Program status:
Past program offered by the National Screen Institute
History
NSI Drama Prize was an ambitious program providing emerging filmmakers with training in the various stages of filmmaking, $10K in cash support; over $20K in services; and mentoring from established industry leaders while teams develop and produce a short film (up to 10 minutes).
119 short films were produced and screened at hundreds of festivals winning awards around the world including:
- Oscars®, shortlisted for Best Short Film
- Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival: Special Jury Mention
- Genie Awards, nominated for Best Short Film
- Slamdance
- Palm Springs
- Comic-Con International Film Festival, San Diego
- CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival: Bravo!FACT Award for Best Canadian Short Film
- Telefilm’s Not Short on Talent at Cannes
- TIFF’s Short Cuts Canada Program
Alumni
Chopin’s Heart
Writer/producer Melva McLean (ZoomerMedia Bursary recipient), director BJ Verot (Winnipeg, MB)Divorce Photographer
Producer Shannon Fewster, writer/director Christine Buijs (Toronto, ON)Throwing Cotton
Producer Natalie Urquhart, writer/director Tori Larsen (Toronto, ON)When Fish Fly
Producer Lora Campbell, writer/director Lisa Rose Snow (Halifax, NS)Given Your History
Producer Laura Perlmutter, writer/director Molly McGlynn (Toronto, ON)After the Rain
Producer Inga Dievulyte, writer/director Gerald Patrick Fantone (Toronto, ON)Some Things Won’t Sleep
Producer André Pettigrew, writer/director Leah Johnston (Truro, NS)The Underground
Producer Kerry Swanson, writer/director Michelle Latimer (Toronto & Hamilton, ON)The Goodbye Girl
Producer Michelle Kim, writer/director Amber Ripley (Surrey & Vancouver, BC)Floodplain
Writer/producer Daniel Hogg, director Jeremy Lutter (Victoria & Vancouver, BC)Promise
Producer Cory Quinn, writer Holly Marchuk, writer/director Dion Telesky (Winnipeg & Lorette, MB)With Truelove Showers
Producer Georgina López, writer Jeremy Beal, director James Musselman (Toronto, ON)Barefoot
Producer Christine Kleckner, writer/director Danis Goulet (Toronto, ON)S is for Bird
Producer Darren Kaliciak, writer/director Matt Austin Sadowski (Toronto, ON)When You Sleep
Producers Martha Cooley, Nelson MacDonald, writer/director Ashley McKenzie (Halifax, NS)The Fiddler’s Reel
Producer Angus Swantee, writer/director Marc Almon (Halifax, NS)Fridge Magnet Poetry
Producer Shauna Hatt, writer/director Lara Cassidy (Halifax, NS)Wait For Rain
Producer Josh Epstein, writers Josh Epstein, Kyle Rideout, director Kyle Rideout (Vancouver, BC)The Closer You Get to Canada
Producer Les Lukacs, writer/director John Bolton (Vancouver, BC)Subway Harmonies
Producer Alex Molenaar, writer Peter Murphy, director Leah Cameron (Toronto, ON)Hangnail
Producer Norma Mendoza, writer/director Cavan Campbell (Toronto, ON)Distilled Love
Producer Harold ‘Hank’ Gay, writer Heli Kennedy, director Joe Kicak (Toronto, ON)Countdown
Producer Laura Churchill, writer/director Jordan Canning (St. John’s, NL)The Curiosity of Penny Parker
Producer Paul Lachowich, writer/director Ryan Hanson (Toronto, ON)In Between
Producer Brigitte Boucher, writer/director Nadine Valcin (Toronto, ON)The Way It Used To Be
Producer Sandra Picheca, writer Bob Mackowycz, director Sarah Lazarovic (Toronto, ON)The Auburn Hills Breakdown
Producer Katie Weekley, writer/director Geoff Redknap (BC)Dinx
Producer William Minsky, writer/director Trevor Anderson (AB)Marjorie
Producer Alyson Richards, writer/director Pat Mills (ON)Night Travellers
Producer Michael Linton, writer/director Shelagh Carter (MB)Tigers at the Gate
Producer Patrick McLaughlin, writer/director Nina Sudra (AB)Apparent Woes
Producer Karitsa Tye, writer/director Lisa Robertson (ON)Eastern Shore
