Reel Talk: With Rita Shelton Deverell

Friday, April 29 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Khyber – 1588
Barrington Street
WIFT-AT members – FREE
Non-WIFT-AT members – $6

Women in Film and Television Atlantic & Carbon Arc are pleased to invite you to the continuation of our monthly social screenings, Reel Talk: Conversations with Women in Film and Television. On the last Friday of every month we feature an interview with a veteran or emerging film or television professional and view some of their work. Afterwards, we invite you to have a drink and get to know each other.

This month our guest is Rita Shelton Deverell. Filmmaker Eva Madden will host a conversation with Rita, discuss her prolific career and show clips of her work. We hope you will join us! Reel Talk – with Rita Shelton Deverell

Rita Shelton Deverell is a producer, playwright, host, and performer, journalist, and scholar. She is the current occupant of Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at Mount St. Vincent University, her two-year term ending in June, 2011. Dr. Deverell was the first woman to lead a journalism program in Canada in her position as Director of the School of Journalism at the University of Regina in the 1980s. In 1988, she responded to the need for more diverse television by co-founding Vision TV, a multi-faith and multicultural broadcaster. One of the reasons Rita helped to build the channel because of the hurdles and obstacles she and some of her colleagues faced in the broadcasting industry. She was also head of News and Current Affairs at Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, mentoring her Aboriginal successor, and has produced/hosted/executive produced a couple of thousand current affairs shows over the years.

Deverell has also been recognized for her work by the Maclean’s Honour Roll of Outstanding Canadians and was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada in 2005, two Gemini Awards, and was recently honoured with the Leadership Award of the Black Women’s Civic Engagement Network. Since 2005 Rita has written four theatre titles and produced and directed eight television dramas. In January 2011 she was appointed a Trudeau Foundation Mentor for 18 months, making this her first “retirement” project. This weekend she leaves for Toronto to perform her one-woman play Smoked Glass Ceiling in the “bcurrent festival”, the 10th. anniversary of this showcase of African-disaspora drama.

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Press Release: Acclaimed filmmaker Patricia Rozema headlines first-ever Women Making Waves conference in Atlantic Canada (Feb 28, 2011)

Download PDF of Press Release here: WomenMakingWaves news release-Feb28

(Halifax, Feb. 28, 2011) Her first feature, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, wowed ‘em at Cannes. She brought Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park to life on the big screen. She won an Emmy and was nominated for a Grammy for her film Six Gestures, part of the series Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach. She also received an Emmy nomination for the HBO movie Grey Gardens, starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, and wrote an episode of the critically acclaimed HBO series In Treatment.

Now writer-director-producer Patricia Rozema will be sharing her wisdom, skills and stories with filmmakers in Atlantic Canada, during Women Making Waves, a conference hosted by Women in Film & Television-Atlantic, March 4-6, in Halifax.

“We are absolutely thrilled about Patricia Rozema’s participation. She is a writing/directing force to be reckoned with on both sides of the border. She inspires!” says Jan Miller, Chair of WIFT-Atlantic, which was founded in March 2009 as part of the international body, WIFT-International.

“This is our first conference, and it promises to be an amazing confluence of people from across the region involved in film, television and web-based media,” adds Ann Bernier, Co-Chair of the event. “We have a very lively screen industry here, and WIFT-Atlantic is dedicated to assisting those working within it.”

Women Making Waves, to be held at Mount Saint Vincent University and other venues in Halifax, features a diverse range of panels, workshops and networking opportunities.

Rozema will discuss her life and work with New Brunswick arts journalist Christine McLean – and conference-goers – on March 5 at 9:15 a.m. and later that day will present a workshop titled Working with Actors, during which she will lead four local actors in scenes from Blue Valentine.

Other workshops include A Stitch in Time, with the founder of Stitch Media, Evan Jones, a two-time Emmy Award-winner whose work on interactive content for television, web and games has established him as a pioneer. In fact, he is recognized by the Bell Fund as one of the Top 10 New Media Groundbreakers, with clients including Microsoft, Disney, FOX, CBC, Bell and Discovery.

