from ampr

CBC’s digital channel documentary and the Documentary Organization of Canada | Association des documentaristes du Canada (DOC) have reunited to present a third consecutive edition of GIVING VOICE: FILMMAKERS WORKING WITH FILMMAKERS, a documentary apprenticeship program.

Building on the program’s continued success, Giving Voice is once again casting its net across the country for applicants. Funded by CBC’s digital channel documentary, the apprenticeship program will support up to seven apprentices this year who will work under the mentorship of accomplished documentary filmmakers for a period of up to five months. The application deadline for submissions is May 24, 2013.

Launched in 2011, GIVING VOICE: FILMMAKERS WORKING WITH FILMMAKERS is a national program designed to help industry professionals take the next step in their careers. Apprentices will gain invaluable “in-the-field” training experience under the mentorship of accomplished documentary filmmakers. Working under the guidance of seasoned professionals, the selected apprentices will receive the unique opportunity of gaining insight into their mentors’ winning approaches and techniques while observing the creative process first-hand. Through practical experience and feedback, apprentices will learn to further develop their own skill set for their future projects and careers.

Two of the winning projects from the 2012 edition of Giving Voice will screen at the upcoming Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. The cross-platform documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine will have its world premiere at Hot Docs on April 28. Giving Voice matched apprentice Noah Bingham in the role of Cross Media Project Manager and Outreach Assistant with both director/producer Liz Marshall and producer Nina Beveridge. This film sheds new light on the complex social issue of animal rights and also features an Interactive, community-centred environment.

In addition, The Defector: Escape From North Korea will have its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs on April 27. Giving Voice matched apprentice Erica Leendertse with award-winning filmmaker Ann Shin of Fathom Film Group in Toronto on this provocative cross-platform feature length documentary and interactive project.

GIVING VOICE is intended to be an exchange whereby both parties benefit from the experience. The mentors will benefit by working with passionate and creative professionals, while the apprentices will have access to the breadth of experience and wisdom of artists who have already earned critical acclaim and established their documentary voice. The program is designed to reach all demographics and regions of the country, including filmmakers from under-represented communities.

”documentary channel’s strategic investment has helped build professional capacity in the documentary sector,” said Lisa Fitzgibbons, Executive Director of DOC. “This program goes beyond what formal training can provide and addresses a gap that can’t be entirely filled by the professional milieu. Giving Voice is there as a step-up program and takes professional to the next step in their professional lives. It is an excellent program that has a long-lasting impact on the lives of the apprentices.”

Other winning documentary projects and apprentice/mentors from the 2012 edition of Giving Voice included:

· Hot Rollers, which paired apprentice producer Audrey Quinn with director/producer Justine Pimlott of Red Queen Productions;

· Turcot, which paired Terryll Loffler with internationally renowned director-producer Daniel Cross of EyeSteelFilm;

· Québécoisie, which has apprentice director Nicolas Boisclair working with internationally renowned Producer/Director Carole Poliquin through Montreal-based Les productions ISCA;

· Between Peace And War / Entre La Paix Et La Guerre, a coproduction with the National Film Board, which has writer-director Shelley Tepperman working with acclaimed Montreal based documentary filmmaker Garry Beitel through his reFrame Films;

· Panafrica : Unité, Progrès, Justice which has up and coming Montreal filmmaker Thomas Szacka-Marier working alongside Montreal director and producer Yannick Letounreau through Peripheria Productions;

The application deadline for this year’s edition of Giving Voice is May 24, 2013.

Dedicated to fostering the art of independent documentary in Canada as one of its key mandates, DOC is keen to provide a platform of support to the documentary community through this initiative. DOC is about to publish the fifth edition of Getting Real, an economic profile of the Canadian documentary industry, which provides an analysis of financial trends in the Canadian sector.

To learn more about Giving Voice, please visit: http://docorg.ca/en/givingvoice