Look out for these CFC short films screening at festivals around the world this May and June:

BENJAMIN

CFC short film BENJAMIN, from director Sherren Lee, is keeping very busy this May/June screening at the following festivals:

• Seattle International Film Festival | May 19 to June 12, 2016: BENJAMIN will screen at the 42nd annual festival over ShortsFest weekend (May 26 to 30) as part of the Uncharted Territories program on Monday, May 30 at 11:30 a.m. CLICK HERE and HERE to learn more.
  Social: #BenjaminShortFilm | #CFCSDF | @cfccreates | @SIFFnews | #SIFF2016
• KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival | May 25 to 29, 2016: BENJAMIN is set to screen in the Competition Category for International Narrative Short Films at the 7th annual KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. CLICK HERE for more information.
  Social: #BenjaminShortFilm | #CFCSDF | @cfccreates | @KashishMIQFF
• Yorkton Film Festival | May 26 to 29, 2016: BENJAMIN will screen on Friday, May 27, 2016 from 4:10 to 4:35 p.m. as part of the 69th festival, held in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. The film has also been nominated for the 2016 Golden Sheaf Awards. CLICK HERE to find out more. 
  Social: #BenjaminShortFilm | #CFCSDF | @cfccreates | @yorktonfilm | #YFF16
• 2016 Toronto LGBT Film Festival | May 26 to June 5, 2016: BENJAMIN will screen as part of the Mixed Shorts: Local Heroes program on Thursday, June 2 at 7 p.m. CLICK HERE for additional details.
  Social: #BenjaminShortFilm | #CFCSDF | @cfccreates | @InsideOutTO | #InsideOut16

STRAY DOG

• Italian Contemporary Film Festival | June 9 to 19, 2016: STRAY DOG,from director Michael Mazzuca, will screen as part of the Italian Contemporary film festival on June 16 at 6:45 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox. CLICK HERE for more info.
  Social: #StrayDogShort | #CFCSDF | @cfccreates | @ICFFCanada | #ICFF16

Good news, Torontonians! We’ve partnered with North York Arts for the second year in a row to participate in the 17th annual Doors Open Toronto event, presented by Great Gulf. This means that our beautiful campus will be open for the public to explore on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CFC’s campus is located on Windfields Estate, the former home of celebrated Canadian philanthropist and entrepreneur, Edward Plunket (E. P.) Taylor. E.P. Taylor and his wife, Winnifred, bought the property in 1932, and commissioned the building of Windfields in 1936. After WWII, extensive additions were made to the property, including the north wing of the Main House, the former pool, the Stables and Cottages, and the Gatehouse, which was used by Mr. Taylor as his offices. Taylor’s legendary status as a giant of Canadian thoroughbred racing is well known, and some of his famous horses were occasionally stabled at Windfields, including Northern Dancer. So it seemed appropriate for us to honour this horseracing legend by naming our new building the Northern Dancer Pavilion, built over the footprint of the former pool and cabanas on the property.

Windfields was gifted to the city of North York by the Taylor family in 1968, and transferred under amalgamation to the City of Toronto in 1998. In 1988, the Taylor family supported the city in its intent to lease the estate as a campus for CFC, and Windfields Estate has been our home ever since.

There are some special events and activities planned at the Canadian Film Centre as part of Doors Open Toronto on May 28. 

Schedule of Events

10 a.m. | CFC’s Doors Open

Come by to explore our Main house, Greenhouse and the newest addition to our grounds, the Northern Dancer Pavilion, at your leisure throughout the day.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Eco-Art Exhibition in the Greenhouse

Wander through the Greenhouse to view Chris Nolan’s photography exhibit entitled Slow Down, Look Closer, which showcases macro photographs of the nature that is all around us. For more information on the exhibition, CLICK HERE.

11 a.m. | Tour of Historic Windfields Estate and Grounds

Participate in a guided tour of Windfields Estate led by Jo Ann Pynn, Supervisor, Cultural Assets, City of Toronto; David Waverman, Landscape Architect, Northern Dancer Pavilion; and Jacqueline Mackey, Chief Financial Officer, CFC.

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Crafts for Kids

Head to the Greenhouse with your little ones to participate in a variety of fun crafts for kids.

1 to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3 p.m.| Dance Activations/Workshop

Visit the Northern Dancer Pavilion during these times to see dance activations and participate in a workshop by Menaka Thakkar Dance Company in celebration of South Asian Heritage Month. For more information on the Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, CLICK HERE.

5 p.m. | Doors Close

That’s a wrap on Doors Open Toronto 2016 for the Canadian Film Centre. But there are other sites and buildings that will be open on Sunday, May 29. CLICK HERE for a full list of the buildings open to explore.

All of the above activities and events are open to the public. No registration is required.

Planning your trip to CFC for Doors Open Toronto? Here is some helpful information:

Driving directions

The Canadian Film Centre is located at 2489 Bayview Avenue, south of York Mills Road, on the east side of Bayview Avenue.

Driving from Highway 401

Exit: Bayview Avenue, southbound, and continue past York Mills Road to CFC.

Driving from the Don Valley Parkway

Exit: York Mills Road, westbound, and continue past Leslie Street. Turn Left (south) onto Bayview Avenue.

Driving from downtown Toronto

Take the Bayview Extension northbound, and continue past Lawrence Avenue.

Public Transit

Option1:

York Mills Subway Station via the Yonge branch of Yonge/University Line.

Transfer to an eastbound bus, including any of the following routes:

#122 Graydon Hall
#115 Silver Hills
#95 York Mills (all routes)

Disembark at Bayview Avenue. Transfer to #11 Bayview South, and disembark at Bayview Ridge Crescent, OR walk 10 minutes south on Bayview to CFC’s entrance.

Option 2:

Davisville Subway Station via the Yonge branch of Yonge/University Line.

Transfer to #11 Bayview North, and continue past Sunnybrook Hospital and Lawrence Avenue. Disembark at Country Lane.

Get Social! 

Share your Doors Open Toronto 2016 experiences at CFC on social media by tagging @cfccreates and @doors_OpenTO on Twitter and Instagram, @Canadian Film Centre and @Doors Open TO on Facebook, and using the hashtag #DOT16.

For more information on CFC’s participation in Doors Open Toronto 2016, CLICK HERE.

For more information on Doors Open Toronto 2016, CLICK HERE.

The CMW Startup Launch Pad event, held at the Sheraton Hotel on May 5, 2016 as part of Canadian Music Week, featured a compelling mix of music-related businesses pitching for a $10,000 cheque courtesy of LyricFind and SOCAN.

Among the pitchers was IDEABOOST Network Connect company SongCat, who recently joined CFC Media Lab’s startup community. Since its inception in 2012, IDEABOOST has supported dozens of startups, providing connections and mentorship to early stage companies, as well as financial support, thanks in part to the generosity of its primary partner, Corus, and funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

SongCat and the other startups were pitching to music industry veterans Jeremy Silver, former CEO of Sibelius; Larry Marcus, early investor in Pandora; Ted Cohen, former Warner Brothers executive; and Jeff Liebensen, prominent entertainment lawyer. Rounding out the panel was Canada’s own Michael Wekerle of CBC’s Dragon’s Den, who joked that, as a boy, he always dreamed of playing the El Mocambo, he just didn’t know he’d have to buy it to do so (he recently bought the Toronto live music venue for $3.8 million).

First to present was Aybo App. They’ve built a tool for including short six-second music clips in text messages. So instead of texting ‘hello,’ you might send a clip of Adele singing “Hello”. The post-presentation Q&A focused on potential licensing issues.

Next up was Audiokite. They’ve built a tool for dealing with one of the biggest problems facing musicians at the start of their careers: exposure. Audiokite streams music to people who, for a small fee, have agreed to answer survey questions, like ‘Is anyone going to buy this?’, ‘What are the strongest and weakest elements of the track?’, ‘What do you feel when you listen to the track?’ and ‘Where in the track do you tune out?’. Survey data can also be used to figure out which geographical areas are most receptive to the band’s sound, so bands know where to tour.

SongCat’s presentation demoed their innovative cloud-based music production platform that enables anyone to turn their song idea into a professionally produced recording for less than $500. Juxtaposing an initial song idea, sung by its creator into a phone, with the professionally produced SongCat version, we could hear for ourselves how SongCat’s cloud-based music production process transforms a rough idea into an industry-ready product.

Notetracks was up next. Their app enables musicians to electronically share mp3 files with ideation notes, eliminating the need for Gmail, Dropbox and Soundcloud in music collaboration. Their app, endorsed by Grammy-award-winning songwriter Chris DeStefano, sells for $9.99 in the app store, and has already been downloaded 1000 times in just six months. They were asking for seed round funding of $500,000, and were complimented by the judges for being the only pitch that included a specific ask.

And finally Mugatunes, with their mantra of ‘no shitty music,’ took the stage to share their curation platform. Offering music recommendations “by the people, for the people,” they use crowd sourced human ears to create playlists, instead of electronic algorithms.

The presenters gathered on stage as the judges’ scores were tallied. The audience had an idea of where the judges stood, as a result of hearing the Q&A sessions following each presentation. But when the MC, Darryl Ballantyne of LyricFind, made his announcement, we were all surprised. A draw! So the five judges huddled together for a deciding vote, which went 3-2.

Notetracks took home the $10,000 cheque, with Audiokite a close runner-up.

