CBC TV Wants Your #ShortFilms Canada

Hey Canadian short filmmakers - CBC wants to put your short film on their TV.  Yes, that's right.  CBC had such a hit with last year's Short Film Face Off, that they're doing it all again.

And they need new films!

How it works is this;  Each region collects film submissions.  A regional jury selects their favorite bundle from that region.  Last year, the jury that I was on in BC fought hard over a thick handful of films!  Then the local jury sends their best choices to the top dawgs out east, who then choose the top films to air on TV.

At that point, they break the top Canadian short films in to a couple of episodes, allowing an in studio audience to view each specific episode and vote on their fave per episode.

Then once they've narrowed it down to the top 3 short films, as chosen by the audience, they throw the final decision out to the Canadian viewers.  A vote in process choses the winner.

Last year, the winner was Rhonda's Party who walked away with a cool $40,000.  Yep.  A cool $40,000.

This year, it could be you.

But you have a short window to get your film in and they've got some very specific parameters, here's their bumpf:


We are interested in fresh story ideas with memorable and engaging characters. Here are the criteria:


- Up to 12 minutes in length (excluding credits).


- Comedies and dramas are the preferred genres, both live action and
animation are eligible. Music videos or documentaries will not be
considered for the program. Experimental films will be considered on
an individual basis.


- We will accept films that have been screened at Film Festivals or other
public venues but must not have been broadcast on national
television.


- The films must have been produced / released after June 1, 2010.


- Content must be suitable for a broad audience (family viewing) in the
7:00 pm timeslot at the discretion of CBC.


- The director of the film must be available to travel and appear on the
program during the week of May 14, 2012. Travel costs will be paid by
Short Film Face Off.


- The producer or director must own or hold all rights to the film
including music. The rights must be released to Short Film Face Off for
broadcast on CBC Television and CBC websites. Short Film Face Off
will not pay for the release of any rights associated with the production
and the producer will be expected to sign a waiver granting broadcast
rights to CBC.


- British Columbian submissions must be received by CBC Vancouver by
Friday, March 16th at 5 pm.


If you're not in BC, click here for the regional development rep in your area (scroll to bottom of page)


If you're in BC - send your films here: 

Send or drop off 5 DVD copies of your film to:

Sheila Peacock

RPDF Producer

CBC Television

700 Hamilton Street

Vancouver, BC V6B 4A2

If you have any other questions, please email sheila.peacock@cbc.ca. NO film submissions will be accepted by email.


So if that describes your film, submit - and submit quickly.  It's a terrific sign of support for Canadian short filmmakers that this TV show has returned for a second season on national TV! Go Canada!

Seattle International FF Has #Jobs You Might Like

We here in the Pacific Northwest share a lot of similarities; our rain forests, our seashores, our love of indie films.  Seriously, we're total nerds for film here.

From Oregon to the Yukon we likey da indie film-y a lot, so it's exciting to point out that the most prestigious film festival in our region - the Seattle International Film Festival has some exciting jobs opened.

For qualified candidates, this festival is an amazing one to join.  I know I now make a point of going every May, especially for their ShortsFest weekend.

Of their job postings, I think the Film Center Education Coordinator is a particularly thrilling one. What an opportunity to inspire the cinematic artists of tomorrow and renew the creative dreams of the artists already working in the medium.  If you can work south of the border (and I don't mean Venezuela) then apply, apply.

See Oscar Nominated #ShortFilms (Hint: two are from Canada)

I just think that this is THE smartest idea ever.

Whoever thought to package the current Oscar nominated short films into a triple feature then tour it around to theatres for an exclusive engagement in advance of the Oscars is a genius. They might want to consider doing the same for Genie nominated Canadian films - long and short, just saying.

But the point is, thanks to ShortsHD the entire collection of this year's Academy Award nominated short films - animation, live action and documentary - are coming to a theatre near you starting Feb 10.

With their easy to navigate locations listing, it's a no brainer to find when the films are coming to your town.

Of the short films in competition, two animated ones are Canadian NFB produced films - Sunday and Wild Life - the latter also nominated for a Genie Award this year.

Of the live action, I'm sort of tickled pink to tell you that the Best Short Film we chose at Seattle International Film Festival did as we hoped it would do, and made it into the nominations.

Time Freak by Andrew Bowler is a really great film, even if it's not a Canadian film.

I know I'll be at the Vancouver screenings on February 17th.  Hope to see you there.

Genie nominations should mean more to Canadians

Of all the congratulatory posts I like to write where I get to shine a light on the accomplishments of Canadian filmmakers working in the short medium, the Genie nominations are always the toughest.

It's not because the nominees don't deserve accolades - they do! - it's just that a little tiny part of me wonders if  this list of nominees doesn't skewer a little east.  An even bigger part of me senses that the films nominated are only the ones who can afford to apply.

I have written about this before and I'll write about it again, but we have a very provincial attitude in this country. Unlike the states, where all films work through the festivals and public acknowledgement towards the pinnacle of the Oscars...we here in Canada can't quite agree on which films are our best.

While I salute the TIFF Top Ten for aiming to reduce the confusion for Canadians, I still think a wider net must be thrown to really capture the best the country has to offer each year.

Case in point, the majority of these Genie nominees in the short medium come from The National Film Board (NFB) and TIFF's top ten list. Further, most of the films are Quebec or Ontario films and only a few titles are recognizable to festival audiences.  Which again, doesn't mean they don't deserve accolades, but is it really the most thorough list of the best in short film in this entire country?

Are the Genies just a small handful of fuddy duddy east coast film snobs congratulating themselves?

Shouldn't our national awards be representative of the zeitgeist of our country?

I think we need a Golden Globes style awards show in Canada. A true representation of the best our country has to offer (regardless of who can afford to submit for consideration), chosen by critics whose job it is to critique entertaining movies and TV for the public. We need to celebrate our accomplishments (we are making some kick ass film and TV now) in a way that makes everyone who loves movies and TV feel good about loving their favorite movies and TV in Canada.

What makes the Golden Globes fun is that they seem like a party we'd like to be at and they seem filled with people we'd like to hang out with.

In Canada, our Genies feel like a party with our fancy French grandma's group of know-it-all friends that you're not invited to and wouldn't understand even if you did get in.

Denis Villeneuve - won 8 Genie's last year for Incendies

The unknown truth is that Canadian filmmakers are a delightful bunch.  I've met many of them and they're charming and funny and witty and clever and even a little magical. I'm confident that if you knew some of these Canadian filmmakers you'd like them, a lot! And you'd probably go see their movies and TV shows if you knew them better too.

So is it simply a PR problem? Does the industry in this country just need a decent publicist?

I know this isn't the best way to bestow a 'woot woot' to the Genie nominated short films, who all deserve the recognition of these grand awards, they really do.  But it doesn't feel right to pretend like our national awards are da bomb when, west of the Ontario provincial line, they're met with a collective 'meh'.

I really want to see the day that our Genie's ARE the nomination to get in this country.  I want to see a day when joe schmoe working his rig in Alberta says 'Nominated for a Genie Award? Then it must be an awesome film!' instead of the age-old refrain of 'What's a Genie Award'?

I think that shift starts with the nominated films coming from every part of our county, not just the middle. I also think that the small group of cinephiles who like arty films can't be the only people choosing the best our country has to offer, and that those nominated films can't only be seen publicly in one or two provinces.

I do want to commend all the nominees on the list of the Genies, I do.  They all deserve praise.  I just hope that when I write the post for next year's Genie Awards, they've found a way to get all of these films in front of more Canadians so that, collectively, we can all get excited about the best work our country's filmmakers have to offer.