Shortlist released for 1st Annual NWT Film & Media Awards

The judges’ shortlists for all four categories in the upcoming NWT Film & Media Awards have been released.

Represented among the nominees are filmmakers from Yellowknife, Behchoko, Inuvik and Hay River. The shortlists for the Commercial categories include entries from two GWNT departments, a diamond mine, a print shop and a clothing store.

Winners in all categories will be announced during the awards ceremony taking place at the Yellowknife International Film Festival Gala, hosted by the NWT Film Commission on Saturday, September 29th at the Yellowknife Ski Club.

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YK Film Fest returns for 12th edition

The 12th annual Yellowknife International Film Festival (YKIFF) is set to take place from September 26-30, 2018 in NWT’s capital city.

A flagship event for the NWT film community, YKIFF presents a program of the best NWT-produced films as well as those from the circumpolar world along with a handpicked selection of international works.

Though an official program for 2018 has yet to be released, it is anticipated the NWT-produced feature film Elijah and the Rock Creature, written and directed by Jen Walden, will make its premiere.

The festival will also include a program of free filmmaking workshops as well as a gala reception hosted by the NWT Film Commission.

For more information on the Yellowknife International Film Festival, visit: www.ykfilmfest.com.

NWTPMA announces NWT’s first Media Industry Awards

The Northwest Territories Professional Media Association (NWTPMA) is excited to announce the First Annual NWT Media Awards! The awards will recognize excellence in the NWT film and media industry. The four categories are:

  • Best Narrative Short
  • Best Documentary Short
  • Best Commercial Piece (Government)
  • Best Commercial Piece (Non-Government)

Applications are open until August 31st at 11:59 pm. All entries will be judged by a panel of NWT industry professionals. The awards will be presented during the Yellowknife International Film Festival Gala on Saturday, September 29th. Each winner will receive a prize that is intended to encourage future projects in film and media.  

Jen Walden, President of the NWTPMA states: “It is about recognizing the amazing contribution to film and media in the NWT, as well as the talent that exists in the North. Over the past few years, there has been such growth and interest in this industry, and we see further development on the horizon, including the creation of local jobs. The NWTPMA feels that it is time to start recognizing individuals and teams that are making important contributions to this industry. The board hopes that this initiative will encourage individuals to continue pushing technical and artistic boundaries, and ultimately inspire people to consider careers in film and media.”

About the Organization: The Northwest Territories Professional Media Association (NWTPMA) was founded in 2011 to create a sustainable media industry that generates economy in the NWT. We do this by cultivating the professional growth of our members and influencing policy. The NWTPMA membership is made up of industry professionals who work in the film, television and media industries within the NWT.

Submissions can be made on NWTPMA’s website: https://nwtpma.com/awards

For more information on the awards, please contact:

Remembering: Versus Ivan

A reclusive web-programmer is forced to confront the threatening concept of change when the food packages he receives in the mail each day mysteriously stop arriving.

Fourteen years ago, a film school graduate and his friends turned this unique elevator pitch into Versus Ivan, the first feature film to be produced in the NWT.

In a year when Kirsten Carthew’s landmark film The Sun at Midnight is still criss-crossing the globe and Jen Walden’s debut feature Elijah and the Rock Creature, is mere months away from release, we thought it would be good to look back upon the plucky beginnings of feature filmmaking in our territory.

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Monterey Media snaps up U.S. rights to The Sun at Midnight

Film to hit American theatres this fall

It’s been less than a week since The Sun at Midnight‘s producers announced the film was set for a theatrical run in Australia. Then, late yesterday, came the news that its US rights have been purchased by distributor Monterey Media and plans are underway for the film’s theatrical debut south of the border.

In a Facebook post yesterday afternoon, director Kirsten Carthew shared a link to an article published by Variety magazine which includes a section about the acquisition. The article states Monterey Media has purchased all rights to the film in the US (which—presumably—includes theatrical, non-theatrical, digital and home video distribution). It also states Monterey is planning to launch the film in US theatres this September and October.

The Sun at Midnight is the first NWT-produced feature film to receive Telefilm funding. It was directed by Carthew and produced by Carthew and Amos Scott. It stars Devery Jacobs (who just announced she is joining the cast of the Starz series ‘American Gods’) and Duane Howard (The Revenant).

For more info on the film, visit www.thesunatmidnightmovie.com.

The Sun at Midnight getting theatrical run Down Under

Director Kirsten Carthew’s The Sun at Midnight, the first Telefilm-supported feature film to be produced in the Northwest Territories, will be shown on theatre screens in Australia this July, according to a media release issued today by its producers.

“The film has screened at over 50 festivals and traveled around the world, winning awards in the USA and Canada and traveling the world to screenings in India, China, Russia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Algeria,” reads the release.

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Yellowknife short film tapped to face off on CBC

This year’s edition of CBC’s Short Film Face-Off will feature a film produced in the NWT.

BAIT! from director Keith Robertson, has been selected to represent the northern territories as one of nine finalists in this year’s competition.

Each episode in the TV series features three short films which are screened and then critiqued in person by panelists from Canada’s film and media industry. Once a final three films are selected, the overall winner is then chosen by viewers.

The winning filmmaker receives a prize to use towards the creation of their next short film, which will be licenced for broadcast by the CBC.

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Aarigaa: Meet the NWT’s newest film festival

“Inuvik is overdue for a film festival, and why wait any longer?”

This statement was written in the first Facebook post made by organizers of Inuvik’s newly-minted Aarigaa Film Festival on their official page.

Set to take place on July 20 & 21, the inaugural edition of the NWT town’s first very-own film fest (a production of Inuvialuit Communications Society) has been a long time coming, said Festival Director, ICS manager and local filmmaker Dez Loreen.

“The festival was started because our community has been lacking a film presence. We have a handful of local people from the region who are making films and shorts, but we never had a stage to showcase them,” he said.

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