SongCat co-founders Chris Erhardt and Mylène Besançon remained upbeat after acknowledging the stiff competition, and are excited to work with IDEABOOST to further develop their product. IDEABOOST provides young companies in the media/tech/entertainment industry with access to mentors and experts, peer collaboration and networking, specialized resources and perks, and investor review. Keep in tune with SongCat’s developments through their newsletter, and visit their blog for The Lyricist And Musician’s Kit: All In One Place. 

Whether you’re seeking a magician to inspire the office team, or need a DJ for your house party, the new online community SparkGig has you covered: connecting talent seekers with talented performers. Bundle the community aspect of SparkGig with performer reviews, ratings, e-commerce, interactive demonstrations, and a geo-specific booking platform, and you’ve got a scalable user experience. It’s safe to say that when it comes to finding and booking live performances, there is no equivalent to SparkGig.

Desmond Choi was inspired to create SparkGig in 2014 because he saw two main challenges in the entertainment industry:

1.The struggle of finding unique and talented performers.
2.Performers having a tough time finding opportunities and self-promotion.

He was also motivated by his passion for business and social cause, “We’re in the business of ‘doing good.’ We built SparkGig to help performers live out their passion and pursue their craft. We're on a mission to build a community that celebrates art and entertainment.”

SparkGig re-imagines the entertainment marketplace by creating a platform for performers to build their brand and showcase their talent to prospective clients. The user experience from both the performer and seeker is seamless, simple, and secure. With 2,500 performers registered on SparkGig, it’s also highly successful.

We recently caught up with Choi, the co-founder of SparkGig, about this innovative online community. You may recognize him from his appearances on Dragon's Den, which resulted in offers both times he was on.

What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

I started at a young age by accident. I've always been into illustration, and in Grade 4 I forgot my lunch money. I sold one of my drawings to a classmate for $5 and bought lunch. She loved the piece and it was a great value exchange so I drew more and sold more. This was my launch into entrepreneurship and that's the humble truth.To me, an entrepreneur is someone who understands a problem and wants to solve it in a creative way. Define the problem and then design the solution. Always being interested in new challenges and new things keeps that spirit alive. As I was finishing my degree in Sociology at the University of Waterloo and thinking about what impacts social constructs and drives societal change, I was active with a tech startup called MappedIn. As I was finishing my degree, I took a trip to New York and everything changed. I felt a spark.

How did you come up with the idea for SparkGig?

It was in New York on a trip with friends when the idea for SparkGig began to take shape. My friends were great performers, studying at Julliard, but they didn't have the tech skills to develop their own brands and market themselves. They were worried about the future, because society views performing arts and music as a luxury … gigs are hard to find in a traditional sense. My friends’ fears led me to a “eureka moment” and the desire to create SparkGig. I taught myself programming at a young age, and was plugged into the power of technology, so I decided to create a support network for these performers and connect them to gig opportunities in a new way. SparkGig believes performing arts and artists should be accessible and live performances should be available to everyone.

What prompted you join CFC Media Lab’s IDEABOOST?

I was searching the entertainment scene in Toronto and came across the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). The CFC is highly focused on the talent within the entertainment industry, so it was a natural fit. Also, a colleague [of mine] had worked with the CFC and had many positive things to say. We decided to join CFC Media Lab’s IDEABOOST program and have attended three events so far. The speakers and workshops are phenomenal, and they have created further conversations and networking opportunities. The support and mentorship has been fantastic. We received market strategy support and look forward to the next event and meeting other companies in IDEABOOST.

What do you want audiences to know about SparkGig?

Our vision is to make live entertainment accessible to the mass public. We are deep diving to create opportunities for event organizers and performers.We want the world to know, ‘If you're a performer seeking performance opportunities, sign-up at SparkGig. We work with students, music schools and part-time performers to connect them with paying gigs.’

It doesn’t make sense for a group of high-level performers who don’t perform full-time to self-promote, given the financial resources and time that it takes. Part-time performers want to enjoy the experience without all the back-end headaches that tend to accompany the business aspect of the industry. This is how and why we make it easy and free for them to book through SparkGig. We remove barriers and offer them a one-of-a kind space for their brand development, promotion and booking. Then we offer them exposure to potential clients. We have 2,500 performers to date in (mainly) the North American market. Currently, we are doubling bookings through SparkGig every month, so it's working.

What's the biggest challenge you currently face or have faced in terms of development?

There are two main challenges we're working on right now. The first is continuing to recruit performers to match market demand for entertainment, specifically on the East Coast of Canada and the U.S. The second challenge, which we're close to solving, is the improvement of the booking process. We are streamlining it to make the user experience is as simple as possible.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting your company?

We can't complete our mission alone. We need to integrate live, accessible entertainment into the social fabric of day-to-day life. Live entertainment is viewed as a luxury, so we need to work with and gain support from educational bodies, government, society and professional entertainers to change this complex perception. We need to share the vision and message of SparkGig with as many people as possible and provide more opportunities and programs for entertainers and entertainment seekers.

Can you tell us about any exciting partnerships?

We have partnered with a variety of organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies seeking live performances at meeting breakouts to wedding planners who desire unique and accessible entertainment. Anything from an army of Storm Troopers to talented face painters ... it's available at SparkGig. We're always open to new opportunities and partnerships.

What other projects do you have on the horizon?

We are working on building our “Spark a Change” program, which connects our growing community to charities in need. We are also very committed to volunteering with the Salvation Army.

Connect with SparkGig through Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Register today to access their innovative platform and be entertained or start doing the entertaining.

Interested in attending IDEABOOST Network Connect events, meeting our mentors, aligning with fellow startups, and partnering with allies like SparkGig’s co-founder Desmond Choi? Visit www.ideaboost.ca for more information or email us directly at info@ideaboost.ca. IDEABOOST is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Exciting news! CFC Media Lab launched the fifth cohort of our IDEABOOST accelerator the first weekend in May. Congratulations to the six chosen companies and best of luck to them all as they embark on their four-month journey with us.

BigTerminal

BigTerminal is developing a news and data platform that extracts valuable insights from news, social media, and financial data sources for users in the news, media and financial sectors. 

Sector: Data Analytics Finance and Media
Value proposition: Provides customers and consumers with a competitive advantage and high-quality insights about news, financial data, people, and products.

We believe BigTerminal will disrupt the data analytics industry, structuring interconnections between news, financial data, people and products. With proof of concept achieved and their website in BETA, Adam Rabie (Founder, Software Engineer), and James Vopni and Geoff Strickland (Software Engineers) have designed a system to save investors research time and empower them with insights. The Toronto-based company was founded in 2014. Check out BigTerminal’s website. 

Eigenuity Inc. 

Eigenuity Inc. engineered Madlipz, which brings essential elements of voice-overs to a mobile platform making it easy and fun to make video parodies.

Sector: Mobile App (Voiceover Parody Videos) Entertainment
Value proposition: Allows consumers and brands to build audiences and express themselves by adding voices to parody videos that go viral.

Eigenuity Inc., was founded by three university classmates, Amirhossein Alikhanzadeh, Amirali Afshar and Sean Doroudi. Influenced by the imaginative nature of voice dubbing activities (from sock puppets to action figure role models), Eigenuity developed Madlipz, a mobile app for voiceover parody videos. Enabling users to record three layers of voices from a range of character voices, Madlipz gives video parodies a professional sound and feel. The app has universal appeal with a library and a global database that is not limited by language or culture. Eigenuity Inc. was founded in July 2015 and is based in Toronto, Canada. Watch the MadLipz app video sample. 

Navi

Navi is an embeddable smart feed, that help publishers utilize AI to better engage their mobile web audience.

Sector: Publishing and Adtech
Value proposition: Builds deep learning-powered solutions to help publishers better engage their mobile web audience and unlock new revenue.

Navi’s AI engine will revolutionize the relationship between adtech, publishers and online audiences. Co-founders, Adeel Zaman (CEO) and Marilyn Ma (COO), have figured out how to attractively deliver what every online reader wants and when they want it. Installing Navi is as simple as pasting a snippet of javascript code on the client’s website. Optimized for mobile, Navi identifies the focal subject of web pages, and then augments content with contextually relevant insights like related social posts, actions like the ability to buy the item referenced, or more stories on the topic. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Waterloo. Try Navi now!

PinchVR

PinchVR is an interactive VR controller and mobile app for creating, collaborating and distributing immersive content. PinchVR’s platform is open-source and their VR controller is recyclable.

Sector: Immersive Entertainment
Value proposition: Allows consumers and companies to take advantage of interactive VR and to create and present environments and ideas with their mobile phone.

Milan Baic, founder of PinchVR, and his development team, which includes Vlad Dascalu, Thomas Porinchu, Macy Kuang, Davis Wu, and Danny Galic, want to open up possibilities in the virtual reality space by making it accessible, affordable and highly interactive on mobile devices. Pinch Controllers (Pinchers), an attachment accessory for mobile VR headsets, allow for a more intuitive way to interact with immersive environments and objects. The coined “mouse for VR” operates within the Pinch Studio platform, which is collaborative in nature as well as open-source. PinchVR wants to make “VR Touch for everyone” a reality. Founded in 2015, the Toronto-based company already has 1,000 consumers via an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. Check out their demo

Repable 

Repable provides analytics and insights, delivering a white glove experience for e-sports, gamers, streamers and sponsors looking to increase social net-worth.