Dreaming of the All-Female Production Team? features women in the director of photography, gaffer/best boy, set director, continuity, production coordinator, and production manager roles, local luminaries from many screen professions.

In Two Generations, One Goal: Women in Documentary, Newfoundland filmmaking veteran Barbara Doran (Random Passage) and PEI’s Millefiore Clarkes – an emerging documentarian using crowd sourcing and social media to make her films – will discuss their creative approach with Nova Scotia filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton.

Halifax-based filmmaker Donna Davies and other horror gurus – including actor Sarah Dunsworth and LA distributor Miriam Elchanan of Fabrication Films – will talk about the genre during The Roar About Horror; while Discovering Andrea will see journalist McLean sitting down with Andrea Dorfman for a chat about her intriguing career path in film.

As part of the WMW event, Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror, a film by Davies, will be screened on March 5 at 9 p.m. at Empire Theatres Park Lane, along with four shorts by Atlantic filmmakers: September/Lost by Bunthivy Nou (NB), Rhonda’s Party by Ashley McKenzie (NS), December in Toronto by Millefiore Clarkes (PEI), and “R”-Rated by Gerry Rogers (Nfld).

The event will wrap with the WAVE Awards, saluting women in the Atlantic screen industries.

Conference passes and individual event tickets are now available. For more information, and to register, visit www.wift-at.com.

With the generous financial support of our presenting partner, Telefilm Canada, the conference is co-presented with Mount Saint Vincent University in the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8. WIFT-AT also gratefully recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage Division.

WIFT, an international organization with 37 chapters and more than 10,000 members, was founded in 1973. It is committed to advancement for women in professional development and achievement in film, video and other screen-based media.

For interviews, or more information, please contact:

Skana Gee, publicist
Women Making Waves
gee.skana@gmail.com
(w) 902-466-7191
(c) 902-223-5234

International Women’s Day Festivities at the Mount

It’s the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day and we’re thrilled to announce these great events at  Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax (our Women Making Waves sponsor).

SATURDAY, MARCH 5
it’s Women Making Waves (of course)
A Celebration of Women in Film & TV, in cooperation with Women in Film & TV Atlantic, the Mount, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., a symposium for registered
delegates.
8:00 p.m. – The Park Lane Cinemas, Cheap Seats Saturday Night, feature fi lms
directed by women, $5.00 everyone.

SUNDAY, MARCH 6
A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at the Mount,
7–9 p.m., MSVU Art Gallery, limited seating,
RSVP 457-6581 or nancys-chair-25th@msvu.ca.

MONDAY, MARCH 7
A Recognition of the 35th Anniversary of “Atlantis”,
a Women’s Studies Journal at the Mount, venue and time TBA.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8
The 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, at the Mount.
8–9:30am, Pancake Breakfast, Seton Faculty Lounge, 404-405.
4:30–8:00pm – “Smoked Glass Ceiling”, a one-woman theatre piece written and performed by Rita Shelton Deverell; poets; musicians; food and fun, the Mount, Rosaria Multi-Purpose Room. Free and open to the public, a $5 donation suggested to benefit
the Mount’s Student Refugee Program.

Stand by for more details and Save the Dates.
Download the PDF and feel free to pass it around MSVU-InternationalWomensDay

NL Pulse January 2011

(Don’t forget to send us your news. We’ll feature it here in the Provincial Pulses.)

Here’s what’s on the go in Newfoundland! Brought to you by the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival:

• The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival is very excited to announce that submissions have started coming in for the 2011 festival. The Festival takes place October 18 to 22, 2011. Please see http://www.womensfilmfestival.com/ and click on Submit a Film for details. Note: only NTSC formats are accepted, make sure to read submission information carefully!

 

• The 2011 Sparks Literary Festival will be held on Sunday January 23, 2011 at the Petro-Canada Hall in the Memorial University School of Music. Please see Memorial University’s website for more details.

