Astral Media, Hot Docs Partner for Scholarship Program

TORONTO, January 17: Astral Media has provided C$150,000 to
launch a new scholarship program with the Hot Docs Canadian International
Documentary Festival.

The Astral Media Emerging
Documentary Filmmakers Scholarship Programme will allow 25 up-and-coming
filmmakers from Quebec and British Columbia to participate in an array of
professional and creative development opportunities at this year’s Hot Docs
Festival and Conference, taking place from April 17 to 27. Astral has made a
three-year commitment to the program.

Three components make up the program: The Doc U Scholarship
program, the Kickstart Series Bursary program and the Toronto Documentary Forum
(TDF) Scholarship program.

Astral Media's Doc U Scholarship provides five emerging
filmmakers from Quebec and British Columbia with enrollment in the week-long
Doc U program. Doc U, which is in its third year, provides aspiring
documentary-makers in film school with behind-the-scenes festival experience
through mentorship with industry professionals. Students from outside of
Ontario will be able to participate, and will receive a C$1,000 travel stipend
as well as full industry accreditation to Hot Docs festival, conference and
market events.

The Kickstart Series Bursaries program will provide 15 to 20
emerging filmmakers from Quebec and British Columbia with enrollment to the
Kickstart program, a day-long series of panels held during the Hot Docs
conference that are geared to emerging and mid-career directors. Recipients
with also receive full industry accreditation to Hot Docs festival, conference
and market events.

The Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF) Scholarship will provide
full TDF Observer accreditation to two emerging filmmakers, one from British
Columbia and one from Quebec. The TDF is a presentation forum that assists
independent documentary producers from around the world and their market
partners to raise co-financing from the international marketplace. For buyers,
the format offers a slate of pre-selected projects in development and
production.

Hot Docs and Astral Media will organize a jury of film and
television professionals to individually evaluate each submission package and
to select the 25 recipients.

"Astral Media's commitment to supporting emerging
filmmakers from British Columbia and Quebec should be applauded," said
Chris McDonald, Hot Docs' executive director. "We are looking forward to
collaborating with Astral Media to shape this exciting new initiative."

John Riley, the president of Astral Media Television
Networks, commented: "The support of emerging filmmakers is a commitment
of Astral Media that dates back to the founding of the company and the
establishment of such initiatives as The Astral Media Harold Greenberg Fund/Le
Fond Harold Greenberg. We are pleased to now extend this support to include
documentary filmmakers. Documentary programming has pride of place on many of
our specialty and pay networks and we are pleased to be part of an initiative
that will provide Canadian documentarians with unique opportunities to develop,
learn and succeed in their chosen genre."

−By Ned Berke