Sector: Data and Engagement Tracking, Analytic Tools (gaming), E-Gaming and Entertainment
Value proposition: Provides analytics and insights to help brands reach young millennial customers using popular social platforms like Twitch.

An analytic tool and engagement tracking system, Repable’s technology tracks trends, compares audiences, predicts big breaks and makes audience growth recommendations for online entertainment players. Co-founders Heather Anne Ritchie and Sean Power, along with Donald Donovan (Back-End Development), have designed a system to help streamers maximize income and sponsors promote smart partnerships. Repable provides data science-backed report cars, weekly to-do lists, at-a-glance dashboards and allows for API integration capabilities. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in Toronto. Visit Repable Co. website.

SAM

SAM is an online platform that powers end-to-end social work flows for the modern newsroom, from search to curation and storytelling, streamlining verification, media rights and more.

Sector: Publishing and Media
Value proposition: A comprehensive platform that helps professional journalists and publications find and vet social media sources and content that supports news gathering.

Social Asset Management (SAM), is the leading social media news-gathering platform trusted by newsrooms around the world, powering better storytelling for the world’s leading media brands. Founded by James Neufeld, with Bruce Johnson (Executive Chairman), and Graham Lovelace (Advisor), SAM powers comprehensive search, allows for intelligent creation of workflows, and provides the ability to custom social embeds. The Alberta-based company is already generating revenue and recently closed a $1.5 million capital round, with Associated Press as a lead investor. Demo SAM’s technology now.

Thank you to our Founding Partner, Corus Entertainment, and photographers Mike Tjioe and Ida Da Silva. IDEABOOST is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. 

Visit ideaboost.ca for more information on CFC Media Lab’s IDEABOOST’s Network Connect and Accelerator program.

Founding Partner

Funding Partners

Our mission at the CFC is to inspire the next generation of Canadian storytellers and content creators in the screen entertainment industry. So when we learned about Kick Start Arts’ exciting and innovative projects that aim to use the arts to empower students, youth and adults to express themselves through the creative process, it seemed like a natural fit to get involved.

Participants of The Regent Park Project's Acting Skills for Film workshop series with CFC's Larissa Giroux and 13 actors and alumni of the Actors Conservatory.

CFC renewed its relationship with community organization Kick Start Arts to participate in The Regent Park Project, a collaborative initiative telling the stories of Regent Park. The Regent Park Project is a three-phase, multi-disciplinary project incorporating writing, film and theatre in a collective creation process with youth from Regent Park and beyond, as well as professional artists. It empowers participants with opportunities to develop their acting, writing and filmmaking skills through free hands-on workshops.

CFC is involved in The Regent Park Project’s Acting Skills for Film workshop series, where a group of youth from Regent Park and beyond are afforded the opportunity to learn the basic skills used by actors when performing in film and television through hands-on exercises, improvisation and work on scripted scenes. CFC became involved in this initiative in 2015 when it conducted a two-part acting workshop with project participants on the various rigours of acting. Then in February 2016, CFC’s Executive in Charge of Acting and Music Programs, Larissa Giroux, spoke to the participants about the craft of acting, including training and the process of becoming a professional. Last Monday, May 9, Larissa, alongside Kick Start Arts’ artistic director, Sheena D. Robertson, and 13 actors and alumni of our Actors Conservatory, provided feedback and mentorship as project participants workshopped the scripts they have been working on throughout the Regent Park Project.

“The Canadian Film Centre has been beyond generous with supporting our filmmaking initiative! The emerging actors coming from our program have benefited greatly from being able to act alongside such talented professionals – it has raised their game greatly – and that is exciting to witness. The mentorship, professional links, and thoughtful feedback from everyone involved has meant the world to all of us involved in this project. We cannot thank you enough!” said Sheena D. Robertson, Co-Artistic Director, Kick Start Arts.

The overall Regent Park Project will culminate with the participants filming the scenes that they workshopped on May 9 for inclusion in a web series they are creating as part of the project.

To learn more about Kick Start Arts, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about The Regent Park Project, CLICK HERE.

As we all know too well, Canadian winters can be hopelessly long and unbearably cold. Maybe that’s why nobody appreciates the summer quite like Canadians. And nowhere is that more evident than in Canadian films, where sunny skies, lazy days, camps and cottages often play leading roles. As Victoria Day weekend approaches, it’s time to kick off the sunniest season by checking out these great Canadian summer-themed movies.

1. Meatballs

Released in 1979, Meatballs is the quintessential summer camp comedy. Directed by Ivan Reitman and featuring Bill Murray, in his first big starring film role as head counsellor Tripper, the Canadian film follows the summertime antics of counsellors, CITs (counsellor-in-training) and campers at Camp North Star. Between trying to spark a romance with female head counsellor Roxanne (Kate Lynch), helping shy camper Rudy (Chris Makepeace) gain more confidence, and spearheading wacky practical jokes on camp director Morty (Harvey Atkin), Murray’s Tripper makes sure everyone at North Star has an unforgettable summer.

2. My American Cousin

This 1985 film, set in the “golden summer” of 1959, tells the story of a bored 12-year-old girl named Sandy (played by Margaret Langrick) who laments that “nothing ever happens” on her quiet farm in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. But all that changes when her cool 17-year-old American cousin Butch shows up unexpectedly one summer day in his fancy red convertible. Sandy, along with her pre-teen pals, inevitably develop a mad crush on him. Written and directed by Sandy Wilson, this charming movie won six Genie awards and is widely considered a Canadian cinema classic.

3. Summerhood

This fun 2008 summer camp movie (also known as Age of Summerhood) by first-time director Jacob Medjuck was filmed at the very same camp in Nova Scotia where Medjuck spent many summers himself, both as a camper and as a counsellor. Set in the 1980s, the movie tells the story of a nine-year-old boy (played by Lucian Maisel) who’s been given the camp nickname Fetus. Fetus and his fellow campers – who have nicknames like Toast, Reckless, New Kid, Grandpa and Mud – get into the usual summer camp hijinks, while Fetus also struggles adorably with his romantic feelings for a female camper called Sundae.

4. This Movie is Broken

Directed by Bruce McDonald, written by CFC alumnus Don McKellar, and edited by CFC alumni Matthew Hannam and Gareth C. Scales, the focal point of 2010’s This Movie is Broken is a Canadian summertime staple: the outdoor rock concert. But in this case, we’re actually watching a real-life Broken Social Scene concert that was filmed at Toronto’s Harbourfront in July 2009. This unique film is frequently described as a cross between a concert documentary and a romantic comedy, with the fictional part of the movie revolving around Bruno, a young man who is desperate to find backstage passes to Broken Social Scene’s outdoor bash to please his longtime crush Caroline, a fan of the band who happens to be leaving for Paris the next day.

5. Take This Waltz

The steamy heat of an especially sweltering Toronto summer serves as the backdrop for the tale of Margot (Michelle Williams), her nice husband Lou (Seth Rogen) and Daniel (Luke Kirby) – the “other man” Margot can’t stop thinking about – in 2011’s Take This Waltz. Written and directed by CFC alumna Sarah Polley, this critically acclaimed film artfully delves into Margot’s dilemma: stay faithful in her relatively happy marriage, or pursue the undeniably strong attraction between her and Daniel?

6. Sleeping Giant

Set in a quiet Northern Ontario cottage community in the middle of a lazy summer, Sleeping Giant follows the dynamics of a friendship between three very different teenage boys: the shy and sheltered Adam, the bold and troubled Nate, and the more mellow Riley. The boys drift through their summer together playing video games, smoking pot, cliff jumping and generally getting into the kind of mischief teen boys get into; but as the summer wears on, the tensions in their friendship become increasingly volatile. Directed by Andrew Cividino, with CFC alumnus Aeschylus Poulos as executive producer, the 2015 movie was named “the best Canadian film of the year” by Toronto Star critic Peter Howell.

Driving change was a key theme in Premier Kathleen Wynne's keynote speech at the 2016 edition of Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Discovery, which took place on May 9 and 10, 2016 in Toronto. “Innovation is not simply the creation of new products, services or processes, but using them to drive change,” said Premier Wynne to a crowd that included JB Straubel, co-founder and CTO of Tesla Motors, and motivational speaker, Spencer West.

Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, CFC Media Lab was onsite to bring the best of the next generation of entrepreneurs, those currently creating a whole range of new products and services in the entertainment industry, including VR, to this important innovation conference. PinchVR, Zeitdice, Mobio Interactive and Filmtyme – all IDEABOOST affiliated companies –  entertained with their immersive product demonstrations at the Digital Media & Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) area.

Mobio Interactive showcased the Qualia: Zen Eagle experience, a CFC Media Lab co-production, which explores flight as an eagle and regeneration through mindfulness using an EEG headband for biofeedback within the VR stimulated environment. Their VR experience was featured on CHCH’s evening news, where Gadgets & Gear of the Future host Phil Perkins reported that “flying a virtual reality eagle is pretty awesome.” Watch the full interview here.

OCE Discovery tech junkies experimented with time-lapse photography using Zeitdice’s portable cameras and had the opportunity to chat with co-founder Michael Schwanzer. Read more about Zeitdice here. 

Conference goers escaped dinosaurs using Filmtyme’s real-time VR filmmaking tools and tested IDEABOOST Accelerator Cohort 5 participant and OCE SmartStart Seed Fund recipient, Pinch VR’s interactive VR creation platform and gesture controllers. 

