2007 KODAK NEW VISION FELLOWSHIP

Presented by Women in Film and Television - Toronto
In partnership with Kodak Canada Entertainment Imaging

2007 Kodak New Vision Fellowship Winner:
Audrey Cummings

Women in Film and Television – Toronto (WIFT-T), in partnership with Kodak Canada Entertainment Imaging, is pleased to announce Audrey Cummings as the winner of the 2007 Kodak New Vision Fellowship. Cummings will build on her creative and business skills in the coming months with acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Ruba Nadda (Sabah) and senior executive Laurie May, Co-President of Maple Pictures Corp.

For the press release, click here.

A self-confessed sci-fi buff, Quebec-born Audrey Cummings graduated from Queen's University before moving to Toronto. She has written and directed several award-winning short films including A Stolen Moment and The Battle for Arthur, which have played in festivals worldwide including Vancouver, Seattle, Korea, Austria and Montreal, and which have been sold for broadcast in the U.S. and Canada. She participated in the 2006 CFC Director's Lab Programme and her short film Burgeon and Fade will premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival before making its way to the Vancouver International Film Festival. Cummings is currently in development for her first feature film, Perfecting Chaos, a sci-fi thriller that she is hoping to shoot in the fall of 2008. Other projects in development include the feature film Cheebo, a sci-fi comedy, and HSN, a television comedy series.

MENTORS

Laurie May is Co-President of Maple Pictures Corp., the second largest distributor in Canada. Maple distributes filmed entertainment in Canada, including all Lionsgate film and TV library and new titles. Laurie received her LLB from the University of Toronto Law School, practiced corporate and entertainment law at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt, and was an adjunct professor of Entertainment and Sports Law at the University of Western. She joined Lions Gate Films Corp. as Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs in March 1997, and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, the publicly traded company. In this capacity, she oversaw legal matters for production and distribution, including for such notable films as the Academy Award winning "Monster's Ball" and "Fahrenheit 911". Her corporate responsibilities included the 2000 acquisition of Trimark Pictures and the 2003 acquisition of Artisan Entertainment and numerous financings. As Co-President of Maple, she has been involved in notable releases including the Academy Award winning "Crash" and recent art house film "Paris Je T'Aime". Upcoming Maple films include "Good Luck Chuck", "3:10 to Yuma" and "King of California". She currently sits on the board of Lions Gate, and is involved in the Women in Film and Television mentor program.


Ruba Nadda is a critically and internationally acclaimed filmmaker living in Toronto, Canada. She has written and directed 3 feature films including the recent hit and award winning film Sabah and 13 shorts (Aadan, Blue turning grey over you, Black September, I would suffer cold hands for you, Laila, Slut, Damascus nights, The wind blows towards me particularly, So far gone, Do nothing, Wet heat drifts through the afternoon, Interstate love story, lost woman story) Her films have been shown in over 500 film festivals and she has had over 30 retrospectives around the world. She is currently working on her next feature film set in Egypt and to shoot this fall called Cairo Time with producer Daniel Iron and Killer Films as executive producers.

The Kodak New Vision Fellowship is a national initiative which provides one exceptional Canadian female director with the invaluable opportunity to prepare for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival (September 2007) through intensive industry coaching by senior executive Laurie May, Co-President of Maple Pictures Corp. and a TIFF bursary, followed by a two-month creative mentorship with Ruba Nadda (Sabah).

The Kodak New Vision Fellowship winner receives the following benefits:

$5,000 in-kind donation of Kodak Motion Picture film stock
· preparation for the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival with a seasoned industry professional
· one-on-one, two-month post-TIFF mentorship with an established director
· complimentary TIFF registration and access to professional seminars and training at the Festival
· announcement of Fellowship Winner at a WIFT-T event in September 2007
· award presentation at the Crystal Awards Gala Luncheon on December 3, 2007
· guidance for post-TIFF follow-up

For further information regarding the Kodak New Vision Fellowship, please contact:

Women in Film and Television - Toronto
Tel: 416.322.3430 x222
Fax: 416.322.3703
Email: wift@wift.com
www.wift.com

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