Producer Drew Hagen, writer/director Eva Madden (NS)Les Grands
Producer Christine Falco, writer/director Chloe Leriche (QC)Silver Road
Producer Elise Cousineau, writer/director Bill Taylor (ON)The Cabinet
Producer Karen Wong, writer/director Karen Lam (BC)Gravity Boy
Producer Calum MacLeod, writer/director Scott Burton (BC)Meaning of Max
Producer Billie Knight, writer/director Chris Roberts (MB)The Janitors
Producer Clinton Carew, writer/director Daniel Arnold (AB)The Letter
Producer Joseph Antaki, writer/director Martin Doepner (QC)The Year I Ran in the Woods
Producer Louisa Ferguson, writer/director Sean Hoy (SK)Changing Rooms
Producer Kirsten Carthew, writer/director Tyson Koschik (NWT)Kathleen’s Closet
Producer Diana Wilson, writer/director Sheila Jordan (BC)The King Hunt
Producer Anna Petras, writer/director Justin Simms (NL)Noise
Producer Jason Charters, writer/director Greg Spottiswood (ON)The Snow Queen
Producer Sara Lazer, writer/director Danishka Esterhazy (MB)Any Niagara
Writer/producer Lisa Celotto, director Jeffrey Moneo (Vancouver, BC)Big Mother
Producer Anand Ramayya, writer Teri Armitage, director Torin Stefanson (Saskatoon, SK)My Original Sin
Producer Deborah MacDonald, writer Bill Campbell, director Lucie Pagé (Toronto, ON)Redeemable in Merchandise
Director/producer David Finch, writer Maureen Marovitch (Lachine, QC)Dermott’s Quest
Writer/producer Grant Sauve, director Gim Ardal (Toronto, ON)Exposures
Producer Allison Laing, writer/director Matthew Sinclair-Foreman (Vancouver, BC)Hitting Zero
Producer John Nadalin, writer/director Darlene Lim (Toronto, ON)The Recital
Producer Mike Fly Fleischhaker, writer/director Billy Morton (Regina, SK)Second Coming in the 2nd Grade
Producer Rita Acharyya, writer/director Smita Acharyya (Calgary, AB)The Big Table
Producer Larissa Banting, writer/director Alexandra Zarowny (Edmonton, Sherwood Park AB)For My Father
Producer Erin Haskett, writer Tim McAree, director Luke Carroll (Vancouver, BC)North Grove
Producer Deborah D. Bose, writer Irwin Barker, director Mark O’Callaghan (Vancouver, BC)Quality Viewing
Producer Dugald McLaren, writer/director Evan Kelly (Halifax, NS)The Wedding Video
Producer Adamm Liley, writer/director Jay Dahl (Halifax, NS)Bagatelle
Producer Jennifer Holness, writer Michael MacLennan, director Johanna Mercer (Toronto, ON)Dual Citizen
Producer Kirsteen McLean, writer/director Christy Garland (Toronto, ON)Mr. Reubens Goes to Mars
Producer Eunice Lee, writer Deborah Peraya, director Larry Di Stefano (Vancouver, BC)Papillon
Producer Olivier Corbeil, writer/director Eloise Corbeil (Montreal, QC)Rider Pride
Craig Courtice, Tony Hrynchuk (Saskatoon, SK)Virtual Insanity
Writer/producer Cynthia Knight, director Simon Webb (Montreal, QC)237
Producer Jason Belleville, writer/director Michael Dowse (Calgary, AB)Autoerotica
Producer Jill Riley, writer/director Mark Wihak (Toronto, ON)Dissonance
Producer Aaron Johnston, writer/director/producer Mitchell Kezin, writer Timothy Taylor (Vancouver, BC)In Between
Producer Margaret Harrison, writer/director Daun Windover (Halifax, NS)Saint Bernadette of Bingo
Producer Brent Kawchuk, writer/director James Sutherland (Calgary, AB)When I Was Seven
Producer Andrea Bastin, writer/director Jessica Bradford (Vancouver, BC)Appelez moi Alex
Producer Louise-Marie Beauchamp, writer/director Mario Bonenfant (St-Hillaire & St-Laurent, QC)Babette’s Feet
Producers Paul Scherzer, John Prince, writer/director Harry Killas (Vancouver, BC)The Fare
Producer Tracey Boulton, writer/director Neil Every (Vancouver, BC)The Legend of Brideshead Mansion
Writer/producer Joëlle Bourjolly, director Courtney Graham (Toronto, ON)Samurai Swing
Producer Jason Lee, writer Vern Thiessen, director Mieko Ouchi (Edmonton/Calgary, AB)Toy Soldiers
