NFB
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Talking Gender Parity in the Immersive World at the FilmGate Interactive Media Festival
No film fest is complete these days without an attempt to tackle the vast gender inequality that’s long afflicted the industry. So it comes as no surprise that the sixth edition of the FilmGate Interactive Media Festival devoted an entire panel to searching for remedies when it comes to immersive media. “Reaching True Gender Parity in Interactive Storytelling” proved to be a fascinating chat amongst four fervent ladies — Marie-Pier Gauthier of the National Film Board of Canada (who also served as panel moderator), HP’s Global Head of Virtual Reality Joanna Popper, Vivian Marthell, who leads local art house O […]
by Lauren Wissot on Dec 11, 2018 -
Guy Maddin on The Saddest Music in The World and His Interactive Seances
It only seemed fitting that Portland-based folk musician Michael Hurley would perform a short set of sad songs before the screening of Guy Maddin’s 2003 experimental melodrama The Saddest Music in the World on Friday, March 25 at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. Maddin himself was in attendance for the sold-out screening, which was presented as part of the Hollywood’s Mississippi Records Music & Film Series. In introducing the film, Maddin said it was a treat to “show this movie I barely remember making. I think what I recall is the movie is about a sad song contest, so Michael [Hurley], I […]
by Paula Bernstein on Mar 29, 2016 -
“You Just Keep Bad Things Away from Your Project — That’s What a Director Does”: Katerina Cizek on the She Does Podcast
Katerina Cizek is an innovative documentary storyteller who works across many media platforms. She’s currently the director of the National Film Board of Canada’s multi-year project entitled HIGHRISE, which examines life inside residential skyscrapers in suburbs around the world. Since it launched in 2009, HIGHRISE has generated interactive documentaries, mobile productions, live presentations, installations and films that have garnered Emmys, a Peabody, Webby Awards and recognition from the World Press Photo and IDFA Doc Lab, among others. On June 2, 2015, Kat and the NFB released the latest and final HIGHRISE project, “Universe Within,” that explores people’s digital lives online. […]
by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg on Jun 3, 2015 -
Hot Docs: Growing Crowds Amid Shrinking Funds
“There are more people here this year, but less money.” That’s how one veteran Canadian documentarian summed up the market at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, which just wrapped in Toronto. At workshops and cocktail receptions, the chatter was as dark as the skies outside. Broadcasters here and abroad continue to slash their development and production budgets, and that’s forced doc directors to crowdfund on Indiegogo and Kickstarter to make up (part of) the shortfall, while others just leave the business. Sure, there were great films unveiled over the past 10 days at Hot Docs. Thomas Wallner’s Before The Last […]
by Allan Tong on May 5, 2014 -
The New Digital Storytelling Series: Katerina Cizek
In the tenth part of Filmmaker‘s interview project with prominent figures from the world of transmedia, conducted through the MIT Open Documentary Lab, Katerina Cizek gives her take on the way digital technology is shaping contemporary storytelling. Cizek is currently the director of the NFB’s HIGHRISE project, exploring new forms and new approaches to content. HIGHRISE is a multi-year, many media series of projects. You can see it at highrise.nfb.ca and her previous project Filmmaker-in-Residence at filmmaker.nfb.ca. For an introduction to this entire series, and links to all the installments so far, check out “Should Filmmakers Learn to Code,” by MIT […]
by MIT Open Documentary Lab on May 9, 2013 -
GUY MADDIN’S “NIGHT MAYOR”
Guy Maddin’s hometown fantasia, My Winnipeg, is one of my favorite films of the last few years. Night Mayor is a recent short film that explores similar territory. It won a Short Film Jury Award for Experimental Short at this year’s SXSW, and is now available online at the National Film Board of Canada site (and embedded here). From the press release: Night Mayor tells the tale of Nihad Ademi, a Bosnian immigrant who serves as Winnipeg’s “night mayor.” Ademi somehow harnesses the multi-coloured waves of the Aurora Borealis and uses its power to broadcast images of his beloved adoptive […]
by Scott Macaulay on Apr 16, 2010
