SHERIDAN FILM & TV GRADS ACHIEVE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

For immediate release: November 7, 2002

Oakville, Ontario: Graduates of Sheridan’s post-diploma/degree program in Advanced TV & Film are making their mark on a global scale. Hot on the heels of awards picked up by two 2001 graduates at Worldfest 2002 in Houston, come Baoqi Ye and Alison Humphrey, whose student film, “Left Handed”, is being screened at AFI FEST 2002 in Los Angeles this weekend.

Now in its 16th year, the American Film Institute’s AFI FEST is the premier international film festival in Los Angeles, providing new and established filmmakers with a crucial avenue of exposure to the film community. “Left Handed”, a ten minute short dealing with the issue of youth and conformity, will share the bill with such notable works as “Ararat” (Atom Egoyan), “Talk to Her” (Pedro Almodovar) and “Antwone Fisher” (Denzel Washington).

Michel Poirier, another 2001 graduate, saw his short film, “Second Hand”, screened at the Tagawa International Short Film Matsuri in Japan this past summer, as well as at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax. Poirier won the Best Director category at The Aspirations Film Festival in Waterloo in September, and his film also toured Canada with The Toronto International Film Festival Short Film Circuit.

2002 graduates of the program have also been quick to make their mark. Yu Qian (Meg), a native of China, has been hired by Hong Kong Phoenix TV to document Chinatowns around the world. Currently filming in Toronto, Meg’s team is focussing on Chinatowns in North and South America. As a student, Meg produced and directed “The Poor Made by God”, a 48-minute documentary featuring the Roman Catholic villagers of Shan Bei in northern China.

Richie Mehta, another 2002 grad, has the distinction (together with fellow grad Kalpesh Patel) of shooting the first student film in Canada ever shot in IMAX (large format). The dramatic short film, entitled “One Night in My Dreams”, premiered in October at the Giant Screen Theater Association’s 2002 Conference in Toronto. More recently, Mehta’s short film “Anamika” won the Best Comedy Award at the Sea to Sky Film Festival in British Columbia. “Anamika” was also screened recently at the New York International Independent Film Festival, and will be shown at the Dallas South Asian Film Festival at the end of November. The film recently aired on the show “Bollywood Boulevard” on CFMT Television.

The Advanced TV & Film Program is a one-year, post-diploma/degree program developed and instructed by professionals working in the film and television industries. Students choose between full- and part-time delivery modes, and can produce their student projects in Super16 and 35mm motion picture formats or in digital video, including HDTV.

For more information, contact:
Susan Atkinson, Public & Media Relations Manager
905-845-9430, Ext. 2096 email: [email protected]