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National Screen Institute

The National Screen Institute (NSI) is a training facility whereby writers, producers and directors can learn the finer points of their craft. Not stationary facility, the NSI travels with its programs to various Canadian locations so that all Canadians interested in filmmaking have access to programs geared toward the various sectors of the film industry.

Before the NSI was created, film and television professionals met in Edmonton for the first Local Heroes Film Festival in 1984. Professionals at the festival screened international independent films and brainstormed ideas for strengthening and sustaining the Canadian film industry. One strategy was to develop DramaLab, a professional development program designed for directors, producers and writers. Largely successful, DramaLab drew attention to the fact that Canada required more film and television training institutions apart from those offered in large metropolitan centres. In order to meet the demand for more training, the National Screen Institute was formed in 1986.

Many Albertans have benefited from work with the National Screen Institute. The benefit of participating in the programs offered by the NSI can be seen in the fact that many of the participants have gone on to succeed in their chosen areas. For example, Vern Thiessen, an Albertan playwright wrote the 1998 National Screen Institute ZeD Drama Prize film Samurai Swing. The experience helped to launch Thiessen's career and in 2003, he won the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, for the play, Einstein's Gift.

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