Connexions Youth Forum

The Documentary Media Society is proud to present the third year of the Connexions Youth Forum, a special DOXA project dedicated to fostering filmmaking skills in youth as well as providing access to the DOXA Festival and Vancouver’s documentary filmmaking community.

This year we welcome eight participants from two B.C. First Nations, Shíshálh (Sechelt) and Nuxalk (Bella Coola), for an intensive workshop experience where the youth will have an opportunity to write, shoot and edit four short films. The participants will meet with seasoned filmmakers who will guide and advise them on their projects. Connexions will provide hands-on experience as well as mentorship from seasoned filmmakers in an environment that is open, intensive and supportive.

DOXA is proud to co-present the 2008 Connexions Youth Forum with the National Film Board and two of their unique programs, Our World and CITIZENShift. Our World is an initiative designed to give First Nations youth an opportunity to create digital stories in First Language (http://nfb.ca/ourworld). CITIZENShift is an interactive and cross-media social issues website that engages audiences and encourages participation and social change through media (http://citizen.nfb.ca).

Participating communities:

Nuxalk Nation
The Nuxalk Nation is an indigenous, sovereign Nation located in Bella Coola on B.C.’s central coast.

Shíshálh First Nation
The Shíshálh First Nation is an indigenous, sovereign Nation located on the Sunshine Coast of B.C.

Workshop Coordinators

Catrina Longmuir is the Associate Producer at the National Film Board of Canada (Pacific & Yukon Centre). After working on the social issues website, CitizenShift, she has continued to work on community-based projects such as "Our World". She loves working with youth and seeing their stories come to life through media.

Lisa Nielsen is an award winning short filmmaker who has been involved in the technical side of digital storytelling for the NFB since 2005. From seniors to at-risk youth, from First Nations communities to elementary school communities, artist to novice… we all have a story to tell.

Mentors

Elisa Chee graduated from the animation program at Emily Carr, since then she has worked on commercial projects as well as independent animated films. Mentoring with the NFB allows her to share her love for the craft of animation and storytelling.

Gregory Coyes has worked as an award-winning filmmaker, writer and teacher for the last twenty years. Greg has consulted and written for the Smithsonian at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and taught film and television at Capilano College and at the Native Education Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. A graduate of Yale University, Greg is a guitar player and songwriter, a little league and minor hockey coach, and the proud father of two boys, Sam and Jackson.

Lisa Jackson is an Anishinaabe documentary filmmaker living in Vancouver. She directed the stylized short SUCKERFISH, and RESERVATION SOLDIERS, a CTV documentary about the complex relationship between the Canadian military and First Nations youth. She is the story-mentor for "Our World".

Doreen Manuel is of Secwepemc and Ktunuxa ancestry an is the sixth child of Grand Chief George Manuel and spiritual leader Marceline Manuel. She in the owner of Running Wolf Productions and works as a director and producer of factual storytelling. Doreen is currently the Coordinator in the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking department at Capilano College and the Canadian Correspondent for KVOS Northwest Indian News.

Justin McGregor is an award-winning writer and filmmaker who grew up playing road hockey on the streets of Montreal, where his beloved Habs were king. For the last fifteen years, Justin has been a director and writer in both fiction and documentary film. He is currently producing the feature length documentary "Pulling Together: A Spiritual Journey" about a canoe journey made up of police officers and First Nations youths and elders. Justin's feature credits include "The Vigil," which played to critical and audience acclaim at film festivals from Vancouver to Calcutta, and was released by Vanguard International. Justin was also a director and field producer on 34 episodes of Paperny Film's documentary series "Crash Test Mommy" for the Slice Network. He teaches in the Motion Picture Production Program and the Documentary Program at Capilano University.

Partners

Our World is a National Film Board of Canada initiative designed to give First Nations youth living in remote BC/Yukon communities a chance to create short digital stories. The pieces are created in First Language, and reflect their unique worlds.

CitizenShift is the National Film Board of Canada's interactive and cross-media social issues website. Through video, photography, podcasts, and blogging, it actively engages audience and encourages participation + social change through media.

The Capilano College Documentary program is an eight-month, intensive, certificate program offered over two terms. The program covers story development from concept through the development, pre-production, funding, production, post-production and distribution stages of documentary and other types of special programming. The Documentary program is pleased to support the Connexions program for a second year at DOXA.

The Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program at Capilano College is a two year diploma program. The IIDF program uses leading edge digital technology to train Indigenous students in all phases of media production, including sound, camera, lighting, editing, writing, directing and producing. Graduates are prepared to excel in both drama and documentary production and to develop their own community-based production companies. The IIDF program is pleased to support the Connexions program this year at DOXA.

A hearty welcome to the 2008 Connexions participants!