The RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award
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Women’s Film Festival announces award winner!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
St. John’s, NL—The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival is pleased to announce the winner of the RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award is Allison White. The RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award is a film prize established in memory of St. John’s filmmaker Michelle Jackson, who passed away quite suddenly in 2008. Through the efforts of Michelle’s friends, the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival has brought together many industry players to make this Award significant and sufficient to create a six-minute film.
Allison White is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Film Production program. Since graduating, she has been working her way up the film ladder in the industry, including entry level positions on Republic of Doyle, Sherry White’s feature Crackie, as well as programs for Best Boy Productions, the CBC and the NFB. Her proposed short film “decoloured” is about Albert, a colour-blind man who can see colour only when he is in the presence of his new friend Amber. The film will be shot over the summer and presented at this year’s St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival.
The Award amounts to $13,500 in cash and about $27,500 in services. Industry partners that made this award possible are: RBC Foundation, CBC-St. John’s, PS Atlantic, Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Association, the law firm Stewart McKelvey, NIFCO, KODAK Canada Inc., Deluxe Toronto, script services-Gail Collins, Powerpost, and the Atlantic Film Festival. The Festival would also like to acknowledge the many people who contributed to the Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Fund, a foundation established as a means for individuals and companies to donate to the emerging filmmaker cause (full list in enclosed backgrounder).
“We’re excited to finally launch the RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award; this is a prize well worth the wait,” says Festival Chair, Noreen Golfman. “It’s the culmination of the efforts of Michelle’s friends and our industry partners. The Festival is proud to host the Award in Michelle’s memory. We congratulate Allison as the first recipient of this award and look forward to seeing the film this Fall.”