BANFF – Corus Entertainment and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) today announced the successful applicants for their 2005 Young Filmmaker’s Initiative.
Now in its fourth year, the $1-million program provides aspiring Canadian filmmakers between the ages of 16 and 24 with the financial resources, professional guidance, and hands-on experience needed to produce their first short film.
Completed films are given an exclusive, national broadcast premiere on one of Corus Entertainment’s television services – YTV, W Network, Movie Central, CMT, Treehouse TV, Discovery Kids, The Documentary Channel or SCREAM.
A jury consisting of CFTPA and Corus Entertainment executives chose this year’s six successful applicants. Each young filmmaker receives a maximum of $25,000 to develop and produce his or her film and is matched with a CFTPA mentor who helps guide the project through to completion.
For 2005, the recipients and their film concepts are:
Bob Barlen, 24, Toronto
Push & Turn is a comedic short film which looks at the disastrous and hilarious results of a simple magic trick.
Lindsay LeCorre, 21, Victoria, B.C.
Pathway captures the spiritual journey of a dying woman.
Nicholas Martin, 22, Montreal
A young country artist is looking for heartbreak so he can write the ultimate country song in Searching for Heartbreak.
Jen Schlumberger, 22, Peterborough, Ont.
Dream Catcher is a rhyming-scheme children’s film about a young girl who can’t remember her dreams when she wakes up, so she sets out on a journey to find them.
Kyle Thomas, 22, Calgary
A young photojournalist travels to the Valley of the Dead in Last Chance Saloon.
Ian Yorski, 21, Winnipeg
The Snow Fort is a film about growing up in the Canadian Prairies.
The Corus Entertainment Funds and Initiatives Program supports Canadian independent producers through six funds: Corus Family Feature Film Fund, Corus Teen Drama Fund, Corus Women’s Programming Fund, Corus Made with Pay Development Fund, Corus Telelatino Fund, and the Young Filmmaker’s Initiative. These initiatives demonstrate Corus Entertainment’s leadership and commitment to building strong and sustainable Canadian production and broadcasting industries.
Recipients from previous years are in the process of completing and delivering their films for broadcast on a Corus Entertainment service.