 

• The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Professional Project Grants Program deadline is fast approaching (March 15th). Please see the NLAC site for more details.

 

• City of St. John’s Artists Grant Applications, deadline is January 31. Please see website for details.

 

• Allison White is the first recipient of the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival Michelle Jackson Award. Her film, Decoloured will be shot later this winter in Newfoundland. See what Allison has to say about her project in the latest Lifestyle Atlantic Online Magazine and check out http://www.indiegogo.com/decoloured to donate!

 

•  Rabbittown Theatre Company is joining forces with MUN Drama to present The Fights by local playwright Ben Pittman. The Fights is inspired by the real life struggle of Newfoundland Bareknuckle Prizefighter Johnny Dwyer, and follows his family’s settlement in post-civil war America. “Gentleman” Johnny rises through the ranks of the illegal fighting circuit of 1870’s New York City. In a world of shady saloon owners, confederate war criminals, corrupt politicians and the meanest pugilists of the era, Johnny learns how far he is willing to go for a dream. The show runs from Jan 25 – 29, find out more here.

 

• SECURE FOOTING IN A CHANGING LITERARY LANDSCAPE, Professional Development Symposium for writers in all phases of their careers. This full-day event is designed to address the creative and financial questions that arise as writers navigate print-based and digital literary landscapes. Writers – unpublished, emerging, or established – will gain an insight into their role in the digitalization of the literary industry. Complete details can be found here.

NB Pulse January 2011

(Don’t forget to send us your news. We’ll feature it here in the Provincial Pulses.)

Here’s what’s on the go in New Brunswick:

•  Jillian Acreman is working on her third short film which has a working title of “Ponzi!” She is planning to film in Los Angeles and in order to capitalize on limited funding she will be collecting Airmiles to fly out the Canadian crew members.  Contact Jillian (jillianacreman@hotmail.com) for Airmiles donation inquiries! And look out for “Ponzi!” in late 2011.

• Christine McLean, a New Brunswick arts journalist, is now a full-time journalism professor at St. Thomas University.  While having guests such as Jan Wong in class this fall has been a thrill, Christine still enjoys getting off campus.  She hosted CBC Radio’s Information Morning over the Christmas holidays.  She also moderated a popular panel at the Silver Wave Film Festival entitled “She Shoots.  She Scores: Success Stories from New Brunswick’s female filmmakers.”  She is a regular host of the In Conversation series at the Fredericton Playhouse, interviewing groups such the Canadian Brass and later this winter, the Canadian opera star, Ben Heppner.  Christine is very excited about her role in the upcoming Women Making Waves weekend.

NS Pulse January 2011

(Don’t forget to send us your news. We’ll feature it here in the Provincial Pulses.)

Here’s what’s on the go in Nova Scotia! Brought to you by AFCOOP:

• Dr. Alanis Obomsawin, O.C, Director/ Producer/Writer will be speaking at the  University of King’s College on Tuesday January 25th  at 7 pm in Alumni Hall of the New Academic Building at King’s. Dr. Obomsawin is a distinguished story-teller and filmmaker. She is also a singer and song-writer and is known world wide for her impressive body of film work about the First Nations in Canada.  The event is free and open to the public.
  Her film Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance will be shown on Monday January 24, 7pm Room 1028, Potter Auditorium, Rowe Building at Dalhousie.

• Halifax filmmakers Eva Madden-Hagen and Juanita Peters have been accepted into the Women in the Director’s Chair Workshop at Banff Centre in Alberta.

• The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative announces a call for entries for the One Minute Film Program – an outreach initiative designed to introduce first time filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to 16mm filmmaking. Deadline for Applications is February 7th.

