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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