Category: Featured

 

FILM 4WARD 2020 ANNOUNCES NEW PROJECTS 

Charlottetown, PE, (December 6, 2019) –  FilmPEI is excited to announce the four successful productions that are being supported by this year’s Film 4Ward program. The successful entries include:  Emerging Production – Wraith of Malpeque  (horror/comedy) with Nathan Carter (Producer) and Justin O’Hanley (Director) ; Established Productions – Sorry, Mommy (psychological thriller) with Louise Lalonde (Producer) and Donna Davies (Director), The Rolling Pin (drama) with  Emma Fugate (Producer) and Trilby Jeeves (Director), and Chase the Ace (comedy) Jason Arsenault (Producer) and Jeremy Larter (Director)

“Competition for the second year of Film 4Ward was stiff,” says FilmPEI’s Executive Director, Renee Laprise. “There were a lot of really amazing projects put forth and we were excited to see so many new names and producer/director pairings.”

Projects were assessed by a jury of nationally acclaimed producers and directors from off-Island. Film 4Ward workshops and mentoring will begin in January and films are expected to be produced in the early spring with final delivery happening by the end of June 2020.

The pilot year of Film 4Ward saw many local people trained by industry level crew and producers. Many of these people went on to work on the feature film “A Small Fortune” which shot on PEI in the fall. The four short films that were produced through Film 4Ward are currently on the festival circuit and will air on CBC and CBC Gem. Jenna MacMillan’s Sunnyside won the Best Actor award for its lead, Sophia Bell at the 2019 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival.

“We’re always happy to support the Film 4ward Program to help develop, grow and sustain homegrown, independent film on Prince Edward Island,” says Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Matthew MacKay. “A successful film industry benefits all Islanders, as it directly impacts our provincial economy and cultural identity.”

Film 4Ward is an incubator program for film/media production on Prince Edward Island that aims to support PEI’s film and television sector through training opportunities and production funding. Leveraging industry expertise across PEI and Canada, participants will be trained by industry professionals through a series of workshops and job shadowing opportunities. Four film projects will receive production funding of up to $20,000 and in-kind facilities and services each year. Film 4Ward is funded by the Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, through Innovation PEI and the Culture Action Plan, with additional funding provided by Telefilm Canada and CBC, and administrated by FilmPEI.

For further information, contact:

Renee Laprise, Executive Director
FilmPEI
director@filmpei.com
www.filmpei.com

 

 

 

 

Film4Ward Films Premiere at FIN – Atlantic International Film Festival

Four short films funded by FilmPEI’s new film fund, Film 4Ward, are premiering at the 2019 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax this September.  They will then go on to screen at other festivals including the PEI premiere at the Charlottetown Film Festival in October. The four films are: Hot or Not (Director – Ryan McCarvill, Producer – Matt Sherman),  SunnySide (Director – Jenna MacMillan, Producer – Bryde MacLean), Furball (Director – Jason Rogerson, Producer – Harmony Wagner), and Solastalgia (Director – Millefiore Clarkes, Producer – Emma Fugate).

Furball and Hot or Not screen in the Atlantic Shorts program on Sunday Sept 15th and Thursday Sept 19th. Solastalgia and SunnySide screen as part of the Atlantic Shorts Gala on Wednesday September 18th.

 The main goals of the Film4Ward program, which include workshops, mentorship and on-set training, are to build capacity in the film industry on PEI and fund projects that can lift local producers and directors to the next level of their creative careers.

Renee Laprise, ED of FilmPEI says “FilmPEI is extremely excited to share the Film 4Ward films with the world. All of the teams delivered films of high production value and quality storytelling. Film trainees have continued to work on films throughout the summer and there has certainly been a boost in local production.”

Film 4Ward 2019/20 will be very similar in structure to the first year and will launch in September with a submission deadline of November 18th, 2019. 

Film 4Ward is funded by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, through Innovation PEI and the Culture Action Plan, with additional funding provided by Telefilm Canada and CBC, and led by FilmPEI.

A little bit about the four films:

SUNNYSIDE

Bats, a worker at a group home, is tasked with bringing Laura, a hardened teenager, to SunnySide, a facility that deals with tough cases, after Laura hurt a girl at the group home. Along the way, as Bats’ marriage falls apart, and Laura attempts to escape, the two come to understand personal and revelatory details about each other’s lives.

Director Jenna MacMillan says of the production “Our team brought all of their resourcefulness, curiosity, and creativity to set each day and together we told a story that is completely unique to the team that assembled to make it.”

FURBALL

When self-centred feline, Furball, faces losing his owner’s attention, he takes matters into his own paws and learns that, while relationships may change, the love remains, no matter what the species. Furball’s American premiere happens at the New York Cat Film Festival on November 3rd.

HOT OR NOT

Jake and Hayley navigate the struggles of dating in a small Canadian city. Despite failure after failure, they lean on each other as they continue their doomed search for love.

Producer Matt Sherman found the Film4Ward program worked well to build film community: “Shooting Hot or Not was a great experience because there was a really good mix of seasoned pros and new faces on set.”

SOLASTALGIA

Solastalgia is a lyrical, dramatic film that explores the anguish that climate change and a global state of uncertainty can impart upon the human psyche. When the panic over global crises threatens to engulf her, Ava embarks on a vision-quest to put things in perspective.