CFC Media Lab also presented its Body/Mind/Change Redux Teaser featuring David Cronenberg on Samsung Gear VR. This co-production with TIFF, in association with OccupiedVR, is currently part of the Canadian Genre – VR Film Series at Cannes International Film Festival.

Visit CFC Media Lab’s Facebook page or CFC Media Lab’s Flickr stream for more photo coverage of OCE Discovery 2016. That’s a wrap … until next year!

Enjoy the Discovery 16 Video below:

Is our IDEABOOST startup support community for you? Check us out today and apply online to IDEABOOST Network Connect.

Shawn Rosemarin, Network Connect mentor and CTO of VMWare Canada

Shawn Rosemarin, Network Connect mentor and CTO of VMWare Canada, shared his expertise on sales strategy as part of IDEABOOST Network Connect’s most recent Speaker Series, held on May 18, 2016 at Workhaus in Toronto. Rosemarin has been in technical sales for more than 20 years, first with IBM, then Dell, and now with Palo Alto-based VMWare.

Rosemarin kicked off his presentation with these key points:

1. Sales is important. 
   You might have the best product or service, the best business model, and the best talent, but without sales you don’t have a business – at least not for long.
2. There’s really only one thing motivating B2B sales, which is the solving of problems – the kind of problems that increase profit for your customer.
   Ideally, if a customer buys your product for $100, you’ve added $1000 to your customer’s bottom line. In other words, whether you’re increasing your customer’s revenues or decreasing your customer’s costs, you’re aiming at giving them a 10X return on their investment in your product or service.
3. A potential client is much more likely to buy from you if he hears how awesome you are – not from you, but from one of your existing customers.
   For this reason, you want to get people excited about the value they’ve received from you.

He then cautioned the audience on two common mistakes people make when it comes to sales:

1. Talking about all the features of your product instead of the problems it’s designed to solve. 
   You may be proud of all the cool bells and whistles you’ve built into your product, but the client really just wants to know one thing: Will this product solve my problem? So your job is to understand the customer’s problem as best you can. Your customer doesn’t want to have to figure out how your product solves their problem – they want to be told by you how your product solves their problem.
2. Not figuring out whom to sell to.
   A typical organization has CxOs, VPs, Directors and Managers, each dealing with different kinds of problem. Who you sell to depends on the problem(s) your product is designed to solve. There’s no point meeting with the CEO if your product addresses problems that managers have. It may boost your ego to meet with the CEO, but it’s not going to boost your bottom line (and not every problem in the organization is the CEO’s problem.)

Rosemarin then outlined the ideal sales process:

1. Opportunity Identification
   The most powerful sales pitch is not a pitch at all – it’s an impactful moment of recognition on the part of the customer that they need your product. As anyone who saw Martin Scorcese’s Wolf of Wall Street knows, if you’re selling a pen, don’t say how great the pen is. Simply ask your customer to sign their name, and they’ll soon realize they don’t have a pen and they need one. Without pain, there’s no opportunity, so you have to remind your customer why they need what you’re selling.
   
2. Opportunity Qualification 
   Once you’ve identified the opportunity, you need to qualify it. What’s the timeframe and what’s the budget? Are you even talking to the right person – the person who can actually make the purchasing decision? You don’t want to waste time pursuing opportunities that are unlikely to end in a sale, so take the time to qualify an opportunity before pursuing it.
3. Validate Opportunity 
   Once you know a sale is possible, you need to prove that your solution meets your customer’s needs, and does so better than the competition. That may require some additional work on testing and development, which costs money. Rosemarin warned about the fabled customer rep Seymour, who’s always wanting to “See More.” There’s a danger of getting pulled into the customer’s world too much here, endlessly trying to satisfy the customer’s every whim in order to get the sale – all at your own expense. This part of the process needs to be managed carefully if you want to avoid losing time and money.
4. Proposal 
   Once the opportunity is validated and you’ve proved your product meets the customer’s needs, you’re ready to make a proposal. If you’ve been able to quantify the value your product provides to the client in the previous steps then you can use value-based pricing – a percentage of the total value the customer will realize as a result of using your product – which in some instances can be much higher than a price based on cost plus margin.
5. Closing 
   Once the proposal is accepted, it’s time to close the deal. If customers make additional requests when closing, be sure to ask for a quid pro quo, i.e. what can they give you in return? It could be a testimonial, referrals – whatever – but don’t get drawn in to providing additional value for nothing.
6. Implementation 
   The optimal sales process doesn’t end in a close. It ends with implementation, when the customer actually realizes the value of what you’ve sold them. Only then will they start telling people how great you are, when you’ve solved the client’s pain, which is what has driven the sales process throughout.

Following the presentation was a Q&A period where Rosemarin shared his thoughts on how to reach new clients, inbound marketing, CRM tools, and partnerships – his breadth of knowledge and experience exceeded only by his engaged concern for his audience. Many event attendees agreed it was one of the best presentations on sales they had experienced, which was all the more surprising considering it was the first time that Rosemarin delivered this particular presentation.

The mix of substantial expertise and concern for IDEABOOST participants demonstrated by Rosemarin is characteristic of IDEABOOST mentors in general, it seems. As Marylin Ma of NAVI put it, “They [the mentors] really dive deep. Their passion really shows and they really try to understand your business deeply.”

CLICK HERE to download the full presentation.

IDEABOOST is CFC Media Lab’s business accelerator and startup community for companies looking to build the next generation of technology-based media entertainment products, services, and brands. To learn more about IDEABOOST, CLICK HERE. 

A first-hand account of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and “Future of Cinema” by Ian Tuason, Production Manager, CFC Media Lab.

The Cannes Film Festival celebrates the best in film from around the world. It was hard to ignore the crowds gathered around the famous Palais des Festival to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrities on the red carpet (I saw the back of George Clooney’s head). Easier to overlook was the Marche du Film’s NEXT Pavilion, located next to the Palais but hidden in the nook of a small marina, showcasing what the festival dubbed “the Future of Cinema.”

The marina was lined with connecting tents where the who’s who of VR gathered to exhibit their latest work. There was Gabo Arora, the director of Clouds Over Sidra; Milica Zec, the director of Giant;  Yelena Rachitsky of Oculus Story Studio; and Stéphane Rituit and Ryan Horrigan from Felix & Paul Studios, just to name a few.

A “VR theatre” was set up in one of the tents as a space where up to 30 people could watch the same VR content together. It was the first screening in Cannes held outdoors in the sunlight.

It felt like a progressive time for content creators in Cannes. For decades, a finite screen has been used to tell cinematic stories and we’ve been confined to the space of this rectangle. Traditional filmmakers are accustomed to experimenting with the perception of time – jumping in and out with flashbacks, slowing down motion and speeding it up, and playing with timeline. But with VR cinema, we have an infinite 360-degree screen, and are finally able to play around with perceptions of both time and space.

Standing in the crowd of VR creators, I got the overwhelming sense that we were all in a bubble, watching our own work – and everyone out there at Cannes, and even the world, were outsiders.

I mean, who do you know outside the industry that owns an Oculus Rift? I barely know any media professionals who own an HTC Vive. This is why, at Cannes, we at the CFC Media Lab championed the idea that the only way to introduce VR to the masses is through the early adopters – the genre film community.

This is a community that embraces the latest technology and the newest style of filmmaking-- the found footage genre of the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity are two examples. The most popular cinematic video games are horror, sci-fi or action. You could make the argument that the greatest Canadian genre filmmaker, David Cronenberg (CFC Board Member, Ex-Officio), made movies about VR, like Videodrome, before the first VR boom in the ‘80s.

We represented this idea through a series of short VR films by CFC Media Lab, Occupied VR and Cream 360 (presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada and Fantasia Film Festival) in the horror, sci-fi and action genres, aimed specifically at the early adopters.

The four short films showcased as part of the Canadian Genre-VR Film Series were Body/Mind/Change Redux Teaser, Technolust: The Short Film, The Closet and War of the Dead.

The full showcase of VR experiences at Cannes ranged from live-action linear experiences, to interactive CG experiences, and a combination of both.

One of the most powerful cinematic VR experiences was Eugene Chung’s Allumette, which used positional tracking to allow users to explore the virtual story set by walking around in, bending over and turning your body to gaze around the characters. I experienced the piece as if I was a giant ghost floating around a miniature stage with tiny actors. The way the actors moved around the stage gave me good reason to follow, move around and explore. I felt so large and God-like, compared to Allumette, the tiny homeless girl who lost her mother. The experience only increased my sympathy, especially when I saw this tiny poor character shivering under a bridge.

Aesthetically, the texture and lighting of Allumette’s 3D assets were beautiful, but the music, tone and story definitely drove the piece. It was a truly cinematic experience where I felt I was a character in the story itself.

But it was Artanim Interactive, creators of Real Virtuality, a multi-user real-time VR experience, that took immersion and the feeling of being a character in a film to a new level.

My partner in the Real Virtuality experience was Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer of the CFC. She led me through a dark, Indiana Jones-inspired temple, lighting the way through cobweb-infested corridors with a virtual torch in her hand. When she walked away, I called out for her because I couldn’t see through the corridor without her torch. I blurted out, “I can’t see, come back,” and immediately felt as if I was simultaneously writing and acting in a VR movie. (Check out our video below).

