from ampr.ca

ANNOUNCING RECIPIENTS OF FINAL ROUND OF 2012 “GIVING VOICE: FILMMAKERS WORKING WITH FILMMAKERS” DOCUMENTARY MASTERS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

The Documentary Organization of Canada | Association des documentaristes du Canada (DOC) and CBC’s digital channel documentary are proud to announce the recipients of the final round of the 2012 documentary mentorship program – GIVING VOICE: FILMMAKERS WORKING WITH FILMMAKERS. Four pairs of talented apprentices and established Canadian documentary filmmakers have been chosen to work on a variety of exciting new projects.

As DOC’s Executive Director, Lisa Fitzgibbons explains: ”The Giving Voice mentorship program is deepening the working knowledge of the Canadian documentary community by providing an unparalleled experience to four skilled – and lucky –recipients. They will have the opportunity of working with some of the best documentary talents the country has to offer on all aspects of production including scriptwriting, story development, production management and interactive production. When working in documentary, one has to be versatile! Giving Voice is a program that offers that flexibility and allows recipients to stretch their professional wings!”

Eligible projects were reviewed by the Giving Voice Selection Committee, comprised of documentary filmmakers Juan Baquero and Chanda Chevannes and Jordana Ross from CBC’s documentary channel.

Apprentice director Nicolas Boisclair will be working closely with internationally renowned Producer/Director Carole Poliquin through Montreal-based Les productions ISCA on her feature documentary QUÉBÉCOISIE, which will explore the role of Amerindian heritage in Quebec’s culture and identity. Poliquin’s previous credits include Homo Toxicus, a hard-hitting investigation into the health risks posed by our exposure to toxic substances; Le bien commun: l’assaut final; L’emploi du temps; and Turbulences (24 heures dans le marché global).

Apprentice Erica Leendertse will be working under the guidance of Multiple Gemini nominee and award-winning filmmaker Ann Shin of Fathom Film Group in Toronto. Erica will take an active part in several documentaries in various stages, including the cross-platform projects FATHER FIGURE’D OUT, a humorous documentary on what it means to be a father in the 21st Century, which will be co-produced by Shin and Jeanette Loakman. Leendertse will also act as associate producer on THE DEFECTOR, a cross-platform feature length documentary and interactive project, and will participate in the development of the series idea for TARNATION, a documentary series or 1-off documentary. Shin’s previous credits include the Gemini-nominated documentary Four Seasons Mosaic (CBC); CHRIS Award-winning The Roswell Incident; and the National Film Board Reel Diversity winner Western Eyes.

Writer-director Shelley Tepperman will hone her skills in development and scriptwriting with acclaimed Montreal based documentary filmmaker Garry Beitel. They will be working together on two projects through Beitel’s reFrame Films: BETWEEN PEACE AND WAR / ENTRE LA PAIX ET LA GUERRE, a coproduction with the National Film Board focusing on Canadian peace brokers working in international conflict zones. In addition they will be working on 15-20 short films that will be part of a nine-month multi-media digital installation on Peace – a collaboration between the War Museum in Ottawa and the National Film Board. Beitel was honoured last year by the Quebec Arts Council (CALQ) with a lifetime achievement award. His previous credits include The Socalled Movie and Bonjour! Shalom! winner of three Gémeaux awards, including Best Quebec Documentary (1991).

Up and coming Montreal filmmaker Thomas Szacka-Marier will assist Montreal director and producer Yanick Létourneau on his latest project PANAFRICA : UNITÉ, PROGRÈS, JUSTICE, a free-ranging lyrical and poetic exploration on the theme of modern Africa, produced by Périphéria Productions. Over the course of the mentorship, Thomas will have the opportunity to be involved in several crucial stages of the film, from financing and story development to the preparation of three expeditions to Congo, Ghana and the Côte d’Ivoire. Létourneau’s previous credits include Les États-Unis d’Afrique (United States of Africa) which was awarded the Cinémathèque québécoise –Critics’ Choice Award at the 2011 Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).

GIVING VOICE: FILMMAKERS WORKING WITH FILMMAKERS, funded by CBC’s digital channel, documentary, is designed to help professional documentary filmmakers move to the next level in their careers. The program offers each apprentice the unique opportunity to gain “in-the-field” training with a seasoned documentarian. Working under the guidance of established professionals, the selected apprentices will receive the unique opportunity to gain insight into their mentors’ winning approaches and techniques while observing the creative process first-hand.

Dedicated to fostering the art of independent documentary filmmaking in Canada as one of its key mandates, DOC is keen to provide a platform of support to the documentary filmmaking community through this initiative.

About documentary documentary is a digital television station devoted to showing the best documentaries from Canada and around the world – from legendary filmmakers like D.A. Pennebaker and the Maysles brothers, as well as from the archives of its partners, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and The National Film Board. With its special emphasis on feature length films, watching documentary is like having a cinema in your own living room, showing award-winning films 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

About DOC The Documentary Organization of Canada | Association des documentaristes du Canada (DOC) is a bilingual national arts service organization dedicated to supporting the art of independent documentary filmmaking in Canada. DOC members believe that documentaries play an essential role in Canadian society by promoting the expression of diverse viewpoints on social, political, and cultural realities, thus fostering reflection and debate. DOC advocates on behalf of its members to foster an environment conducive to documentary production and strives to strengthen the sector within the broader film production industry. DOC offers member services including professional development and networking events