Canadian Filmmakers Confirmed for Feature Doc Program

TORONTO, November 6:
Filmmakers Yung Chang, Sarah Polley, Shelley Saywell and John Walker are set to
participate in the inaugural CFC/NFB Feature Documentary Program, which will
launch in January 2009.

The six-month program was
created by the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and the National Film Board (NFB)
with the goal of developing original feature-length documentaries for
international audiences. The immersive experience is specially tailored to the
needs of the participants, who will collaborate with industry experts.
Participants' projects will be considered for production at the conclusion of
the Feature Documentary Program.

Chang's project, The Fruit Hunters, explores nature,
obsession, commerce and adventure in the fruit underworld. Polley is developing
The Stories We Tell, a documentary
that explores the nature of memory and storytelling, while Saywell's Ghost Dance looks to find the meaning of
an ancient aboriginal prophecy about restoring the ecological balance of the Earth.
Walker is working on Seven Wonders,
about seven of the world's master drummers and teachers who gather on a nature
reserve in Canada to pass on their secrets to students from around the world.

"I can't tell you how
exciting it is to have four of the greatest filmmakers in the country involved
in our program," said Slawko Klymkiw, CFC's executive director. "It
has been the dream of the CFC to engage in the area of documentary production
and with the compelling themes and the remarkable talent working on these
feature projects, we look forward to the day when Canadians will see them in
theaters."

"At the NFB we push
boundaries and act as a kind of creative laboratory for filmmakers and the
industry," added Tom Perlmutter, NFB's government film commissioner and
chairperson. "This initiative is a wonderful expression of that. It is the
first time that Canada will have a program specifically dedicated to advancing
the art of the cinematic feature documentary. The four filmmakers selected
bring an extraordinary range of experience and creative vision—from
cinema verité work to drama, from intimate, personal storytelling to
large-scale international subjects. Now we are offering these established
artists the creative space to take their work to the next level. We couldn't do
it with a better partner than the Canadian Film Centre. This follows on our
highly successful collaboration creating North America's first interactive
feature film, Late Fragment, which was launched last year at the Toronto
International Film Festival (TIFF). I fully expect we will be seeing some of
these doc projects at TIFF and other major festivals in the future."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski