Editor

BEER, BUTTERFLIES, PEROGIES AND ZOMBIE NURSES…WHAT DO THESE HAVE IN COMMON?
COME TO NSI FILMEXCHANGE MARCH 2 TO 6 IN WINNIPEG AND FIND OUT!

Winnipeg – The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) announces the
line-up for NSI FilmExchange Canadian Film Festival – Canada’s Coolest Film
Festival, March 2 to 6 in Winnipeg. All tickets and passes are now on sale
through Ticketmaster.

“NSI FilmExchange is an eclectic mix of comedy and drama, features and
shorts, and professional and amateur masterpieces,” said Festival Director
Bill Evans. “Plus there is the opportunity for emerging and mid-career film
and TV makers to learn and mentor at our Industry Centre.”

Once again, the Opening Night Event is SnowScreen – a movie screen carved
out of snow! For this year’s free family event, animated shorts from the
National Film Board of Canada will be projected onto SnowScreen, at The
Forks.

The accolades of the films presented at NSI FilmExchange are impressive.
Love, Sex and Eating the Bones, On The Corner, and The Saddest Music in the
World made Canada’s Top 10 2003 list announced by the Toronto International
Film Festival Group. Seven Times Lucky, The Saddest Music in the World and
the short film In Shadow recently screened at Sundance Film Festival.

Three films developed through the NSI Features First Program, will screen at
NSI FilmExchange. In On the Corner by director Nathanial Geary, a
23-year-old heroin addict and prostitute must turn her life around when her
younger brother plunges into the same destructive lifestyle. In Goldirocks,
by Paula Tiberius, Goldi hooks up with three indie garage band musicians –
one too hot, one too cold, and one that seems just right. Seven Times Lucky
by director Gary Yates, and starring Kevin Pollak is a smart and fast paced
film involving gambling, love and double-crossing.

“We are very proud to celebrate the achievements of our NSI Features First
graduates at NSI FilmExchange,” said Evans.

The film schedule continues with The Blue Butterfly, directed by Léa Poole
and starring Oscar® winner William Hurt. The film is based on a true story
about a 10-year-old dying child, and his last wish to find the most
beautiful butterfly on earth. Carl Bessai’s Emile stars Sir Ian McKellen, a
man who looks back on his life and tries to reconnect with his estranged
niece, played by Deborah Kara Unger.

The world premiere of Winnipeg director Jeff Solylo’s comedy East of Euclid,
finds a reporter breaking a story involving a strange love triangle between
a dangerous Russian gambler, a perogy factory girl and the news photographer
she loves. Love, Sex And Eating the Bones mixes comedy and drama with a
story about a photographer/security guard whose addiction to pornography
threatens to ruin a great relationship. Graveyard Alive: A Zombie Nurse in
Love tells the tale of a shy nurse who is bitten by a randy lumberjack.

Director Peter Wellington’s Luck goes back to the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey
series, where a group of young free-spirited slacks see gambling as a mirror
of life, where sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you ain’t. Totem: The
Return of the G’psgolox Pole, by director Gil Cardinal documents the return
of a Haisla totem pole from a Swedish museum, in an emotional tale that
chronicles the negotiations and history involved with the Haisla and the
Swedes.

Guy Maddin’s new surreal comedy, The Saddest Music in the World, shot in
Winnipeg last winter, will be the NSI FilmExchange Closing Night Film. It
stars Mark McKinney and Isabella Rosellini, and tells the tale of a double
amputee beer baroness who launches a contest to determine the saddest music
ever. Director Maddin, the film’s producers and key cast members will attend
the screening March 6.

NSI FilmExchange brings back the popular ‘Canadian Classic’ event. This
year's film will be The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, with an
accompanying lecture by noted film historian Tom McSorley.

Les Immortels by Director by Paul Thinel (French with English subtitles),
rounds out the film line-up. Set in a working-class Quebec town, the film
tells the story of two generations that come together thanks to their
passion for music.

The Showcase of Canadian Shorts features over 30 masterpieces from across
Canada, including six installments of the rock ‘em sock ‘em action series
that pits the evil Leopard Lady against Harry Knuckles and the world
premieres of four NSI ZeD Drama Prize Films. NSI ZeD Drama Prize Program
provides support, training, and a national broadcast license on CBC ZeD for
emerging filmmakers to develop and produce a 10-minute short film.

In addition to the film schedule, NSI FilmExchange offers master classes on
writing, directing and producing, led by Brett Butt, Laura Milliken and
Jennifer Podemski, Arnie Gelbert, Peter Wellington, Simone Urdl and Jennifer
Weiss, Al Magee, Barrie Dunn and Michael Volpe. Panels, roundtables and
forums cover such topics as DVD development, the international marketplace,
working with US broadcasters and more. New to NSI FilmExchange is a Pitching
Workshop with renowned consultant Jan Miller. Up to six filmmakers will be
selected to pitch to a panel of industry executives, in front of a delegate
audience. Visit
http://www.nsi-canada.ca/filmexchange/general_application.html, for
application form and details. Deadline for applications is February 9, 2004.

It’s food for thought at the NSI Luncheons. Colin Robertson, Canadian Consul
General will give his insight and tips on how Canadians can capitalize on
partnerships with Americans. Panelists Charles Bélanger, Chair of the Board,
Telefilm Canada; Jamie Brown, CEO and Executive Producer, Frantic Films, and
Chair, MMPIA; Carole Vivier, CEO/General Manager, Film Commissioner,
Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation and Susan
Millican, CEO, NSI and International Business and Program Consultant, Oxygen
Media (US) will discuss the value of arts and culture-based businesses and
how the film and television industry is delivering profitable opportunities
and growth to a city.

“It’s great to be able to announce the NSI FilmExchange line-up,” said
Evans. “To have such renowned guests and acclaimed films come to Winnipeg is
a tribute to the growth and worth of this festival and the Canadian film
community.”