The deeper you walked through the interconnecting tents of the NEXT Pavilion, the more you discovered VR experiences transforming into something far different from cinema, and into a new legitimate medium of its own.

It’s easy to get lost in this bubble of innovation, especially while the crowds outside remain oblivious to VR. There was a stark difference from the people in the Palais -- in their tuxedo and fancy dress, celebrating the 100-year tradition of cinema -- compared to where we were – in a make-shift tent, without cameras or red carpet. 

Since there are no celebrities in VR, the venue was appropriate. Content creators prefer to let their work speak for itself and that's how it should be. 

CFC and Entertainment One Announce Creators/Writers for Inaugural Television Adaptation Lab

With special guests and workshop leaders including industry toppers David Shore, Daegan Fryklind, Morwyn Brebner, Martin Gero, Al Magee, Michael MacLennan, Lynn Coady and many more

Toronto, May 30, 2016 – The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Entertainment One (eOne) are pleased to announce that Angela Misri, Kat Sandler and Michael F. Stewart have been selected as the three creators to participate in the CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab.

“We are thrilled to have found three unique and exciting writer-creators, with compelling projects, for our inaugural lab: a dark millennial dramedy that pushes moral boundaries, a serialized procedural set in the world of underground hacking, a period crime drama with an exciting spin on a classic format,” said Jocelyn Hamilton, President, Canada, eOne Television. “Through our partnership with the CFC, we set off to accelerate the development of great television content creation in Canada and ultimately bring three world-class projects to life. We are very pleased to be well on our way with three talented writers who, while new to television writing, are established within their respective mediums, and three projects that have so much potential to breakthrough on television.”

Angela Misri is a Toronto-based author and award-winning digital journalist. She spent 14 years as a producer for CBC Radio and is now a freelance journalist, reporting on digital technology, podcasting, the Internet and women in technology. Misri is the author of three Portia Adams Adventures, a fan-favourite detective series: Jewel of the Thames, Thrice Burned, and No Matter How Improbable. She is an avid Sherlockian, and has spoken at Word on the Street, Prose in the Park, The Festival of Literary Diversity and many other literary festivals and conferences.

Kat Sandler is a prolific playwright, director, and the Artistic Director of Theatre Brouhaha. Her plays have won multiple Best of Fringe Awards and the Summerworks Spotlight Award, and earned her rave reviews from the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and NOW Magazine, where she was named 2015 Reader's Choice for Best Playwright and Best Director. Sandler has written and staged 10 of her original plays in the last five years with Brouhaha, including Help Yourself,Punch Up, Delicacy, Liver, Cockfight, and Retreat. She was a member of the prestigious Tarragon Playwrights Unit in 2014, and her resulting play, Mustard, was produced there in February 2016.

Michael F. Stewart has written more than 20 graphic novels, non-fiction books, and novels, including the Assured Destruction trilogy, of which the second novel, Script Kiddie,won The Creation of Stories: Best YA Award at the inaugural Toronto International Book Fair. In 2015, he won the Claymore Award for his novel The Boy Who Swallows Flies.

“We were very pleased with the response to this unique initiative when we launched the call for submissions last fall,” said Slawko Klymkiw, Chief Executive Officer, CFC. “The application process was highly competitive, drawing a large number of submissions covering a cross-spectrum of genres and projects that truly demonstrated the diverse and unique talent in this country. We look forward to the seeing the outcomes of the inaugural CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab and the work that the three participants produce.”

The CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab kicks off on May 31, 2016 with a four-day bootcamp in Toronto, offering the three participants practical insights on transitioning to television writing, what makes great television and on the adaptation process itself from top industry professionals in Canada, the United States and abroad, including David Shore (House, Houdini and Doyle), Daegan Fryklind (Motive, Bitten), Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue), Martin Gero (Blindspot, Dark Matter), Al Magee (Trailer Park Boys, Rent-a-Goalie), Michael MacLennan (Bomb Girls, This Life), and CFC alumna and Giller Prize-winning novelist Lynn Coady (Sensitive Skin), among others.

Throughout the three-month lab, the three creators will be afforded targeted access to key creative industry professionals who will provide individualized guidance, support, and mentorship as they flesh out their creative strategies and increase their knowledge and skills in television writing throughout their project’s development. The CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab will culminate with the participants delivering pilot scripts and creative packages, with the opportunity to potentially secure a series deal with eOne, the world’s leading independent studio.

For more information on the CFC / eOne TV Adaptation Lab, please visit: http://bit.ly/1RFO9hE

Social media links:

About CFC
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization whose mission is to invest in and inspire the next generation of world-class Canadian content creators and entrepreneurs in the screen-based entertainment industry. A significant economic and cultural driver in Canada and beyond, CFC delivers a range of multi-disciplinary programs and initiatives in film, television, music, screen acting, and digital media, which provides industry collaborations, strategic partnerships, and business and marketplace opportunities for talent and participants. For more information, visit cfccreates.com.

About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Spain, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Film and Television divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 40,000 film and television titles, 4,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Cory Angeletti-Szasz
Manager, Communications, CFC
416.445.1446 x463
cangeletti@cfccreates.com

Jackie Rubin
Entertainment One
416.979.7256
jrubin@entonegroup.com

CFC Media Lab and OMERS Ventures Announce Launch of VR Ecosystem Study

Santa Clara, California (June 1, 2016) – At the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Santa Clara, California, the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) and OMERS Ventures today announced that they have partnered to co-author a study focused on the VR ecosystem in Canada. Titled Pulse on VR: A Workflow and Ecosystem Study, the study aims to identify the key players in this emerging industry and the primary workflows used to bring Virtual Reality (VR) to users.

The impetus for the study is rooted in a desire to better understand VR workflows – how VR experiences are created and distributed – and which technologies and companies are taking part in designing the different parts of this ecosystem. Ultimately, Pulse on VR will shed light on the enormous market potential and groundbreaking impacts that VR affords the creative and technology industries in Canada and beyond.

“The current reality of the VR workflow in North America is that it’s complex, multi-layered and not well understood,” said Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer, Canadian Film Centre. “This lack of clarity risks hindering growth in the VR ecosystem. With this study, we hope to uncover strengths, weaknesses and gaps in Canada’s VR ecosystem in order to determine and tap into new areas for growth in VR that offer promising market potential.”

The study will undertake crucial research into the VR ecosystem that will be executed by Nordicity, a leading international consulting firm providing solutions for Strategy and Business, Economic Analysis, Impact and Evaluation across the creative and digital media industries. The research is funded by Canada Media Fund (CMF-FMC), Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, On Screen Manitoba (OSM) and New Media Manitoba (NMM), the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), la Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and supported by Super Ventures.

“Virtual reality is very much a nascent technology and it remains to be seen how the Canadian VR ecosystem will evolve,” said Prashant Matta, Venture Capitalist, OMERS Ventures. “This study will help us understand the opportunities and challenges that VR will bring to the entertainment industry and beyond.”

Approach and Methodology

The research will investigate VR content creators, as well as companies that make software and/or hardware that enable VR content, from specific jurisdictions across Canada – notably Ontario, Québec, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia – with additional insights gathered from California. The research will also incorporate experiences such as active VR (e.g. VR games), passive VR (e.g. linear documentary experiences) and hybrid VR experiences (combining both active and passive VR). The study will address specific topics such as who is making VR experiences and creating the tools and/or hardware that enable these experiences, what companies currently have the potential to shape the VR ecosystem, what challenges exist in creating VR experiences in Canada, and what future opportunities exist for VR.

An online survey launches on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 in select locations and will be available to complete until Friday, July 8, 2016. CFC Media Lab and Nordicity will also interview a selection of leading Canadian and international VR companies to serve as case studies of what success in VR looks like. The resulting research findings will be publicly accessible and will benefit companies, funders, investors and content creators working in VR that are seeking to understand where they fit in the ecosystem and how VR workflows apply to them and their projects.

For VR content creators and companies that make software and/or hardware that enable VR content looking to participate in the study and complete the online survey, please visit:http://fluidsurveys.com/s/PulseOnVR/

For more information on Pulse on VR: A Workflow and Ecosystem Study, please CLICK HERE.

Social Media Links

CFC Media Lab
@cfcmedialab | facebook.com/cfcmedialab

Canadian Film Centre
@cfccreates | facebook.com/cfccreates

OMERS Ventures
@OMERSVentures |facebook.com/OMERSVentures

About CFC Media Lab
The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) is an internationally acclaimed digital media think tank and award-winning production facility. It provides a unique research, training and production environment for digital media content developers and practitioners, as well as acceleration programs and services for digital entertainment start-ups and related SMEs. Program participants have emerged as leaders in the world of digital media, producing groundbreaking projects and innovative, sustainable companies for the digital and virtual age. CFC Media Lab is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. www.cfccreates.com.

About OMERS Ventures
OMERS Ventures is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with over $77 billion in net assets. OMERS Ventures is a multi-stage investor in growth-oriented, disruptive technology companies across North America. We seek like-minded partners with a shared vision of building a vibrant and successful knowledge economy.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Cory Angeletti-Szasz
Manager, Communications, CFC
416.445.1446 x463
cangeletti@cfccreates.com

Nicole Kelly
Community Director, OMERS Ventures
416.369.3727
nkelly@omersventures.com

The Toronto Centre for the Arts welcomed a whole new generation of talent on Wednesday evening, June 1, as the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and North York Arts presented a showcase for the CFC Onscreen Acting Bootcamp.

