Highlights from a busy month for our alumni – from funding to festival screenings, production to distribution.

Harold Greenberg funding

• First to second draft: Glo in the Dark – producer Borga Dorter, writer/director Rachel Cairns (both NSI Totally Television)

• Polish and packaging: Let’s Do This – director/producer Lora Campbell (NSI Drama Prize)

Visit the website for more information.

In production

• Season 4 of Burden of Truth (TV series, CBC/CW) – executive producer Kyle Irving (NSI Global Marketing); co-executive producer Lisa Meeches (NSI Storytellers); director Michelle Latimer (NSI Drama Prize); third assistant director Tyshana Hobson (CBC New Indigenous Voices)

• A Starlight Christmas (TV movie, Hallmark) – director Gary Yates (NSI Drama Prize, NSI Features First)

• Bitter Harvest (TV movie, Lifetime) – production coordinator Justina Neepin (NSI IndigiDocs, CBC New Indigenous Voices)

International distribution

• Detention Adventure now streaming on HBO Max in the US. Available in Canada on CBC Gem – co-creator/writer/director/executive producer Joe Kicak (NSI Drama Prize), executive producer Lauren Corber (NSI Totally Television) and producer/executive producer Ryan West (NSI Features First)

• Trickster has secured sales to Sky in the UK (SyFy), NITV and SBS On Demand in Australia, Globoplay in Brazil and KinoPoisk (Yandex) in Russia by Abacus Media Rights (AMR), a member of the Amcomri Media Group. The series debuts on CBC and CBC Gem October 7 – writer/director/executive producer Michelle Latimer, writer Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Featuring Aboriginal Stories Program) and associate producer Jenna Neepin (NSI IndigiDocs)

• Hunter Hunter was acquired by IFC Midnight for the North American rights. Set for release on December 18, 2020 – developed through NSI Features First by writer/director/producer Shawn Linden

• So What Do You Think is now available on Amazon Prime in the UK and soon in the US – writer/director Jeff Eyamie (NSI Totally Television), boom operator/sound recordist Cody Blacksmith (CBC New Indigenous Voices), script supervisor Melva McLean (NSI Drama Prize)

Heading to festivals

• French Exit – world premiere as closing night film at New York Film Festival October 10 – producer Trish Dolman (NSI Features First)

• Hyper-Distracted – plays in the virtual screening room at Stareable Fest October 14 to 18 in New York City. Q+A on Friday, October 16 at 2 p.m., ET – a web series by Damien Ferland (NSI IndigiDocs)

• Bible Camp Memories – plays virtually at the San Francisco Independent Short Film Festival from October 9 to 18 – a short documentary by Damien Ferland

• The Book of Distance – plays at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, online from October 7 to 31 – a virtual reality production by Randall Okita (NSI Diverse TV Director)

Theatrical release for Percy

Feature film Percy from writer/producer Garfield Lindsay Miller and producers Daniel Bekerman and Brendon Sawatzky, (all NSI Features First) opens theatrically on Friday, October 9.

The film stars Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci and Zach Braff and is based on the true story of a small-town Saskatchewan farmer, Percy Schmeiser (played by Walken), who takes on major conglomerate Monsanto. Watch the trailer.

Randy Bachman doc on documentary Channel

Bachman will be broadcast on documentary Channel October 13 at 9 p.m. ET – feature length documentary by writer/director John Barnard, producer Kyle Bornais and executive producer Chris Charney (all NSI Features First).

New show on TVOKids

Zamzoom’s Animal Adventures, the mixed-media wildlife series, is now available on TVOKids – by director/producer Ari A. Cohen (NSI Features First).

Reef Rescue wins best conservation film

Reef Rescue – producer Merit Jensen Carr (NSI Global Marketing) won best conservation long form film at the Jackson Wild Media Awards. This media competition is considered the equivalent to the Oscars® in the natural history filmmaking industry. Reef Rescue follows an international team of scientists unlocking the secrets of how coral has evolved over millions of years.