Writer/producer Catherine May, director Jackie May (Toronto, ON)The Alley
Producer Jennifer Clement, writer Aaron Bushkowsky, director Bill Dow (Vancouver, BC)The Chicken Tree
Director/producer Susan Terrill, writer Sara Snow (Ottawa, ON)Game Seven
Producer Robert Cuffley, writer/director Ando Leuchter (Calgary, AB)Lara’s Light
Producer Joanna Hilchie, writer/director Marie Koehler (Halifax, NS)The Rogers’ Cable
Producer Kat Baulu, writer/director Jennifer Kierans (Montreal, QC)Stalemates
Producer Carmen Milenkovic, writer Jacqueline Kwan-Morgan, director June Morgan (SK)A Boy’s Own Story
Producer Robert Cousins, writer/director David Weaver (Toronto, ON)Henry’s Cafe
Producer Phil Kieran, writer/director Geoff Denham, Ted Bortolin (Vancouver, BC)Through My Eyes
Producer Lori Fontaine, writer/director Kathryn Martin (Winnipeg, MB)Toll
Producer Pamela L. Portsmouth, writer/director Tara Cowell-Plain (Vancouver, BC)The Trial of Stubby McPherson
Producer Karen Redford, writer Adrian Lackey, director Sherry Kozak (Edmonton, AB)Iris and Nathan
Producer Teena Timm, writer/producer Brian Drader, director/producer Arlea Ashcroft (Winnipeg, MB)Motus Maestro
Producer Len Pendergast, writer Marc Roberge, writer/director/producer Carole O’Brien (Winnipeg, MB)Talker
Producer Lloyd Martell, writer/director/producer Rob King (Regina, SK)Twisted Sheets
Producer/director Cheryl Zalameda, writer/director Chris Deacon (Toronto, ON)Willpower
Producer Kim Goddard, writer Myrl Coulter, director June Morgan (Edmonton, AB)The Background
Producers Peter Lhotka, Paul Rayman, writer William Sorochan, director John Blackie (Edmonton, AB)Baiser d’enfant
Producer Julie Morin, writer/director Julie Hivon (Montreal, QC)Crabapple Jelly
Director/producer Penny McCann, writer Katherine Sandford (Ottawa, ON)Kymata
Producer Edward Richards, writer/director/producer George Zarkadas (Vancouver, BC)Secrets
Director/producer Mark Williams, writer Megan Williams (Toronto, ON)Thomas
Writer/director/producer Keith Behrman, writer/producer Marilyn Kynaston (Vancouver, BC)A Breath Short of Less
Director/producer Katherine Kasirer, writer Leila Marshy (Montreal, QC)Confidence pour confession
Writer/producer Isobelle Jutras, writer/director Elaine Dumont (Montreal, QC)Homunculus
Producer Kate Harrington, writer/director Clare Mullen (Edmonton, AB)Without Rockets
Writer/producer Keith Tomasek, writer/director Gary Yates (Winnipeg, MB)X-Presso
Writer/producer Marketin Apelbaum, writer/director Anastasios Dimopoulos (Montreal, QC & Toronto, ON)Froggy
Writer/director/producer Peter Lapres (Vancouver, BC)The Hardest Day
Producer Amanda Enright, writer Kathryn Newsom, director Mark Tollefson (Toronto, ON)How Do You Spell Beautiful?
Writer/director/producer John Paul Sauve (Lethbridge, AB)One Bang & You’re Dead
Producer Steve Miko, writer/director/producer Dwayne John Beaver (Vancouver, BC)Quiet Morning
Producer Kirk Shaw, writer/director Charles Hohensee (Vancouver, BC)4 Ever
Producer Sylvie Peltier, writer/director Alyson Drysdale (Vancouver, BC)Cold Hands
Writer/director/producer Michael Cox (Vancouver, BC)Gasoline Puddles
Writer/producer Donna Davies, writer/director Shandi Mitchell (Bedford, NS)Initiations
Writer/director/producer Kimberlee McTaggart, Catherine Martin (Halifax, NS)Lifetime
Writer/producer Dwayne Crowe, writer/director Ritchard Findlay (Winnipeg, MB)Lost Innocence
Producer Mark Gamble, writer/director/producer Graeme Lynch (Toronto, ON)Reachin’
Writer/director/producer Michael Maitland (Yellowknife, NT)Tessa
Producer Milan Cheylov, writer/director/producer Lori Lansens (Toronto, ON)With Frogs and Fishes
Producer William Hornecker, writer/director Cynthia Wells (Edmonton, AB)