In attendance at the special screening were the participants of the aforementioned Bootcamp, a signature project of the Cultural Hotspot initiative in partnership with the City of Toronto, which saw 13 youth from underserved communities in North York exploring the art and career opportunities of onscreen acting. This year’s participants (Rafid Naeem, Jalal Warraich, Kadi Barrie, Keegan William-Lennox, Mechaela Alfonso, Christian Aman, Suleim Bagalov, Ismael Nagdee Machado, Sydney Duff, Alastair Sherbin, Elyas Sadeqi, Sylas Cuthill and Taje Jones) were introduced by Melissa Foster, North York Arts’ Program & Outreach Coordinator, and Larissa Giroux, CFC’s Executive in Charge of Music & Acting Talent.

“It was, personally, such a pleasure to work with all of you. You are committed to the craft of acting, you are committed to supporting each other, and your openness and inclusivity was so inspiring,” Giroux told the crowd at the showcase.

She continued, “We want to celebrate you and for you to have opportunities to be creative and be excited by what you’re doing.”

And celebrate they did, as friends and family members joined the actors in watching the works they produced as part of the program, which included recreations of monologues from films such as Network, The Breakfast Club and The Matrix, on the big screen. Several CFC Onscreen Acting Bootcamp mentors (Casting director Marissa Richmond, CFC Actors Conservatory alumni Cara Ricketts and Andy McQueen, and Cineplex Entertainment Film Program alumnus Reza Dahya) were also on hand to support the aspiring screen-based entertainers.

Following the screening, the participants were welcomed to pose in front of a media wall, where they demonstrated that they are more than ready for more time spent in the spotlight, whether on screen or off.

For more information on the CFC Onscreen Acting Bootcamp, CLICK HERE. For more information on the Cultural Hotspot initiative, which runs through October 2016, CLICK HERE. 

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah, image courtesy of Facebook

The Canadian Cinema Editors handed out their 2016 awards yesterday evening, June 2, at the sixth annual CCE Awards ceremony. Two CFC alumni were celebrated, taking home 2016 CCE Awards in the following categories:

Best Editing in Documentary- Short Form

• Tiffany Beaudin– Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

Best Editing in Lifestyle/Docudrama

• Neil Sitka– Vegas Rat Rods: Ep. 201

Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners!

On Tuesday night, June 7, we celebrated the 2016 Short Dramatic Film Showcase and the 25^th anniversary of CFC’s Short Dramatic Film Program (SDF) at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. The industry event showcased the five short films developed throughout the 2015/2016 SDF program to a room full of cast, crew, family, friends, suppliers, industry and media.

The filmmakers behind the 2016 Short Dramatic Films

The SDF program is one of CFC’s longest-running programs and one that has launched exciting, original voices and concepts into the international marketplace, produced high-quality productions, and built long-lasting relationships and partnerships. As Kathryn Emslie, CFC’s Chief Programs Officer, pointed out on stage at Tuesday’s showcase, “The CFC’s short film program has offered many of our filmmakers the chance to explore the form, to establish their voice and unique perspective on the world, to showcase their professional skills, and for many, it has been the perfect forum to test out creative partnerships.”

Emslie added, “The short film program isn’t just about the short films that you see at the end of the day, it’s also about the process and the relationships built along the way.”

The posters for the 2016 Short Dramatic Films

This year’s filmmakers created five outstanding short films that we trust you’ll see in the coming year(s) making their way through the festival circuit. Here’s a look at CFC’s 2016 short dramatic films:

CLEO

In CLEO, leading character “Cleo” discovers an unexpected connection as she ventures outside her comfort zone into a part of town she has never experienced before. Filmmakers behind this short include director and writer Sanja Zivkovic, producer Laura Nordin, co-producer Emily Andrews, editor Chris Mutton, as well as original music by Slaight Family Music Lab residents Armen Bazarian and Casey Manierka-Quaile, and songs by Canadian artist John River.

IMPOSTER

IMPOSTER, from director Adam Goldhammer, writers Molly McGlynn and Katie McMillan, producers Natalie Novak and Julie Baldassi, and associate producer Evan M. Landry, follows the story of a teenager isolated on her family's maple syrup farm who investigates her mother's eerie behaviour following the unexplained disappearance of her father. The film was edited by Michael Pierro and features original music by Slaight Family Music Lab resident Dillon Baldassero.

PERFECT

In PERFECT, when one identical twin sister seeks to carve out her own unique identity, she is met with violent resistance from her tyrannical mother and twin sister who want to return to the status quo. The film, which features striking black and white imagery without any dialogue, is directed by Olivier Sabino, written by Kaveh Mohebbi and Olivier Sabino, produced by Sally Karam, edited by Simone Smith, and features an original soundtrack by Slaight Music residents Armen Bazarian and Casey Manierka-Quaile.

THE DOOR

THE DOOR, from director Reem Morsi, writers Kaveh Mohebbi and Reem Morsi, producer Heidi Tan and editor Ben Lawrence, follows a Syrian refugee family who is forcefully confronted with grief as they attempt to face an overwhelming loss in unexpected ways. THE DOOR, which is in Arabic with English subtitles, features original music by Slaight Music resident Ava Kibalian.

YOU SAY YES

In YOU SAY YES, two oblivious movers find a less than warm welcome when they are hired to evict a resident from a women’s shelter. The film is directed and written by Arran Shearing, produced by Joe Kitson and Marc Petey, co-produced by Nicole Powell, and edited by Chris Mutton.

We all know that it’s no easy feat to create a production, no matter how short or long – it really does take a village. With that in mind, we want to thank all of the parties that helped support this year’s films and showcase.

Thank you to our showcase hosts Cineplex Entertainment, the Government of Ontario, Corus Entertainment and Cast & Crew Entertainment Services Canada for helping make the 2016 Short Dramatic Film Showcase possible. Erin Burke, CFC’s Executive in Charge of Production and Post, extended CFC’s gratitude to our production and post partners, sponsors and suppliers, old and new, for their generosity and involvement in our short dramatic films.

Playback’s Associate Publisher Lisa Faktor with Payback Award winners Nick Haight, Erika Lobko and Jennifer Anderson, as well as CFC's CEO Slawko Klymkiw

Another huge reason we are able to create these short films year after year is because of the incredible production volunteers who donate their time, energy and expertise to these films. Each year, the CFC spotlights some of our outstanding volunteers by presenting them with special awards, called The Payback Awards. These awards were established more than 20 years ago, and have been sponsored by Playback for the past 16 years. Playback’s Associate Publisher, Lisa Faktor, along with CFC’s CEO Slawko Klymkiw, presented the awards to DOP Nick Haight, production designer Erika Lobko and production assistant Jennifer Anderson for their commitment to this year’s SDFs.

Stay tuned for updates about these short films and information on how and where you can see them in the coming months.

To see more photos from the 2016 Short Dramatic Film Showcase, CLICK HERE.

Have you seen CFC Media Lab's Video Picks on the bottom right corner of the Canadian Film Centre’s homepage? That widget is powered by Vubble a startup that harnesses the power of algorithm tech alongside real human curators. Meet Tessa Sproule and Katie MacGuire -- innovators, journalists, IDEABOOST Network Connect members and the two founding women behind Vubble.

What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

KATIE: I've always wanted to have my own business. I was always on the lookout for an opportunity to be my own boss. Also, I come from a long line of entrepreneurs so the lifestyle, risks and rewards are familiar to me.

TESSA: Even though I spent 20 years at CBC, I created most of the jobs I did there. I was an "intrapreneur", helping a big organization navigate the changing media landscape, creating new ways for us to engage and build audiences, and innovating and figuring out how to build business efficiently. Those are all critical skills. Eventually, leaving and co-founding a company was the most natural next step.

How did you come up with the idea for your startup?

TESSA: I've always been obsessed with getting great stories in front of the right audience at the right time. Digital tools have made it easier to tell stories and receive them, but we've all felt the growing weirdness of filtering the world around us with algorithms. Vubble came out of an opportunity we saw in engineering serendipity into the experience – using algorithms for what they do well, but injecting humans back into it too. Computers do a terrible job of understanding emotions like surprise, joy, empathy – the stuff great stories are made of. We're building Vubble to correct that.

What prompted you to apply for CFC Media Lab’s IDEABOOST Network Connect Program?

KATIE: Both Tessa and I have long-standing relationships with the CFC and I personally have found the quality of work from the CFC Media Lab, its excellent reputation and extended network have been an ongoing asset to me for the past 15 years.

TESSA: Yes, we're big fans of the Canadian Film Centre!

What is the one thing you want audiences to know about your product?

KATIE: Our product is the most trustworthy trending video channel available. We source, verify, fact-check and carefully select the best trending stories worthy of your time.

TESSA: Everyone is a network. Vubble is the most cost-effective, quality solution to pull it all together: build audiences, enhance your brand and always have something awesome to share.

What’s the biggest challenge you currently face or have faced in terms of development?

KATIE: Our biggest challenge is learning sales and marketing and how to convert interest into customers.

TESSA: That's right. We come from public broadcasting. So the sales piece is a bit of a learning curve. But we're learning, fast. (Thanks IDEABOOST!)

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting your company?

KATIE: It's hard to pick one! It's crucial to launch and get real world feedback as soon as possible. Also, that a sale is the fundamental building block of a business and without sales there is no business.

