginal Arts Self-Directed Residencies, please contact:
Kathy Morrison, Program Manager
Aboriginal Arts
The Banff Centre
Box 1020, Station 21
Banff, AB T1L 1H5
kathy_morrison@banffcentre.ca
Tel: 403.763.6710

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Call for submissions: Northern, Art/Experimental video program

Call for submissions: Northern, Art/Experimental video program

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Western Arctic Moving Pictures <jeremy@wamp.ca>
Date: 3 January 2012 18:27
Subject: Call for submissions: ART/EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO

WAMP is working with SAW video from Ottawa and Yukon Film Society to put
together a Northern, Art/Experimental video program to be showcased at the
National Arts Centre in 2013.

Please contact us with any northern videos/ works in progress you may have
that you think will fit the genre.

The link below is for the prairies scene... 2013 would be for northern scene
http://www.prairiescene.ca/en/

The Venue:
http://www2.nac-cna.ca/en/

Our Collaborators:
http://www.sawvideo.com/

WAMP
http://www.wamp.ca/

Yukon Film Society
http://www.yukonfilmsociety.com/