Calgarian Cam Christiansen is reeling with excitement following the news that his animated video I Have Seen the Future has received funding from BravoFACT! that successful funding partnership was sparked during The Banff New Media Institute’s (BNMI) Interactive Screen program. Christiansen’s film chronicles an encounter with some obnoxious kids, reminding the main character of the obnoxious kid he used to be. During Interactive Screen, Christiansen met with BravoFACT!’s executive director Judy Gladstone to discuss the possibility of funding. Two weeks later, I Have Seen the Future was picked up by BravoFACt! A film director, and principal and co-founding partner of Anlanda Design, Christiansen’s design work has won national and international awards and was included in the prestigious Venice Biennale of Architecture exhibition in 1996. “Interactive Screen was a great experience,” says Christiansen. “It’s an incredibly unique situation to be able to meet and learn from such a diverse international group of talented people. It was very fun, kind of like an artistic adult summer camp! Also, for a guy who spends a little too much time in front of a Mac, it’s great to get out and talk to other producers in new media.” Christiansen’s experience is one of several successful partnerships BNMI celebrated this summer as they wrapped up their 11th annual interactive Screen program. From August 13 to 18, more than 40 new media luminaries and rising stars met in Banff to explore and reflect on the current state of new media, and to learn how to navigate the digital bazaar and land a deal. Participants came from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Finland, Spain, and italy. |
A second Alberta success story was the green light given to Kelly Andres’ mobile sound lab SongBike, which focuses on concepts of community, recycling, and interaction. Andres, who is from Lethbridge, was awarded a BNMI co-production residency for her successful pitch of this innovative project which will stream live sound from a bike to a member-based website. Andres will return to the Centre later this year to build a prototype. “This program was very beneficial,” says Andres. “I had the opportunity to network with Canadian artists and new media practitioners, learn how to write and perform a professional pitch, and work with experienced technicians to develop my project.” Other outcomes of the 2006 interactive Screen program included a Vancouver project receiving support from the Bell Broadcast and New Media fund and another moving into development discussions with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. In 2007, BNMI will expand its support for Canadian new media producers as a result of the newly announced Nunavut Animation Lab (NAL), a partnership with the National Film Board of Canada, Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, National Screen Institute, Nunavut Film, and the Government of Nunavut. Following intensive workshops in Nunavut and in Winnipeg, NAL will enable four animators to come to the Centre to direct and animate their films. While at Banff, the emerging animators will work with skilled filmmakers and mentors to develop and produce their stories and to learn how to market them. |
Published: January 2007.
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