The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) announces its newest film lineup for the NSI Online Short Film Festival, with over 30 short films from Canadian filmmakers rolling out on the NSI website over the next few months. The festival now has over 100 Canadian short films playing in its "Now Showing" and "Archives".
The NSI Online Short Film Festival is a quality, year-round, 100% Canadian online film festival. New films are added to the NSI website weekly. All NSI website content can be accessed for free.
(Links are included for films that are already available on the site. Remaining films will be released online over the coming weeks.)
The Adventures of Ratman directed by Matt Hotson (Etobicoke, ON)
A geeky 12-year old acquires mail-order super powers but comes to realize that the life of a superhero may be too much.
Inside Out directed by Damian Kuehn (Vancouver, BC)
Maggie is terrified of leaving her apartment. Can she muster the strength to venture out and confront her fears?
Portrait of a Corpse directed by William Stewart (Halifax, NS)
A heartbeat, a breath, and another young beauty is dead! A stylized study that follows the body of a recently deceased young girl to its final resting place.
Project: Icing directed by Krista Jang (Vancouver, BC)
A notoriously unreliable sister is responsible for bringing the cake to her mother's birthday party. How hard can it be?
Car Wash directed by Brett Story (Montréal, QC)
An experimental documentary that observes the efforts of car wash workers in Los Angeles trying to unionize within a multi-million dollar industry rampant with exploitation.
Watchmaker directed by directed by Christopher Ball (Halifax, NS)
Set to the energetic and dynamic music of The Tom Fun Orchestra, this film is a colorful collage of hand-drawn, painted, scratched and exposed images.
The Hall directed by Stephen Dunn (Toronto, ON)
A dark drama-comedy about a young man whose fears of rejection manifest into a gigantic menacing owl that prevents him from finding true love.
Shuffleboard King directed by Stephen Hunt (Saskatoon, SK)
A mockumentary following a naïve reporter who investigates a man's self-proclaimed title as the king of shuffleboard.
Watering Mr. Cocoa directed by Mark Cutforth (Toronto, ON)
Seven-year old Amber is convinced that she can bring her hamster back to life by watering his grave. Now if it will only work for her father... and the body she saw her teacher burying in the woods...
Clayton & Clayton directed by Sean Dykink (Edmonton, AB)
Clayton is stuck in a notebook with little hope of escape. An animated tale of redemption.
Tying the Not directed by Michal Lavi (Calgary, AB)
A bridesmaid goes to unusual lengths to make her best friend’s wedding one to remember.
Invasion of the Buddy Snatcher – Bad Dad directed by Michael Amo and Craig Moore (Dartmouth, NS)
There’s a new dad on the block. How will the other dads react? And will ‘new dad’ be accepted?
The Grandfather Paradox directed by Jean-François DaSylva (Montréal, QC)
A physics professor besieged by a strange problem has a life-saving revelation one day in class.
Three Mothers directed by Daniel I. Schachter (Montréal, QC)
A mother persists in traveling to London for the birth of her grandchild in spite of her daughter’s wishes she stay home.
A Bright Idea: Behind the Scenes of Bright Lights Theatre directed by Kyle Bowman (Cranbrook, BC)
This inspiring documentary follows a unique black-light theatre production of Alice in Wonderland at Mount Baker Secondary School in Cranbrook BC.
Snow Angel directed by Jen Wilkinson (Toronto, ON)
A man discovers a wonderful secret about his deceased childhood friend.
Papikatuk directed by Greg Hemmings (Saint John, NB)
The effects of climate change and cultural transformation in Kangiksujuaq, Nunavik are revealed through the eyes of a young boy.
A Brief History of Life directed by Tenzin Jangchup (Montréal, QC)
A personal film that portrays the journey and cultural experiences of a Tibetan refugee who fell in love with a Canadian traveling in India.
The Masculine Mystique directed by Aaron Craven (Vancouver, BC)
Two old friends meet in the late hours at a boxing gym. Casual banter turns into an exchange of physical and emotional blows and a deeper level of friendship is discovered.
