Notice of WIFT Alberta Annual General Meeting
Thursday March 18, 2021 6:30-8:30pm MST
Women In Film and Television Alberta invites all members to participate in our upcoming AGM and board elections.
Below is the nominator slate approved by the Board of Directors. According to our current bylaws, Directors are elected for a two year term, except in the instance when they have replaced a director who has resigned or been removed, in which case they serve until the next election where they, or another nominee can be elected to finish out the remainder of the original term.
Seeking Election For 2 Year Term
Tiffany Cowan
Samantha Quantz
Fami Kaur
Donna Knorren
Jenn Repp
Seeking Election For Remaining 1 Year Term
Barb Atamaniuk
Marie-France Guerrette
Carolyn Kennedy
Serving The Remaining Year On 2 Year Term (not up for election)
Ava Karvonen
Michelle Graff
Katrina Beatty
Along with the notice of AGM emailed on February 16, WIFT Alberta’s Leadership presented to you proposed revisions to the bylaws. Please take time between now and the AGM to review the recommended revisions and provide feedback at the AGM where the document will be presented as a special resolution to the members. Text in red are proposed additions, strike out text are proposed deletions. If you have any questions or concerns please let us know and thank you for your membership during this difficult year. We are looking forward to serving you in 2021.
Memberships expire March 31, 2021, but you can renew yours now for the upcoming year: https://wiftalberta.ca/
WIFT Alberta presents:
From Audition to Set: Best Practices For Finding & Working With Actors
Thursday March 25 2021
6:30 – 8:00pm MST
Learn how to find the best talent for your project within your budget’s means and learn from Geraldine Carr, an award-winning independent filmmaker and former casting director, and Tanis Dolman-Johnson, actor, acting teacher and coach. For content creators of all experience levels. Learn about casting breakdowns, how and where to find your talent, the audition process, booking actors, rehearsals/table reads, what is helpful for actors on-the-day, & directing actors.
Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-audition-to-set-best-practices-for-finding-working-with-actors-tickets-146022361815
Cost: $20 for WIFT Alberta, ACTRA Alberta, and PRIMAA members. $30 for non members
Geraldine Carr Bio: Award-winning independent filmmaker Geraldine Carr (The Wise Fool, Aurora, Sweet Sixteen, Voila! Maud Mary & the Titanic, Dance of the Kaleidoscope) has a passion for story, cinema and the creative process. Her recent documentary The Wise Fool was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2020 Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival. Standout screenings for Geraldine include the curation of her film Maud Mary & the Titanic in Turkey at the 2015 Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival, as well as the screening of Maud Mary & the Titanic at the SOHO International Film Festival in NYC in 2012 during the Titanic’s centennial. A former casting director and former member of the Casting Directors Society of Canada, Geraldine has cast roles for feature films, TV, commercials, on projects produced locally, nationally and internationally (Mentors, The War Bride, Whitecoats, Booked, etc.). In addition, Geraldine is passionate about and committed to supporting female directors from around the world, and she curated a selection of feature films directed by women in a micro-film festival called The Female Gaze (2019 & 2020) in celebration of International Women’s Day which screened over eight days. Geraldine is an alumni of the Women in the Director’s Chair (2010 & 2016) and is a graduate of the Film Production Program at Confederation College.
Tanis Dolman-Johnson Bio: Tanis is an actor working in B.C and she recently wrapped a recurring role in an upcoming Netflix series by critically acclaimed director/creator Mike Flanagan (Haunting of Hill House / Bly Manor…). She has appeared in The Good Doctor, Dirk Gently, Deadpool 2, Supergirl, and Riverdale, and has worked as cast, crew, acting coach and production legal script supervisor on dozens of others. This varied work in the industry gave her the opportunity to observe, and learn from, some of the best actors, directors and content creators in the business. Tanis began her acting career in Edmonton – acting and teaching at Workshop West and the Citadel Theatre. After receiving a degree from the University of Alberta, she taught acting/drama/film at Victoria School of the Arts where she co=created Film & TV/Media curriculum. Many of her past students have since become successful members of the Production Industry – working on such shows as Supernatural, The Killing, Once Upon a Time, Series of Unfortunate Events, and many more. Tanis is a 20 year ACTRA member and she lives in the Vancouver area with her family on their ‘urban farm’ (dogs, chickens, birds and bees).
