NFB & Hot Docs to Present Digital Filmmaking Award

TORONTO: The National Film Board of Canada and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival have teamed up for the NFB Digital Development Deal, which is aimed at bolstering interactive and innovative film projects for new platforms.

Pitches that are pre-selected by Hot Docs for its Toronto Documentary Forum and Rendezvous industry activities that have cross-media strategies will be considered for the NFB Digital Development Deal. One selected entry will be offered a $15,000 development deal with the NFB. The winner will be announced May 6 during the closing remarks at the Toronto Documentary Forum.

“As the nation’s public producer of artistic and socially relevant audiovisual content, the NFB is eager to explore new ways to create and connect with Canadians in the age of the Internet,” said Rob McLaughlin, the NFB’s director of digital content and strategy. “We’re excited to be working with creators who are exploring the documentary form, and we are looking for projects that will demonstrate what’s possible with story and expression through the creative application of today’s new technologies.”

“In the shifting culture of documentary filmmaking, creative content producers are finding groundbreaking ways to incorporate cross-platform devices into the storytelling process,” added the Toronto Documentary Forum’s director, Elizabeth Radshaw. “Hot Docs and the Toronto Documentary Forum are extremely delighted to have the work of our delegates and pitch teams eligible for this incredible digital development deal via the National Film Board of Canada.”