• The Centre for Art Tapes announces its annual presentation of Out of the Centre: Media Arts Scholarship Program. The one-night only screening will take place at Empire Theatres Park Lane 7:00 pm Thursday, January 20, 2011. Nine scholarship recipients will present their projects, which range from documentary, animation, experimental video and online interactive art installations. Participating artists include Matthew Carswell, Fran Di Cesare, Alison Creba, Robert Drisdelle, Shelley Fashan, Dawn George, Greg Jackson, Amélie Proulx and Daina Tavenier.

• COPY COPY COPY: THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF COPYRIGHTS AND WRONGS, February 12 & 13, 2011. This public symposium and cultural event will deal with media and intellectual property with a strong focus on film. It is being presented by AFCOOP in conjunction with NSCAD University, Dalhousie University, and DOC: The Documentary Association of Canada. The program will be presented free-of-charge to the public and will feature two days of artist talks, film screenings, workshops, and discussions dealing with the hot button topic of copyright.

• Two teams of Halifax filmmakers have been shortlisted for the NSI Drama Prize. “When You Sleep,” by Writer/Director Ashley McKenzie, co-producer Nelson MacDonald and co-producer Martha Cooley, and “Flush” by producer Laura MacKenzie and writer/director Megan Wennberg.

• The Nova Scotia government has updated the residency requirements and cap for the Film Industry tax credits. The tax credit program now includes someone who is employed on a production, whether film or animation, who is a resident in the province during the production period (as long as they file taxes in the province). The total production cap for the tax credit has also been removed. These changes are effective on productions as of December 1.

Announcing Women Making Waves Conference

Register now for Women Making Waves!

Big news from Women in Film and Television, Atlantic chapter: Blow those ‘winter blahs’ out to sea and sail into Halifax March 4-6th for WIFT-AT’s first annual Women Making Waves event.

Here’s your chance to join other Atlantic filmmakers, TV professionals, interactive and trans-media creators for a weekend of learning & fun — while being inspired by some of Canada’s top movers and shakers in the screen-based media.

The Women Making Waves conference is all about connecting and sharing for mutual support in our careers. There will be workshops, panels and plenty of networking opportunities for everyone involved.

This conference is for everyone, so whether you are a seasoned industry pro, an emerging talent or a student, there will be something for you. Our programs will benefit above-the-line (writers, directors, producers) or below-the-line (crew, production, actors) and those blurring-the-line with a passion for interactive, mobile and multi-platform.

Women Making Waves 2011 is featuring some experienced and dynamic workshop leaders. Patricia Rozema, one of Canada’s most respected writer/directors, is with us, first in a Conversation with journalist Christine McLean, and later conducting the workshop “Working with Actors”.

Documentary filmmakers can learn from Newfoundland’s award-winning Barb Doran and PEI’s Millefiore Clarkes, the veteran and the newbie, as they spin tales about why and how they do what they do and how the industry’s current sea changes affect us all.

Other sessions include Haligonian artist/filmmaker Andrea Dorfman, two time Emmy Award winning Stitch Media’s Evan Jones, Donna Davies, Sarah Dunsworth and others discussing the portrayal of women in horror movies, a feature film screening, meals and coffee gabfests.

And to top it all off, we’ll present the first ever WIFT-AT Wave Awards at the Carleton’s Crepes, Coffee and Cupcakes Sunday Brunch, saluting three women in the Atlantic Screen Industry, all nominated by people like you.

What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day this year? Join other women and men filmmakers from the Atlantic region for a weekend of chatting with old buddies, making new ones and learning from some of the best in biz.

Open to everyone, Register now for Women Making Waves!

Sign up before February 7, to get the Early Bird rate.

Members of WIFT-AT pay less.

Out-of -Towners also receive discounted prices on registration. Find out about hotel discounts!

We can’t wait to see you at the Women Making Waves Weekend, WMW committee and WIFT Board.

PS – if you don’t know about WIFT-AT, it’s the Atlantic Canadian chapter of Women in Film and Television International, a global network dedicated to the advancement of women through professional development and training in film, video, and other screen-based media.

PEI Pulse January 2011

(Don’t forget to send us your news. We’ll feature it here in the Provincial Pulses.)

