The National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI; originally Canadian Screen Institute, CSI) is a non-profit organization headquartered in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The organization describes itself as "Serving content creators across Canada to tell unforgettable stories through industry-informed training and mentoring." Established in 1986 and originally functioning as part of the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, the National Screen Institute is Canada's oldest nationally recognized film and television training school. The National Screen Institute offers customized training, networking opportunities, personalized mentorship, small class sizes and online and in-person training. In 2008, the institute launched the NSI Online Short Film Festival as a year-round online short-film festival for films that are "100% Canadian."

History

In 1984, Canadian filmmakers met in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, at "Symposium 84 – Local Heroes", held during the first Local Heroes Film Festival, which showcased independent Canadian short films and features from around the world. The following year, discussions on strategies resulted in DramaLab, a hands-on development program for producers, directors, and writers to learn the film industry and develop their skills. One of the 1985

artistic directors An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

was filmmaker

Allan King Allan Winton King, (February 6, 1930 – June 15, 2009), was a Canadian film director. Life Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the Great Depression, King attended Henry Hudson Elementary School, in Kitsilano. Aiming to meet a need for film and television training outside large metropolitan centres, the Canadian Screen Institute (CSI) was formed on April 7, 1986, adopting both DramaLab and Local Heroes as its two

flagship program NASA's large strategic science missions or large strategic missions, formerly known as Flagship missions or Flagship-class missions, are the costliest and most capable NASA science spacecraft. Flagship missions exist within all four divisions ...

s. By the end of that year, CSI changed its name to the National Screen Institute. Originating as part of the

in Edmonton, the institute began with an annual operating budget of C$360,000 a year, one-third of which was provided by the

Alberta government The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typicall ...

. In 1990, NSI's Board of Directors introduced another program evolved from DramaLab called NSI Drama Prize, in which filmmaker participants would work to build their skills in a format that combined production incentives, mentorship and professional development workshops. In 1997, the institute began NSI Features First, a professional development program for writers, directors and producers working on their first or second feature film. Teams met with top-level experts throughout the program and received a cash award towards the final development and packaging of their feature film projects. In 1998, NSI opened a second office in

. The next year, NSI introduced a second Local Heroes Festival to Winnipeg that screened exclusively-Canadian films. In spring 2001, NSI consolidated its operations in Winnipeg, transferring the Edmonton Local Heroes Film Festival to Edmonton International Film Festival Society, as well as refocusing and renaming the Winnipeg Local Heroes Festival to NSI Film Exchange Canadian Film Festival. The festival was eventually retired in 2007. NSI Global Marketing was introduced in 2001 to prepare producers to take their projects to the international marketplace. NSI Totally Television began in 2002 providing customized, hands-on training for Canadian producer/writer teams to develop story ideas into polished packages to present to buyers in the global marketplace. The NSI Aboriginal Cultural Trade Initiative launched in 2003, and later became NSI Storytellers. The program was designed to help Indigenous film and television producers advance their projects as international co-productions through guidance and access to new markets. The first trade mission was to Australia and New Zealand. In 2004, after extensive consultation with the Indigenous community, the NSI Aboriginal Youth Pilot Project was launched, eventually becoming CBC New Indigenous Voices. The curriculum introduces emerging Indigenous artists to creative and challenging employment opportunities in film, TV and digital media. The Telefilm Canada Spark Plug Program was offered in 2005 and 2006. It was a diversity initiative geared towards mid- to advanced-level visible minority and Indigenous producers with an interest in developing dramatic television programming. In 2006 DiverseTV was launched in collaboration with VisionTV and trained diverse writers to create dramatic television series for national broadcast. In collaboration with APTN, a new NSI Storytellers program launched in 2007 with the goal of developing above-the-line Indigenous talent. The program was an early part of the creation of ''

Cashing In ''Cashing In'' is a Canadian television comedy-drama series, which aired on APTN from 2009 to 2014. Set in the fictional First Nations community of Stonewalker, the series revolved around the staff and customers of an indigenous-owned casino. T ...

