Pioneers Project Update, January 2013

PIONEERS PROJECT UPDATE JANUARY 2013

PIONEERSFORCHANGE

Our headliner: the Right Honorable Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General and arguably one of Canada’s most prominent people.

Her theme: Survival.

Survival

The Right Honorable Adrienne Clarkson View the film >

The challenge.

enough in design to be the final hurrah ... or a new beginning.

The annual event run by Skills for Change, the New Pioneers Awards, had become tired and predictable. Sponsors were backing away and

The design team approached the problem with a healthy combination of cautious optimism

audiences had dwindled to the point that most

and unbridled creativity.

of the tickets were complementary.

A feasibility study was conducted, drawing on

Obviously, not a feasible scenario for a

the experience of sponsors, sector colleagues

fundraiser with a loaded cost of about $200 per plate.

and event guests.

The 20th anniversary of the awards needed to be special. It also needed to be flexible

The consensus was “go big or go home”.

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PIONEERS PROJECT UPDATE JANUARY 2013

We went big.

The project grew out of a set of challenges, opportunities

The Awards had build a small cadre of influential recipients who called themselves Pioneers for Change.

This informal group was led by Dr. Alex Jadad, who became our champion.

… and incredible connections.

Alex suggested we take our big audacious film idea to Navin Chandaria, a very private, but super-connected business leader.

Connectedness Navin Chandaria

Navin said “Yes.” We had lift-off.

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Five short films by five contemporary filmmakers.

The films represent a collaboration between five of Canada’s most influential immigrants and each filmmaker.

Adrienne Clarkson recent book, Room for All of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation, served as an inspiration. Adrienne suggested we work with themes that reflect the immigrant experience. She sat back and recited the words: survival connectedness acceptance adaptation belonging.

Each film is an exploration of one of these words

“We will create a virtuous circle.”

Acceptance Dr. Alejandro Jadad View the film >

We asked ourselves what will Alex Jadad, the dynamo known as “the human internet”, do with Acceptance?

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PIONEERS PROJECT UPDATE JANUARY 2013

“We were born not to fit in but to stand out.”

The Silberman Family credo

Adaptation

Belonging

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View the film >

Van Kololian

Toni Silberman

The Gala.

Of course, it takes a village … the project represents the involvement of hundreds of people. One of the biggest

The launch gala was held on June 5, 2012 at TIFF Bell

challenges was sustained collaboration over an intense

Lightbox, Toronto’s premiere screening facility. 500 paid

10 month period.

guests, no chicken dinner. A full media scrum. The event was a successful fundraiser for the organization, Skills

Relationships were managed through a combination of

for Change.

one-to-one interactions with project director, Judy Csillag, and a robust social media plan. Back-end data

The honorees were not all used to the limelight but the

management and digital media liaison were mission

film projects proved to be powerful and intimate

critical.

engagements. Each honoree brought legions of supporters and spoke from the heart about their experience as immigrants.

On June 6, 2012, the biggest question was “What’s next?”

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deo, Technicolour PIONEERS PROJECT UPDATE JANUARY 2013

Since 2005, David Haym The film project team of music supers at T has its own legs but has now left to start up SUPERSONIC CREATIV film credi What’s next? whose clients include Coc DIRECTOR: SEAN Hershey’s, Buick and othe film credits | been surv Sean Frewer has workin networks like ABC, the Canadian FilmNBC, industry for film credits graduate of the Canadian Film DIRECTOR: NADIA LITZ in England and television. Director’s Lab, he has directed award-winning music videos, a DIRECTOR: “The theme of family came ple award-winning action short films over the cou film credits | ad RENUKA JEYAPALA David has had great succ out in every doc.

His short Every filmscredit Trust and Esca film director developed their the world. S at festivals around r with three Renuka Jeyapalan is a Torontostory independently, but some of the world’s in development on most two feature DIRECTOR: filmmaker and a graduate of the C the importance of family titled Exodus and Overcast.

DIRECTOR: der her belt.

Centre’s Director’s Lab. took centre stage.”

EMMANUEL SHIRINIAN including Coca-Cola, Nike MARS HORODYSKI Her short film Big Girl premiered Toronto International Film Festiva Emmanuel Shirinian is an accomplished Right To Pla Mars Horodyski is an awarded who the Short Cutsaward-wi Canada screenwriter and director, graduated with a whoAward. specializes in comedy, fami BigConcordia Girl has screene BFA; Major in FilmFilm Studies from documentary.

She isthe anworld, alumnus film festivals around in mobile comp University and is an alumnus of the Canadian Canadian Film Centre's Director BerlinLab International Festival, Film Centre (Directors 2006/07).Film He was ot Berlinale Talent Campus.

Her film Film Festival and the San to Francis one of six directors across Canada invited David was a screened at various festivals incIn participate at the National Screen Institute’s Montreal World Film Festival, the F Features First Program in 2007, and was team that cre Festival, the Whistler Film Festiv a invited to be a an Commonwealth Film Festival n part of a select a phenomenon 2 group to AS participate in LI ently Evolution,” a the esteemed F S Tribeca All F In 2010, Renuka was awarded th Real Beauty Access t Vision Mentorship Award by Wom development R and Television-Toronto and was program work in New r his time director Catherine Hardwicke (TwN York City.

Thirteen).

J new media Emmanuel is v View the online project portfolio Renuka is currently developing hF Although Skills for Change “marquee” sponsors were enthusiastic the Board of

The films have taken on lives of their own.

Survival was screened at the Vancouver

International Film Festival. Project Director, Judy Csillag is initiating discussions with Toronto’s Luminato Festival.

Filmmakers Anneli Ekborne, Mars Horodyski and Emmanuel Shirinian have formed a

Directors remains undecided about further involvement with the Pioneers for Change project.

Executive Producer, Cheryl May, remains committed to the importance of a digital

archive of immigration stories that reflect the

human spirit, and as a relevant perspective on global events, Canada and the future.

collective working to continue the groundwork of short documentaries, with the goal of a full-Born in Winnipeg of Polish/Ukrainian descent, length feature film in 3 to 5 years. Arts CouncilNadia Litz moved to Toronto at the age of 16. funding is in the works, and discussions with She is an award-winning actress who has the National Film Board are down the line. starred in over 20 films, including the Genie

Dr. Jadad is onboard to continue to championaward-winning film, The Five Senses, and After The Harvest, where she played opposite Sam the emergence of a “virtuous circle” of

Shepard. While pursuing her acting career, she “others” as nation-builders in a contemporaryalso obtained a Film Studies degree at York University, where she wrote, directed, shot and global context.

Anneli Ekborne, Film Producer edited a three-minute film called Remembering the Only Time I Tried to Stop my Heart from Failing (and Failed). She was welcomed as a student to the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2009 and later accepted as a Director-InResidence at Norman Jewison’s prestigious and competitive post-graduate school, the Canadian Film Centre. Through the program, her 2010 short film, How To Rid Your Lover Of A Negative Emotion Caused By You! premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has since screened at over a dozen international film festivals including the Cannes Court Metrage Short Film Corner 2011 and Austin’s Fantastic Fest 2011 where the film won Best Short. currently in immigrants. We want to tell the story of

The filmmakers Producer: Anneli Ekborne

Directors (clockwise from left) Survival: Nadia Litz Acceptance: Sean Fewer Belonging: Renuka Jeyapalan Connectedness: Mars Horodyski Adaptation: Emmanuel Shirinian View Behind the Scenes interviews with the directors >