TESSA: I picture it as canoeing down a river. There are long moments of hard paddling, which is exhausting. (Keep an eye on your personal health. Get to the gym. Eat and sleep.) There are moments of intense rapids, which can be exhilarating, and terrifying (Keep a calm head. You may be moving fast, but this is the time for slow thinking). And while you need to have a general sense of where you're heading, be careful not to get stuck in a bog. Sometimes you've got to backtrack and portage around whatever's blocking you.

Can you tell us about any exciting partnerships?

TESSA: We've just signed on AsapSCIENCE as a new client, which is really exciting (they are fellow IDEABOOST alumni)! They're at the leading edge of the changing media world – and they're so great to work with. I love that we solve problems for them – they have more than five million subscribers on their YouTube channel, another 2.3 million fans on Facebook, and a few hundred thousand followers on Twitter ... but no real reason for people to engage with them on their website. Now, with one line of code, they have their own dynamic Vubble Channel of the best science videos that they can share with their fans to watch on their site.

At one end of the spectrum we're working with the newest entrants in the media space, and on the other, we're working with one of the older media - radio. They want to have the trending video of the day on their website, so they can have their DJs say on air, "Hey, have you seen the amazing girl who blew everyone away on America's Got Talent last night? Check it out, it's on our site!" We're solving similar problems for both old and new media – and generating some really interesting data and insights that we're really excited about.

What other projects do you have on the horizon?

TESSA: Now that we're building out a diverse client base, we're starting to see some interesting patterns – how audiences react to certain videos on one partner's page, and how they react on another's. In the next few months we're going to be putting more attention into that – figuring out what signals we can find in the noise. Stay tuned!

Check out Vubble’s website, Facebook page and Twitter account for the best videos from great publishers. In case you missed them, check out the top trending CFC Media Lab picks viewed by our visitors:

Is this the crazy scary place virtual reality will take us? https://shar.es/1J7pcz
Companies like Facebook have created a meaningless economy https://shar.es/1J7rFM
Here are the best ways to spot a liar https://shar.es/1J72qS

IDEABOOST supports innovative companies whose success will produce jobs and contribute to Canada’s place in the global media industry for generations to come. Interested in learning more about our Network Connect community? Visit www.ideaboost.ca

Thank you to IDEABOOST’s founding partner Corus Entertainment. IDEABOOST is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. 

In Canadian television and movies, the characters called “dad” are sometimes sweet, sometimes cranky, occasionally wise, frequently funny, and more often than not, very entertaining to watch. In honour of Father’s Day, it’s time to shine the spotlight on eight great dad roles in Canadian TV and film.

1. Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek

After losing all their wealth thanks to a shifty financial advisor, the previously ultra-rich Rose family is now broke and living in the one and only asset they have left: a small, backwards rural town called Schitt’s Creek, which they previously purchased as a joke. While mom Moira (Catherine O’ Hara) and kids David and Alexis (Dan Levy and CFC alumna Annie Murphy) struggle – often hilariously – to find their footing in their completely foreign new surroundings, the optimistic patriarch Johnny Rose (played by CFC board member Eugene Levy) tries his best to keep it all together for the family in this CBC TV comedy.

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2. Oscar Leroy on Corner Gas

As the father of main character, Brent Leroy, on CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which ran from 2004 to 2009, Oscar Leroy (played by Eric Peterson) is the town’s dimwitted but lovable curmudgeon with a penchant for calling everyone a “jackass.” He’s the retired former owner of Corner Gas and loves to tell his son Brent, the new owner, how to run the business – almost as much as he enjoys telling government workers that “I pay your salary!”

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3. “Chad’s drunk dad” in Kids in the Hall sketch

There’s nothing like a good dose of solid fatherly advice to give a child a leg up in life. And in a 1993 Kids in the Hall sketch called “Chad’s 13th Birthday,” the dad played by Bruce McCulloch has an abundance of fatherly advice to offer his son Chad on his 13th birthday. But whether any of that advice makes sense or not ... well, that’s another story. After guzzling a large bottle of liquor, Chad’s drunk dad offers up slurry gems of wisdom like “Ten bucks is ten bucks; twenty bucks is twenty bucks,” and “Broke my hand on a pineapple. Didn’tevencare.” Wise words, indeed.

4. Rémy in The Barbarian Invasions

In Denys Arcand’s 2003 film The Barbarian Invasions, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004, socialist Montreal college professor Rémy (played by Rémy Girard) learns he’s dying of cancer. His estranged son Sébastien reluctantly returns to Quebec from his home in London at his mother’s insistence. But despite initially being there strictly out of a sense of duty, Sébastien ends up doing all he can to help dad Rémy navigate the healthcare system, while helping to gather all of Rémy’s friends and loved ones for a final send-off. In the process, the father and son form a bond they’ve never had.

5. "Snake" (or Mr. Simpson) in Degrassi: The Next Generation

Years after his days as a student at Degrassi Junior High and then Degrassi High, Archie Simpson – known better to friends as “Snake” – grows up to become a Degrassi teacher in Degrassi: The Next Generation, which ran from 2001 to 2015. Snake (played by Stefan Brogren) ends up marrying former Degrassi classmate Spike and becoming step-dad to Spike’s teenage daughter Emma (now a Degrassi student too), while also fathering his and Spike’s new baby Jack. In true Degrassi form, Snake weathers as many dramatic issues as a dad as he did when he was a student – he grapples with marital infidelity, battles leukemia, deals with false sexual harassment accusations, and generally faces a variety of tricky parenting challenges. (See if you can spot Drake, aka Aubrey Graham, in the trailer below!)

6. Gary Strange in Being Erica

In Being Erica, a CBC TV comedy that ran from 2009 to 2011, the time-travelling lead character Erica Strange (played by Erin Karpluk) may be the star of the show, but her sweet dad Gary Strange (John Boylan) certainly had scene-stealing powers of his own. Gary’s a rabbi who used to be a hippie and a marijuana enthusiast, and is sometimes seen wearing cheeky T-shirts featuring Star Trek references or Jewish puns (like “I’m on Shabbat-ical” or “Kippah the faith”).

7. Malachy Doyle in Republic of Doyle

Malachy Doyle and Jake Doyle are a father-son private detective duo in St. John’s, Newfoundland on Republic of Doyle, a CBC TV series that ran from 2010 to 2014. Dad Malachy (Seán McGinley) is a former police officer with a no-nonsense style, who loves to tease his son Jake. But amid all the cheeky verbal sparring between father and son, their love shines through, and it’s clear that Malachy’s a father who would do just about anything to protect his family.

8. Gordon Cutter in Men With Brooms

In Men With Brooms, a 2002 romantic comedy about curling, the inimitable Leslie Nielsen plays Gordon Cutter, father of the movie’s protagonist Chris Cutter (played by Paul Gross, who also directed the film). Chris and Gordon are estranged at the beginning of the film but they reunite, and the eccentric, magic mushroom-eating dad Gordon – who also happens to be a retired curling champion – agrees to coach Chris’s curling team for the very important Golden Broom Bonspiel. Neilsen’s portrayal of Gordon is infused with the actor’s trademark comedic delivery, prompting a Calgary Herald writer to remark in his review of the film, “Leslie Nielsen is Leslie Nielsen, which in this case is wonderful.”

From cutting edge VR to ad-tech, storytelling and audience engagement tools, startup companies in the IDEABOOST accelerator receive generous support from experienced mentors who encourage, guide and inspire them as they develop and commercialize their products. 

IDEABOOST’s fifth cohort just completed its second month of intense product development, and on Friday, June 10, 2016, it put those products to the test in front of an invited audience of industry insiders and potential customers, including representatives from KPMG, CBC, Nike, PWC, TMX, Goodmans, and Edelman. Some of these startup founders are seasoned entrepreneurs, with seed round funding and previous exits under their belt, while some are more green. But as any entrepreneur knows, no matter how experienced you are, there’s always value in getting quality feedback from qualified experts.

Repable

First to take the stage was Repable, an analytics tool that helps advertisers make more informed choices about who to sponsor in the burgeoning world of e-sports.

Most valuable feedback: The representative from Nike highlighted the fact that advertising dollars are allocated by geographic region, so Repable’s analytics need to reflect that.

Big Terminal

Next up was Big Terminal, a big data company using structured search and customized alerts to deliver relevant financial, media and insurance information.

Most valuable feedback: Say more about the specifics of your particular taxonomy/algorithm so we know how you’re different and better than your competitors.

Pinch VR

Third up was Pinch VR, a provider of low-cost VR experiences that can be integrated into mail-out brand campaigns.

Most valuable feedback: Address the pain points of the brands you’re hoping to attract and include a live demo.

Navi

Naviwas the fourth company to present, a company which increases the length of time mobile users stay on publishers’ sites.

Most valuable feedback: Statistical claims, such as “Navi increases publishers’ revenues by up to 30 per cent,” need to be verifiable.

Eigenuity Inc.

Eigenuity Inc. and their mobile app, Madlipz, were up next. Madlipz enables users to create and share humorous parodies of pre-existing video clips.

Most valuable feedback: How does what you’re measuring in your analytics help you make money? 

SAM

SAMwas the final company to present. SAM is a suite of tools that helps the world’s media brands integrate social media sources into their reporting.

