National Screen Institute | IndigiDocs | National Screen Institute

Program status:

Training underway

About

Four Indigenous filmmakers will be selected by an independent jury to participate in this intensive, online training program to develop a short documentary idea into a 10-minute finished film.

As an emerging to mid-career filmmaker, you will lead the project as both writer and director. Training and personalized mentorship are provided.

During phase 1 you will engage in online training sessions, complete assignments to evolve your documentary idea, prepare for production and attend the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival online.

In phase 2, you’ll begin the production part of your documentary journey. You’ll be provided with a budget and professional guidance as your vision unfolds. You’ll work with a mentor and executive producer during all stages of the production process including collaborating with the National Film Board on post-production.

*Your final documentary will be shown on APTN (a world-premiere, one-hour special featuring all four NSI IndigiDocs films), documentary Channel, CBC Gem, NFB platform, nsifilms.ca and aptnlumi.ca.

At a glance

Applications open: Monday, February 14, 2022
Application deadline: Friday, March 11, 2022 at 5 p.m., CT
Selected participants notified: April 1, 2022
All other applicants notified: April 4, 2022
Phase 1 (online training): April 19 to May 30, 2022 + virtual attendance at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Phase 2 (production/mentorship): July 2022 to March 2023
Attendance at imagineNATIVE: October 2022
Phase 3 (film delivery to APTN): March 31, 2023

Program dates: April 2022 to March 2023
Location: Part-time, online and in-person
Cost: There is no cost to apply or participate. The application fee of $50 and tuition of $250 have been waived through the generous contribution of program partners.

This training is for you if:

You have an original idea for a 10-minute documentary film. (You possess the rights to that idea, have full access to film your subject(s), have a treatment and can provide a director’s vision for your visual conceptual style)

You have basic experience in: production (pre-development, filming, post-production), in business affairs/legal matters relevant to film/TV, or in marketing/distribution. A combination of some or all of these will be considered

To be eligible you must:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada, aged 18 or over

Be an Indigenous person: someone who is First Nation, Métis or Inuit

Have experience as a writer/director and/or producer

Have demonstrated technical competence and a clear storytelling ability in your past project(s)

Maintain creative and financial control over the project as well as technical ownership. This includes ownership of, or option on, all underlying rights (if any). The National Screen Institute reserves the right to disqualify any participant who does not fully own the rights in and to the project

Agree not to participate in another initiative, or have inflexible commitments, that would prevent you from fully engaging in this program and the production of your film

COVID-19 will still be a factor during the production of your documentary. You will be asked to prove that your film can be produced with COVID safety protocols in mind and in accordance with local health regulations.

In this program, you will:

Work with an experienced documentary writer, director, producer, mentor and editor to produce your documentary film

Learn about concept development, research, writing and directing

Learn the basics about financing, tax credits, production planning, cash flow etc.

Explore online marketing and learn how to build an audience for your film

Attend the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival online

Attend the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival

Phase 1: six-week online training

April 19 to May 30, 2022

Starting on April 19, you will attend three to four weekly sessions online (midday/early evening), along with homework assignments to be completed in your own time. Your attendance and participation is mandatory for all sessions.

There will be weekly wellness check-ins, training with industry experts and opportunities to meet with broadcasters. The program advisor will also be available for weekly scheduled office hours to assist with homework and answer questions.

Weeks one, two and three focus on the story development of your documentary. During weeks four, five and six you’ll concentrate on developing your directing skills. You are required to attend the 2022 Hot Docs Film Festival online from April 28 to May 8, 2022.

While NSI IndigiDocs is taking place, the National Screen Institute will also be delivering NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition, a program designed to develop the skills of emerging to mid-career producers. We’re planning to bring together students from both programs and you will have an opportunity to meet and get to know each other through several joint sessions.

Phase 2: production and post-production

July 2022 to March 2023

Upon successfully completing phase 1, you will move into production in phase 2 with the guidance of a mentor and executive producer.

Working within your own community, you will focus on producing your documentary. Hours are flexible to allow you to continue with your life and work commitments.

You will sign contracts with the National Screen Institute, APTN and documentary Channel. You must also form a corporation before going into production and receiving funding. The National Screen Institute will guide you through this process and contribute $1K towards the cost of incorporation. A cash award of up to $20K and approximately $10K of in-kind services are provided towards the production of your film. The award must fund the cost of producing your film and not pay for your services.

In early 2023, you’ll begin collaborating with the National Film Board. You must complete your film by March 31, 2023 in accordance with your contract with the National Screen Institute, APTN and documentary Channel.

Attendance at imagineNATIVE: October 2022

You will attend the festival either online or in-person (TBC). If travel / in-person attendance is possible, your registration fee, travel expenses and accommodation will be covered through the program.

Note: the training curriculum and dates are subject to change.

Our commitment to underrepresented voices

At the National Screen Institute we serve and help develop the gifts of Indigenous creators.

We are committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas, and various religious groups.

Questions

Please review the FAQ below. Program manager Cheyenne Bruneau (indigidocs@nsi-canada.ca) is happy to answer any further questions about the application process or training.

Frequently asked questions

Definitions

How much time do I have to commit to the program?

What financial assistance will I receive?

What projects are eligible?

How are participants selected?

What do I need to apply?

Synopsis: One paragraph summary of your overall project, including the title and length.