Here’s what’s on the go in PEI:

• The Island Media Arts Festival is looking for submissions. They would really like to receive films from as many folks from the Atlantic Provinces as possible!   More info can be found on the Island Media Arts Festival website.

 

• Launching on February 3, 2011, on the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, which production company Periscope Pictures has declared the Year of the Bunny, is the new preschool webseries, BunnyBop!  

Provincial Pulses

(don’t forget to send us your news. We’ll feature it here in the Provincial Pulses.)

Here’s what’s on the go in Atlantic Canada:

• Best Boy Entertainment is now casting for men and women over the age of 18 for dramatic re-enactments for the television series PET ER, scheduled to be filmed February – April 2011. (NL)

• Millefiore Clarkes is in the post-production stages of a feature documentary and web series entitled The Telling. She is currently raising completion funds through ‘crowd sourcing’. Click here to find out more about The Telling, and to donate to the cause. (PEI)

• Barbara Doran (NL) is in post-production on a documentary La Tapisserie de la French Shore (in french) for Radio Canada television and in English for CBC Newfoundland. A co-production with Jerry McIntosh, McIntosh Media, Toronto, the doc is the story of the French who fished the waters of Newfoundland for four hundred years but left hardly a trace. Barbara is also in production on a co-production with Josh Freed, Montreal on a documentary, Growing Up Cold, which is about the thousands of people who head south at the first sign of a snowfall. Airing on Bravo! Janaury 16th.

• Telefilm Canada is offering a Professional Development Online Marketing and Multiplatform Strategies Workshop. This initiative is aimed at developing marketing knowledge and an understanding of the issues related to distributing feature films in the multiplatform age. There will be one held in Halifax – February 7, 2011. For more information, visit Telefilm’s website. (NS)

• Congrats to Andrea Dorfman and Tanya Davis (The Coast Best Short Film of 2010 Winners) for their film “How To Be Alone”, which has 1.92 Million YouTube views!  It doesn’t hurt to get Tweeted by Roger Ebert. (NS)

• Early bird submission deadline for the Nickel Independent Film Festival is December 15th, 2010. (NL)

• Fredericton Monday Night Film Series – the new schedule is up – January – April 2011. (NB)

Introducing the WIFT Wave Awards

In keeping with one of WIFT-Atlantic’s primary goals, to celebrate the work of Atlantic women in the Screen Industry, the WIFT-AT Board is happy to announce the first WIFT Wave Awards which will be handed out Sunday, March 6^th at the Women Making Waves Awards Brunch.

Anyone from the four Atlantic Provinces can submit a nomination for these awards.

Unlike traditional awards, there will be no categories for the Wave Awards. The goal is to salute women in the Atlantic Screen Industry for their:

• Contributions
• Accomplishments
• Emerging talent
• Vision
• Leadership
• Dedication
• Outstanding behind-the-scene support

Nominations

• Can be made by anyone in the industry in the four Atlantic Provinces.

Eligibility

• Women at all levels, from emerging to professional and from any discipline in the industry: from producers to grips, to actors, set designers, bookkeepers, consultants, executives, directors, volunteers – every role and position is eligible.

Submission Requirements

• A letter of nomination pitching why the Nominee should be recognized by WIFT-AT (maximum one page – this is key!)
• Resume/filmography of Nominee (if relevant)
• Complete contact information for the Nominee and the Nominator
• Picture of the Nominee (if available)

Nominations can be sent by e-mail to awards.wift.at@gmail.com

Deadline: Monday, February 14, 2011

Visit  http://wift-at.com/ in late February, for details on who has been nominated and who has made the shortlist.

Jury

• Comprised of four jury members (one from each province) from the industry.

The Awards Brunch

The Wave Awards will be presented during the Women Making Waves closing brunch March 6, 2011.

Untraditional, totally celebratory. We would love to hear who you think should be one of the recipients of WIFT-AT’s first Wave Awards.