Spinning directed by Brandon Steele (Orillia, ON)
Grade 9 is a wild ride for Toby Coping. After total humiliation in his high school phys ed evaluation is life all but over?
Japan directed by Mark Hemmings (Saint John, NB)
A stunning visual essay observing facets of life in Japan.
If Key Lime Pie Could Scream directed by Amanda Fahey (Toronto, ON)
Devastated by a recent break-up, a woman starts an outrageous new diet.
Windows of the Soul directed by Sarah MacDonald (Dartmouth, NS)
A young couple goes camping for the weekend and find out more about each other than they could have imagined.
Julie’s Story directed by Mark Hemmings (Saint John, NB)
This moving documentary reveals how two lives became uniquely intertwined by cancer.
Curse of the Jade Falcon directed by Tracy D. Smith (Vancouver, BC)
This reinvention of the opening scene of The Maltese Falcon cannily slams Asian stereotypes.
The Strawberry Confession directed by Talia Pura (Stonewall, MB)
One of Arlene’s greatest joys and heartfelt obligations is her daily trip to her priest for confession. But today’s confession is not the usual yawn-inducing triviality to which he is accustomed.
Bon Voyage directed by Ryan McKenna (Montréal, QC)
An irreverent tribute to French Prairie culture set on a 19th Century steam train.
The Office Farm Series Part 1: Electric Messiah directed by Jon Pesochin & Zachary Rothman (Vancouver, BC)
Join Kevin as he embarks on an after-hours hyper-lucid examination of corporate office malaise, seen through the window of his own collapsing mental state.
There’s a Woolly Mammoth Hair in the Gate! directed by Rick Palidwor (Toronto, ON)
What other kind of hair in the gate would an Ice Age camera have?
More Than Alive directed by Drechtaber Fulmowitz (Toronto, ON)
An experimental photographic essay capturing eight months in a northern Ontario valley.
Ahousat going? Portrait of the Ahousaht directed by Steven Davies (Tofino, BC)
Following a suicide crisis in 2005, tribal leaders in the BC community of Ahousat decided to initiate a healing process rooted in tradition.
Deception directed by Noelle Holloway (Thunder Bay, ON)
Jean’s husband thinks he has caught her cheating. But she has a plan…
The Line directed by Sarah Malden (Oakville, ON)
An experimental documentary that explores controversial artworks and the reaction engendered by them.
Eat Roses directed by Ali A. Rashti (Coquitlam, BC)
A self-confessed perpetual foreigner struggling with his identity and in search of belonging finds himself spending a year in Cambodia.
30 Love directed by Allison Beda (Vancouver, BC)
The rise and demise of a long-distance relationship plays out over a game of tennis.
The Chronicler directed by Ruth DeGraves (Winnipeg, MB)
Fred Ford is the inheritor of his grandfather’s photographs documenting the Caribou Inuit in the early 1900s and their first contact with European culture.
I Tell Em directed by Tasha N. Waldron (Ottawa, ON)
A young man is racially profiled by two police officers. After an altercation, a chase ensues. Who will win?
This is the fifth official selection of films in the NSI Online Short Film Festival. New films are solicited four times a year, with films currently being accepted until October 23. Get details and a submission form here.
The NSI Online Short Film Festival has been made possible through the support of Presenting Sponsor Canwest, and A&E Television Networks which has generously funded the A&E Short Filmmakers Award. Congratulations to Kryshan Randel, from Vancouver, BC, the most recent winner of the A&E Short Filmmaker Award.
In addition to the NSI Online Short Film Festival, the NSI website also features the NSI Online Industry Centre with professional development resources including blogs, industry articles and video and audio interviews with writers, directors, producers and actors from the film, television and digital media industries.
The NSI Online Industry Centre has been made possible in part through the support of Presenting Sponsor Telefilm Canada. We also gratefully acknowledge the ongoing financial contributions of our additional Founding Site Sponsors: Rogers, Canwest, Insight Film Studios, and MANITOBA FILM & MUSIC.
Chatelin Bruno 