Treatment: Detailed description of your story and its themes; characters to be interviewed and why; the focus you will take; and how you will support your story.

Director’s vision: Details about stylistic approach, overall tone and shooting style. You may wish to include a few visual references.

Key creatives: List of the key creative people (include bios and photos) you plan on working with: for example, DOP (or if you plan to shoot the documentary yourself), producer, editor etc.

Preliminary production plan (1 page): Plan for research, pre-production and production with dates and locations for each phase. Keep in mind, shooting must be completed by December 2022 and must be in line with COVID safety protocols and in accordance with your local health regulations.

Preliminary marketing plan (1-2 pages): Clear idea of your film’s target audience and your understanding of its market potential. Training will be provided to assist in the development of your marketing plan.

Proposed production budget: Preliminary production budget (download this template or, if you are using Movie Magic Budgeting, you can use the Telefilm template within that system). Fill in as much information as you are able before submitting. We will provide training assistance during the program to help further develop your budget.

Proposed financing structure (1 page): Your proposed sources of revenue for financing the project, including the cash award of up to $20K and approximately $10K of in-kind services (see breakdown above).

Letter showing proof of access: You must have full access to film your subject(s) and acquire written permission (a letter signed by each subject with a witness) from them granting you full lifetime rights to share their story (if applicable).

Resume / CV (1-2 pages) clearly stating production experience: Include your role on the production and the following information about each project: the writer / producer / director; genre; if it was a student film; final running time; any broadcasts/theatrical release/festivals played; is it in development, production, post or completed?

Letter of reference: This letter should help identify why the person providing the reference feels you are ready to make a short documentary film.

Online links (YouTube / Vimeo) of support material, if available.

Additional letters (if applicable): Required if you need to demonstrate your suitability to participate in the program because you don’t meet eligibility criteria. Explain why the selection committee should consider you for the program; outline your experience level (emerging, mid-career or advanced) and how you would benefit from this training.

What rights does the National Screen Institute have on the project?

What is the relationship between the National Screen Institute and the selected applicant?

I have a co-writer on my project. Can we apply together and both attend training?

Can I submit more than one application? Can I resubmit a previous application?

Does the National Screen Institute give feedback on my application?

Confidentiality

Respectful Workplace Policy

Meet the faculty

Sonia Bonspille Boileau

Program and Story Advisor

Sonia is a bilingual Kanien’kehá:ka-Quebecois filmmaker who has been working for over 15 years at bringing Indigenous content to the screen for audiences of all cultural backgrounds.

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Lori Lozinski

Executive Producer

Lori Lozinski is an award-winning filmmaker based in Vancouver, British Columbia and the president of Violator Films Inc., an independent production company that has been telling maverick stories since 2007.

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Cheyenne Bruneau

Program Manager

An alumna of CBC New Indigenous Voices 2012, Cheyenne values the thread of connective storytelling within the Indigenous screen industry through the sharing of traditional teachings, while encouraging a collective healing.

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Associate faculty

2020

Meet the students

Dustin McGladrey

Woven Resistance

Dustin McGladrey is an emerging director / writer from the Nisga’a Nation.

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Glen Reid

Restoring My Health

Based in Toronto, Glen Reid performs in film, TV and commercials.

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Jay Cardinal Villeneuve

Confluence - The Warrior Manuel

Jay Cardinal Villeneuve, a Nêhiyawi- Bush Cree / Métis, was born and raised in northern Alberta and began acting on stage in community theatre productions when he was just a young buck.

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He emerged from hustling VHS rentals at Video Gallery in Slave Lake, Treaty 8 Territory, to nabbing a theatre scholarship for college, where he subsequently dropped out and hopped the Greyhound to Vancouver Coast Salish Territory to work in film and television.

After short stints in TV, independent film, radio, KFC, telemarketing and street theatre, he snuck into Capilano University where he paid his dues by selling film school students short film scripts for their assignments, then graduated from the Indigenous digital filmmaking program with honours.

Jay concurrently worked as a private video statement gatherer with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for several years where he was honoured with the name “Smeent” meaning “mountain man” in the Kwakwaka’wakw language. Ohkoma, his grandmother Florence Cardinal was a residential school survivor who spoke fluent Cree. His grandfather, Lawrence Villeneuve, was a trapper who spoke Cree and Michif.

Jay’s YouTube short films have gone the opposite of viral, but some have actually played in film festivals. As an actor, you can see him in some cool movies like Beans and Brother I Cry (where he was robbed of a supporting actor Leo Award), and even a TV show here and there, like Get Shorty.

As a filmmaker he managed to snag some hardware for his films like the critically acclaimed Holy Angels and Is That One of Your Jokes; which is not a question, or a joke, but the title of the film. He also received an honourable mention from the MPPIA Short Film Award at the 2018 Whistler Film Festival for the live pitch of his Louis Riel short script Gods & Devils, which is his next project to be shot on 35 mm film and in Michif.

Jay is basically what would happen if Tom Jackson and Tantoo Cardinal had an illegitimate love child that was raised in a small town surrounded by dense forest; and people LOL! He also has three rad kids, who are not illegitimate, and often star in his cardinal cinéma c[art]el indie films.

“Live to dream, dare to live; live your dreams if you dare!”

Keisha Erwin

pî-kiwîk (Come Home)

Keisha (wapahkesis) is a Two-Spirit nīhithaw (Woods Cree) emerging artist, academic and a band member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in north-central Saskatchewan.

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