VICE & The Telus Fund
Take Care Docuseries Incubator
VICE and the TELUS Fund have partnered for Take Care, an initiative to provide support and financing for docuseries about the mental health of young Canadians.
Brought to life by VICE and the TELUS Fund, Take Care is a content incubator for the creation of docuseries aimed at inspiring young Canadians to improve their mental wellbeing.
Young people in Canada are more stressed out than ever before, and the current state of the world has only added to that. They face pressure to consume wellness products promising instant transformation, perfection, mental clarity and happiness rather than experiencing wellness as a lifelong journey — that comes with ups and downs, and that’s totally ok.
This inaugural content incubator was inspired by the findings of a research study we conducted last summer. Through a robust survey, and with the help of mental health experts, VICE and the TELUS Fund unearthed some of the key barriers to wellbeing that young people are facing today.
What are we looking for?
Original English language docuseries, of at least 5 episodes (each approx 2-6 mins), hosted or non-hosted, live action or animated, aimed at an audience in their teens through their twenties.
We are most interested in docuseries that examine how mental wellbeing intersects with these topics:
Technology Relationships Money
We are interested in ideas that are authentic, honest, empathetic, hopeful and tell a human story that is tied to larger issues. These stories will share knowledge in entertaining ways, build support for better mental health care policies and ultimately empower young Canadians to customize their mental wellness routines in key facets of their lives.
How will the docuseries incubator work?
Applicants are invited to submit their docuseries ideas by April 9, 2021. Complete applications will be evaluated by a panel of experts in the subject area and content experts at VICE. Final funding decisions will be rendered by the TELUS Fund Board of Directors.
The TELUS Fund will finance up to 75% of the selected docuseries production budget to a max of $140,000 or $5000 per minute, whichever is less.
Selected docuseries will benefit from an exclusive premiere on VICE Media channels.
Important dates:
April 9, 2021: Deadline to apply
May 24, 2021: Project selections announced by TELUS Fund
August 13, 2021: Deadline for delivery of at least one rough cut episode to VMG
September 13, 2021: Deadline for final delivery to VMG of the completed docuseries episodes.
September 21, 2021: Completed docuseries are published online for public viewing.
For more information visit our website:
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/partners/telus-take-care
There you will find the application form, application guidelines, the evaluation rubric and the white paper we published about the mental health of young people in Canada.
2021 CMF Cross-Canada Virtual Consultations
March 16 – April 9 2021
A message from Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF:
At Prime Time I announced that the Canada Media Fund (CMF) was gearing up for virtual cross-country consultations in the weeks ahead. We’re ready to go! I invite you to participate between March 16 and April 9.
Our goal is to hear from you to identify the tools and approaches that will make our industry stronger. What are the best ways to support our screen-based sector as it recovers from the pandemic, grows, generates great content in television and interactive digital media, and competes successfully in the global marketplace? What is the best way to support creators and companies to achieve their goals?
We really want everyone involved in the creation, production, and distribution of screen content to participate, even if you haven’t received funding from us in the past.
I invite you to read our background paper for more information. It has some questions for you to consider.
Then, sign up here for one of our virtual town hall meetings.
Or please share your thoughts with us by filling out our online questionnaire before April 16, 2021 at 7:59 p.m. PT / 10:59 p.m. ET.
In addition to the town halls, we will be speaking with industry funders, associations, unions and guilds, broadcasters, distributors, and representatives from Black and Indigenous communities. We will ensure that these meetings are inclusive of the many communities in the television and digital media industry.
Together, let’s spark courage.
I look forward to seeing or hearing from you virtually.
Thank you,
Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF
Alberta FTTC Program – Upcoming Deadline
This is a reminder that the Alberta Transitional Provision for the Film and Television Tax Credit will be concluding on March 31, 2021.
The Transitional Provision was designed to allow productions that are underway, or had already completed prior to program launch to apply to the new Film and Television Tax Credit (FTTC) program.
Beginning on April 1, 2021, productions applying to the program must not have commenced principal photography prior to application.
Please visit the Film and Television Tax Credit web page for more information.