'', which ran for four seasons on APTN. Featuring Aboriginal Storytellers Program was introduced in 2008 in partnership with Telefilm Canada and APTN. The program encouraged established audiovisual professionals to move into feature film. In 2008 NSI PlayWRITE was introduced to find and train undiscovered Canadian writers, helping them break into the video game industry as narrative designers. NSI Aboriginal Journalism was introduced in fall 2010, giving students the skills needed to advance their careers in news and journalism. In 2012, NSI Script to Screen was introduced in partnership with Corus’ western-Canada pay TV service Movie Central to provide established and emerging Canadian screenwriters with robust funding, creative support and industry guidance to fully develop feature film concepts for film and television. NSI IndigiDocs (formerly NSI Aboriginal Documentary) began in 2012 as a development launch pad for producer/director teams looking to produce a short documentary. The National Screen Institute expanded its digital initiatives with TELUS STORYHIVE in late 2014 for content creators in British Columbia and Alberta. Applicants submit pitch ideas for a chance to win a production grant and distribution opportunities. NSI Diverse TV Director was launched in spring 2015 for directors ready to make the leap to TV series direction with development training and job shadowing. In 2016 NSI Business for Producers was introduced in partnership with On Screen Manitoba. The program was aimed at film, television and digital media content producers and trained them in best practices for running their company. In 2018, the National Screen Institute collaborated with the Indigenous Leadership Development Institute Inc. (ILDII) on a documentary film and training project associated with ILDII’s Strengthening and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages & Cultures initiative - Indigenous Languages and Culture Documentary Project. The National Screen Institute was contracted by First People’s Development Inc. (FPDI) through funding from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to deliver screen-based media-skills training to Indigenous youth from First Nations communities in Manitoba. NSI New Northern Voices was launched in 2019 and was the direct result of a National Screen Institute feasibility study and framework for northern training, supported by Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage, The Winnipeg Foundation and Manitoba Film & Music. The program takes place in The Pas, Manitoba, providing an introduction to media-based storytelling and production experience on a short film. In partnership with founding and presenting sponsor, the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), the National Screen Institute launched NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition in 2021. Participants learned business management, negotiation and leadership skills and received customized mentorship to develop their projects. In collaboration with Film PEI and Creative PEI, NSI Market-Ready Producers – PEI Edition was introduced in 2021. Producers from Prince Edward Island developed essential producing skills and prepared a pitch package for a project currently in development. The National Screen Institute continues to deliver training and mentorship through TELUS STORYHIVE with a podcast edition completed in 2021 and Indigenous and Black creators editions in 2022.

NSI Online Short Film Festival

In 2008, the institute launched the NSI Online Short Film Festival as a year-round online short film festival for films that are 100% Canadian to encourage new talent and give creators a platform to share their films. Four times a year, an independent jury selected winning entries and cash awards including the A&E Short Filmmakers Award and a cash prize of C$2,500. Despite its popularity, the festival operated at a loss. The National Screen Institute announced the closure of the festival in January 2020. The NSI Online Short Film Festival provided a platform for Canadian content, programmed thousands of films and presented over $125K in award money to filmmakers. Over 1,000 curated Canadian short films are still available on the festival website.

2020: COVID-19 global pandemic

The National Screen Institute redesigned its programs and leveraged digital platforms in the early months of the pandemic, a major switch from their long history of in-person instruction. No programs were cancelled because of COVID-19. In partnership with Film Training Manitoba, the National Screen Institute presented the Manitoba Content Creators Development Accelerator for creators to develop their story ideas while in isolation due to COVID-19. The National Screen Institute partnered with On Screen Manitoba and The Winnipeg Foundation to present Conflict, Cooperation & HR Principles - a series of online business management workshops for local producers. CBC New Indigenous Voices was the first longstanding program affected by COVID. The curriculum was redesigned for online delivery and the start date was postponed to fall. In place of short film projects, students created podcast episodes. The program maintained the traditional and spiritual components led by Elder Colin Mousseau. A new, online version of NSI Business for Producers was introduced to help emerging producers nurture creative ideas in a COVID environment and beyond. The second edition of NSI New Northern Voices launched with a focus on producers and writers developing a short film for production in 2022.

Operations

Funding

The National Screen Institute currently operates with funding provided by

Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage (; formerly Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport) is the department of the Government of Manitoba responsible for managing government programs and services that support the sport, art, culture, and her ...

, the Winnipeg Arts Council,

TELUS Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...

Telefilm Canada Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...

, the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

, APTN,

Bell Media Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant ...

Manitoba Film and Music Manitoba Film and Music (MFM), officially Manitoba Film & Sound Recording Development Corporation, is the primary support for the film and television sector of Manitoba, and runs the provincial film commission. As a Crown corporation, it is funde ...

, RBC Emerging Artists Project, ''documentary'' Channel,

CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

, the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development, the Indigenous Screen Office,

Canada Media Fund The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...

The Winnipeg Foundation The Winnipeg Foundation is a registered charity and community foundation based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Established in 1921, it is the oldest community foundation in Canada. The Foundation is dedicated primarily to the social improvement of ...

, Super Channel,

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

Stantec Stantec Inc. is an international professional services company in the design and consulting industry. The company was founded in 1954, as ''D. R. Stanley Associates'' in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Stantec provides professional consulting servi ...

