Throughout the summer, the camera, a Canon XL-1, will be available on loan to teams of students who have a documentary project they would like to film and who plan to enroll in the “No Boundaries” workshops offered by DocFest Stratford. The student films will be eligible for selection at DocFest.
“Our underlying mission is to inspire the next generation of content creators and give them the skills and experience they need to succeed in the creative economy,” says Craig Thompson, Executive Producer of Ballinran Productions and DocFest Stratford. “Stratford is becoming the digital media hub of Ontario and even Canada and young people must seize the opportunities that are now available to them.”
In addition to the camera equipment, students will be able to tap into the expertise of international documentary filmmaker Mick Grogan who recently moved to Stratford after a career of more than 20 years making films around the world for broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, CBC and Discovery.
“This donation is simply a first step,” says Grogan. “We’d like to challenge the community to help raise funds and support to purchase the kind of equipment that students and schools from across our region can share.”
DocFest Stratford takes place from Thursday, October 22 to Sunday October 25, 2009.
For more information about DocFest Stratford and the “No Boundaries” digital media workshops, please contact:
Craig Thompson, Executive Producer
Craig.thompson@ballinran.com
416-804-4425
For more information about the new Specialist High Skills Major Program in Digital Media at Stratford Central, please contact:
Allan Booker, Specialist High Skills Major Program
Stratford Central Secondary School
allabook@fc.amdsb.ca
519-271-4500
For information on the "No Boundaries" student workshops contact:
Ted Boniface
noboundaries@wightman.ca
519-305-2100
