Five Weeks and Five Minutes to Discover Canada's Next Documentary Filmmaker

Five Weeks and Five Minutes to Discover Canada's Next Documentary Filmmaker

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Are you passionate about sharing your
documentary and having it broadcast on television? With just five weeks
to go, TVO is calling upon Ontario's new generation of documentary
filmmakers to exhibit their creative skills with the introduction of
the inaugural Doc Studio Contest.

TVO is challenging aspiring and accomplished filmmakers, artistic
visionaries and amateur film buffs across Ontario to think about all
that can happen in five minutes, and then to capture it on film.
Inspired by filmmaker-in-residence Alan Zweig (Vinyl, I Curmudgeon, Lovable, A Hard Name), TVO's Doc Studio Contest dares participants to reveal "Life in 5" - a
memorable moment, a shift in perception, a secret no one else could
uncover - through an interview-based, five-minute film.

"Asking filmmakers to submit a documentary under five minutes in length
forces them to hone in on the true essence of a story," says TVO's
supervising producer, Jane Jankovic. "The Doc Studio Contest is all
about capturing what moves us and illuminates our lives and our world.
There are thousands of untold stories out there. I can't wait to see
what we get."

The winning film will air on TVO in the spring of 2012 and its filmmaker
will receive a mentoring session with Alan Zweig as well as an industry
pass to the 2012 International Hot Docs Festival.

"Hot Docs is delighted to support TVO's Doc Studio Contest," says Hot
Docs' executive director, Chris McDonald. "Years before the Hot Docs
Festival or the new Bloor-Hot Docs Cinema, TVO was one of the only
places to see creative documentaries in this province. TVO has helped
to nurture the public appetite for these docs, and we are very glad
they did!"

Universities and colleges across Ontario are teaming up with TVO to show
their support. Brock University, Humber College, Ryerson University,
the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, the
University of Ottawa, and many more are joining in to help foster
talent from new filmmakers.

A panel of judges, including Zweig, will evaluate eligible entries and
select the top five films. TVO will showcase the five finalists on
docstudio.tvo.org from March 5 to 11, 2012 and TVO's online audience
will vote on the winner. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on
March 12, 2012.

Entries can be submitted via YouTube or by mail with a completed entry
form, a brief description of the film and a short biography. The
contest closes Monday, February 27, 2012.  For complete entry details,
visit the Doc Studio Contestpage. Stay up-to-date by following Doc Studio on Twitter @tvodocstudio
and liking us on our new Facebook page.

A leader in Canadian point-of-view documentaries, TVO devotes more than
50% of its primetime schedule to documentaries. That is 1,430 hours of
documentaries per year, including commissions and acquisitions.

TVO commissions between 8-10 new point-of-view documentary films every
year, more than any other Canadian broadcaster, focusing on
point-of-view films that resonate with Canadians and spark interesting
discussions and debate. TVO created docstudio.tvo.org to provide a platform for Canadian documentary filmmaking talent,
in-development projects, exclusive filmmaker interviews and online
mentoring.

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted
source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and
stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to
be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded
primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity
supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information,
visit tvo.org

Where to Find TVO

On air: Cable Websites: Online: Yahoo! Connect:
channel 2 (may tvo.org YouTube Facebook
vary in some tvokids.com Rogers-On-Demand- Twitter
areas) Bell TV tvoparents.com Online iTunes
channel 265 Bell ilc.org BlackBerry App
Fibe TV TVO HD World(TM)
channel 1265
Rogers TVO HD
channel 580
Rogers-On-Demand
channel 100 Shaw
Direct channel
353

 

SOURCE TVO

Image with caption: "Doc Studio Logo (CNW Group/TVO)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120126_C7065_PHOTO_EN_9277.jpg

Image with caption: "Doc Studio Lights (CNW Group/TVO)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120126_C7065_PHOTO_EN_9278.jpg

Video with caption: "Video: Doc Studio Contest - Alan Zweig's Criteria". Video available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiTXwBhMSWE

TVO

CONTACT: Media contact: Marco Ouji
TVO Communications
416.484.2600 x 2305
mouji@tvo.org

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