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