, William F. White International and

Company 3 Company 3 (CO3) is an American post-production company founded in 1997 by colorists Stefan Sonnenfeld and Mike Pethel and visual effects artist/supervisor Noel Castley-Wright. Rob Walston brought the team of artists together and funded Company 3 u ...

Notable alumni

Danis Goulet Danis Goulet (born 1977) is a Cree-Métis film director and screenwriter from Canada,Chris Knight"Danis Goulet's film a first for New Zealand-Canada Indigenous co-operation" ''National Post'', June 26, 2020. whose debut feature film '' Night Raide ...

Jennifer Podemski Jennifer Podemski (born January 1, 1974) is a First Nations (Canadian) film and television actress and producer. Her acting credits include starring roles in the television series '' Tin Star'', ''The Rez'', '' Riverdale'', ''Moccasin Flats'', ...

Tasha Hubbard Tasha Hubbard is a Canadian First Nations/ Cree filmmaker and educator based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Hubbard's credits include three National Film Board of Canada documentaries exploring Indigenous rights in Canada: '' Two Worlds Colliding'', ...

Sudz Sutherland David "Sudz" Sutherland is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. His credits include the films ''Doomstown'', ''Love, Sex and Eating the Bones'', ''Guns'', ''Speakers for the Dead'' and '' Home Again'', as well as episodes of ''Drop the Beat' ...

Jennifer Holness Jennifer Holness is a Jamaican-born Canadian film and television director, producer and screenwriter. She operates Hungry Eyes Media Inc., along with her business partner and husband Sudz Sutherland."At Home with Jennifer Holness & Sudz Sutherland" ...

Karen Lam Karen Lam is a Canadian director, writer and producer. She is known for the horror film ''Evangeline'' (2013). Life and career Karen Lam grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. Lam's father, a professor, would show his daughter horror films that she cite ...

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather o ...

Tonya Williams Tonya Williams (born July 12, 1958) is a Canadian actress, producer, director and activist. Sometimes credited as Tonya Lee Williams, she is best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American daytime drama ''The Young and the R ...

Josh Epstein Josh Epstein is a Canadian actor, producer and writer. He produced, co-wrote and acted in ''Public Schooled'' starring Judy Greer, Russell Peters, Grace Park and Daniel Doheny which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017. ...

and

Kyle Rideout Kyle Rideout (born November 9, 1984) is a Canadian actor, writer, and director. He co-owns a production company called Motion 58 with business partner Josh Epstein. He co-wrote and directed the short films Hop the Twig and Wait for Rain as well a ...

* Joseph Kay *

Trey Anthony Trey Anthony (born 1983) is a British-born Canadian playwright, actor, and producer, best known for her award-winning play and television series ''Da Kink in My Hair (TV series), Da Kink in My Hair''. As a producer, she worked for the Women's Tele ...

Norma Bailey Norma Bailey (born 1949, in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian film writer, producer, and director whose work is rooted in feminist and intersectional film theory. Bailey has directed several films, both in English and French and in various dif ...

* Lisa Jackson * Sean Garrity *

Adam Smoluk Adam Smoluk (born June 17, 1980) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, actor, community leader, and executive. His work in media productions often explores themes of alienation and isolation. Early life Adam Smoluk was born and raised in Winni ...

Bill Dow Bill Dow is an actor, director and writer in theatre, film, and television. He is best known for playing Bill Lee in the ''Stargate'' franchise. Career He also had a recurring roles as Russ Hathaway in the Canadian drama series ''Da Vinci's I ...

Brad Fraser Brad Fraser (born June 28, 1959 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and cultural commentator.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Fraser, Brad" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', June 2, 2019. He is one of the most widely pr ...

* Gary Yates *

Marie Clements Marie Clements (born January 10, 1962) See p. 147. is a Canadian Métis playwright, performer, director, producer and screenwriter. Marie was founding artistic director of urban ink productions, and is currently co-artistic director of red diva pr ...

Michael Dowse Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director. Life and career Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, ''FUBAR'' was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but w ...

Robert Cuffley Robert Cuffley is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He began with music videos, directing over 40 in all, before moving into short films, and later, drama. Career In 2001, Cuffley directed '' Turning Paige'' (2001), starring Nicholas Ca ...

Rob Ramsay Robert James Ramsay is a Canadian actor. Ramsay is known for his roles as Donnie Schrab in Blue Mountain State, Percy Budnick in Aaron Stone, Barnabis in XIII: The Series and Jay Jay in Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans. Personal life 'Rob' ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Film schools in Canada Educational institutions established in 1986 Universities and colleges in Winnipeg Organizations based in Winnipeg Non-profit organizations based in Manitoba Cinema of Manitoba Television organizations in Canada 1986 establishments in Manitoba Schools in downtown Winnipeg