Most valuable feedback: Tell us more about what your current customers (which include industry heavy hitters Associated Press and Reuters) say about your product.

The formal pitch sessions were followed by highly focused small group discussions, where each startup was paired with relevant industry insiders, i.e. Navi with media publishers, Madlipz with online content creators. This allowed industry-specific knowledge, that often takes years to accrue, to pass freely from representative buyers to early-stage vendors.

The open, honest feedback from industry veterans is of obvious value to IDEABOOST’s entrepreneurs, but what motivated these busy professionals to give up their Friday afternoon to hear a bunch of early-stage startups pitch their wares?

David Latner of Access Legal, who has been supporting startups for more than 25 years, claims his involvement with IDEABOOST is purely selfish, “I’m exposed to smart people, which is the biggest turn on of all,” he said. “I’m old and decrepit and like being around young people and seeing a whole new fresh way of doing things.”

Dominic Bortolussi of The Working Group, who’s an Executive Advisor for IDEABOOST, echoed this sentiment, “The energy of working with entrepreneurs is infectious.”

Aaron Williamson of CoDesign Lab, a strategy and design company, said, “It’s interesting and different for me [working with CFC]. It’s a different type of process than I normally do … different scope and scale.”

Paul Gardner of Corus Entertainment , a founding partner of IDEABOOST, said “Corus is a large company and this provides us a real window and direct connection in to the entrepreneurial community in areas that are of interest to us.”

Dre Labre of Rethink, a medium-sized independent advertising agency, said “I love seeing the breadth of ideas and talent. The guidance that the CFC is offering is great. I feel honoured to be a part of this awesome group.”

Warren Coughlin, who emceed the event, shared “I enjoy the conversations among the mentors and the energy and creativity of the cohort. I’m always learning something from both those sets. The enthusiasm of the people running their businesses is always inspiring. And what really comes through in all the conversations with mentors is that they really care. They really want these people to succeed.”

The organizer of the event, Amy Davies, Associate Director of CFC Media Lab, was satisfied with how the day unfolded. “The audience in the room raised some really valid points – considerations that the companies hadn’t thought of before.”

Ana Serrano, the head of CFC Media Lab, was similarly pleased, “Today validated once again that IDEABOOST’s surgical approach to mentorship and commercialization is bang-on for startups.”

IDEABOOST is CFC Media Lab’s business accelerator and startup community for companies looking to build the next generation of technology-based media entertainment products, services, and brands. IDEABOOST is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

The sun was shining on the lusciously green grounds of Canadian Film Centre as invited startups arrived bright and early for the first-ever IDEABOOST Demo Hub on Saturday, June 11, 2016. The Startup Summer Social brought together alumni companies, our Network Connect community, and IDEABOOST Accelerator Cohort 5 companies, which include SAM, PinchVR, BigTerminal, Repable, Eigenuity Inc and Navi.

The private audience made up of industry insiders and entrepreneurs easily mixed business with pleasure as they mingled with startups to a tasty tune soundtrack provided by IDEABOOST alumni company, Mediazoic’s RadioMogul. The invited Network Connect startups walked the audience through their IP, talking case studies, newest features and developments. For example:

• Greenlight Essentials: Proved the power of data to generate box office predictions - plotting movie attributes vs. an ‘enthusiasm index’.
• Juniper: Exhibited how their platform rewards YouTube fans for engaging with Creators.
• Mobio Interactive: Invited guests to explore flight as an eagle and regeneration through mindfulness using an EEG headband for biofeedback within the VR environment.
• SlateGo: Illustrated how to track digital pitch package elements with storytelling selling software.
• Qoints: Demonstrated how “crowd sourced taxonomy for digital marketing” will retire the need for consolidation of CSVs in “smart” decision-making processes.
• Videogami: Presented e-sports highlights and how they measure streaming signals for reaction, rendering highlight clips based upon the density of live interaction.
• Vubble: Handpicked Videos. For You. Read more about co-founders Tessa Sproule and Katie MacGuire here.

Theban Ganesh, mentor and founder of North Forward Inc., spent time with one of the newest Network Connect company members, Ali Ogston, of Juniper. “It’s exciting to meet companies at such a stage of development with so much future ahead,” he commented.

Juniper helps to incentivize YouTuber channel engagement by offering rewards and recognition to fans, taking viewership to the next level. With 60 YouTuber creators signed on already, Juniper hopes to launch into formal BETA by mid-July. “What I gathered from Theban as far as feedback and possible direction for our product roadmap was incredible insight.” 

The afternoon wrapped by electing Videogami as the most innovative startup. Juan Gonzales of Tribal MX graciously accepted the honour, “I’m thankful for the continued growth, momentum and for being on the right track in the e-sports industry.” Videogami ingests approximately 50,000 hours of live e-sports streams per week and identifies the best moments. With 80 per cent of revenue in e-sports coming from sponsorship dollars, users of Videogami can add banners and digital promos to accompany their best “clipped” moments. 

To see the best moments of the first-ever IDEABOOST Summer Social and Demo Hub event, like our Facebook page. To receive real-time developments, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. To learn more about our growing community, sign-up for CFC Media Lab’s monthly newsletter. 

Thank you to photographer Aida da Silva, and to our event partners Pizzaville and Flow Water.

We appreciate the contributions and commitment made by our founding partner Corus Entertainment. IDEABOOST is supported in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.  

CFC Announces CBC as Title Partner of Renowned Actors Conservatory

Celebrated program attracts support from Canada’s national public broadcaster to help develop professional onscreen acting talent for all platforms

Toronto, June 22, 2016– The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is pleased to announce CBC as the new title sponsor of the Actors Conservatory, CFC’s highly touted program for onscreen actors. Newly renamed the CBC Actors Conservatory, CBC’s two-year agreement to support the Actors Conservatory is fuelled by the organizations’ shared commitment to building a new generation of exciting, professional Canadian onscreen acting talent who reflect the country’s rich diversity.

“We are proud to partner with the CFC to nurture and empower Canada’s emerging onscreen acting talent,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Programming, CBC Television. “This important program will ensure that the next generation of Canadian actors have the necessary training, resources and mentorship to succeed at home and around the world – and make their mark in the global film and television industry alongside the best in the business.”

This partnership between the CBC and CFC seemed a natural fit for the two organizations, who have a long-standing commitment to supporting talent, both on and off screen, and to ensuring that Canada’s cultural mosaic and stories are represented. Additionally, numerous alumni of the program have appeared on several of CBC’s award-winning series, including Jade Hassouné in Heartland; Annie Murphy in Schitt’s Creek; Cara Ricketts in The Book of Negroes; Giacomo Gianniotti, Sarah Allen, Alex Paxton-Beesley and Amber Goldfarb in Murdoch Mysteries; Patrick Kwok-Choon in Shoot the Messenger and Varun Saranga in Young Drunk Punk, among many others.

“We are proud that our actors are quickly establishing themselves as some of the most exciting and acclaimed talent to watch here in Canada and around the world,” said Kathryn Emslie, Chief Programs Officer, CFC. “We’re delighted that the CBC also recognizes the high calibre of talent coming through the Actors Conservatory and that together we can create even more opportunities for our actors to contribute to Canada’s remarkable onscreen legacy.”

The 2016/17 CBC Actors Conservatory is set to begin on Tuesday, August 2, 2016. The program offers actors a transformative artistic experience that strengthens the performer’s instrument for the screen and builds a professional skill set and is designed to increase actors’ confidence and onscreen portfolio, while establishing strong creative and industry partnerships.

The Actors Conservatory has launched and accelerated the careers of many of Canada’s talented actors. Alumni of the CFC Actors Conservatory have been named TIFF® Rising Stars and Playback’s 5 to Watch, and have gone on to work on acclaimed TV series including Grey’s Anatomy, Shadowhunters, Reign, Tyrant, Schitt’s Creek, The Girlfriend Experience,and Remedy, as well as hit features Beeba Boys, Race, The Husband, The Animal Project, and The Steps, among others. CFC actors have learned from internationally acclaimed guests and mentors, such as John Patrick Shanley, Guillermo del Toro, Kiefer Sutherland, Daniel MacIvor, Kim Cattrall, Edward Norton, Sandra Oh, Deepa Mehta, Patricia Clarkson, Sarah Polley, Paul Haggis, Avy Kaufman, Jennifer Euston, Deirdre Bowen, and Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow. Continued mentorship is provided by Lindy Davies, Rosemary Dunsmore, Rae Ellen Bodie, Kelly McEvenue, Rebecca Northan, Marissa Richmond, Jason Knight, Ruba Nadda and Risa Bramon Garcia.

For more information on the Actors Conservatory, please visit: http://cfccreates.com/programs/23-actors-conservatory

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About CFC
The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization whose mission is to invest in and inspire the next generation of world-class Canadian content creators and entrepreneurs in the screen-based entertainment industry. A significant economic and cultural driver in Canada and beyond, CFC delivers a range of multi-disciplinary programs and initiatives in film, television, music, screen acting, and digital media, which provides industry collaborations, strategic partnerships, and business and marketplace opportunities for talent and participants. For more information, visit cfccreates.com.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada's trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight aboriginal languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Cory Angeletti-Szasz
Manager, Communications, CFC
416.445.1446 x463
cangeletti@cfccreates.com

Katherine Wolfgang
Head of Publicity, CBC
416.205.2772
katherine.wolfgang@cbc.ca