Class of 2011
Aaron Davidson
Bio
As a child Aaron had a passion for the arts, focusing most of his secondary school education on drama, music, and communication technology. A graduate of Algonquin College in General Arts and Sciences – Media and Communication, he is striving to become a filmmaker through Algonquin's Documentary Production program. He has completed a series of short films during his first two years in college, receiving two technical awards at the school's annual Film Night. One of Aaron's missions is to explore the human mind through film. He currently resides in his hometown of Ottawa.
Synopsis - Mind Ecology
Clinton Ignatov is a young man of anxiety and passion for knowledge. The journey through his mind will converge into a new realm of perspective. When you change, the world changes with you.
As a child Aaron had a passion for the arts, focusing most of his secondary school education on drama, music, and communication technology. A graduate of Algonquin College in General Arts and Sciences – Media and Communication, he is striving to become a filmmaker through Algonquin's Documentary Production program. He has completed a series of short films during his first two years in college, receiving two technical awards at the school's annual Film Night. One of Aaron's missions is to explore the human mind through film. He currently resides in his hometown of Ottawa.
Synopsis - Mind Ecology
Clinton Ignatov is a young man of anxiety and passion for knowledge. The journey through his mind will converge into a new realm of perspective. When you change, the world changes with you.
Nicole Godwin
Bio
Originally from Ottawa, Nicole has lived an itinerant life across Canada and Texas because of her military father. Nicole, 23, has had a steady career as a lifeguard since 2004. Nature and film are Nicole's passions. Since her maths skills are questionable, biology was out of the question. ... Film it is! Her ultimate career dream is to make films about nature. She enjoys walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners.
Synopsis
An introduction to the Ottawa Valley Lifesaving Club of Nepean and the little known sport of competitive lifesaving! Lifeguards train to compete in first aid tournaments — across the province and around the globe — to prove they're the best at what they do.
Originally from Ottawa, Nicole has lived an itinerant life across Canada and Texas because of her military father. Nicole, 23, has had a steady career as a lifeguard since 2004. Nature and film are Nicole's passions. Since her maths skills are questionable, biology was out of the question. ... Film it is! Her ultimate career dream is to make films about nature. She enjoys walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners.
Synopsis
An introduction to the Ottawa Valley Lifesaving Club of Nepean and the little known sport of competitive lifesaving! Lifeguards train to compete in first aid tournaments — across the province and around the globe — to prove they're the best at what they do.
Josh Holmes
Bio
Josh Holmes is a young aspiring filmmaker. He previously attended Algonquin College in the Interactive Multimedia Program, which covered many forms of media production, including video editing, animation, and graphic design. He enjoys filming wildlife and hopes to one day get paid for it.
Synopsis - Forged
This is a profile piece about Brian Connolly, a blacksmith specializing in hand-crafted knives. Brian started out as a chef where he learned what makes a good knife. Over the years Brian transitioned from a master chef to a master craftsman. This documentary gives a rare inside look at one of the oldest trades in the world.
Josh Holmes is a young aspiring filmmaker. He previously attended Algonquin College in the Interactive Multimedia Program, which covered many forms of media production, including video editing, animation, and graphic design. He enjoys filming wildlife and hopes to one day get paid for it.
Synopsis - Forged
This is a profile piece about Brian Connolly, a blacksmith specializing in hand-crafted knives. Brian started out as a chef where he learned what makes a good knife. Over the years Brian transitioned from a master chef to a master craftsman. This documentary gives a rare inside look at one of the oldest trades in the world.
Graham Lawford
Bio
Graham Lawford is an emerging Ottawa area filmmaker with a background in scriptwriting.
Graham's work has been performed on stage at the National Arts Centre and read by production companies across Canada. Recently he has been trying his hand at nonscripted storytelling.
Karen Bailey: A Portrait is his first documentary.
Synopsis - Karen Bailey: A Portrait
Military artist Karen Bailey spent time in Afghanistan at the Role-3 hospital in Kandahar.
Upon return, she spent two years creating her Triage series, which includes 20 paintings
and a 48-page book that chronicle her experience. This documentary tells the story of her creative process during her work on the series, and where she plans to go next.
Graham Lawford is an emerging Ottawa area filmmaker with a background in scriptwriting.
Graham's work has been performed on stage at the National Arts Centre and read by production companies across Canada. Recently he has been trying his hand at nonscripted storytelling.
Karen Bailey: A Portrait is his first documentary.
Synopsis - Karen Bailey: A Portrait
Military artist Karen Bailey spent time in Afghanistan at the Role-3 hospital in Kandahar.
Upon return, she spent two years creating her Triage series, which includes 20 paintings
and a 48-page book that chronicle her experience. This documentary tells the story of her creative process during her work on the series, and where she plans to go next.
Camille Maheu
Bio
Born in Ottawa, always lived in Gatineau. 22 years old. Watched too much TV. Took a 2 year cinema program, loved it. Travelled back and forth and worked for 3 years. Now, back in school with great expectations. Would like to make movies one day, for real.
Synopsis - Charitable Rebels
By giving out free soup in a McDonald's parking lot, Jean-Pierre Maheu and Catherine Giguère are not just fighting against the fast-food industry, but also against the loneliness often present in people's lives. They want to provide an opportunity for the community to gather around a hot bowl of soup, talk about their day, and get to know each other. Un Peu Tarte (Pie in the Sky) is a growing food solidarity movement. Meet them and understand their cause in this short documentary.
Born in Ottawa, always lived in Gatineau. 22 years old. Watched too much TV. Took a 2 year cinema program, loved it. Travelled back and forth and worked for 3 years. Now, back in school with great expectations. Would like to make movies one day, for real.
Synopsis - Charitable Rebels
By giving out free soup in a McDonald's parking lot, Jean-Pierre Maheu and Catherine Giguère are not just fighting against the fast-food industry, but also against the loneliness often present in people's lives. They want to provide an opportunity for the community to gather around a hot bowl of soup, talk about their day, and get to know each other. Un Peu Tarte (Pie in the Sky) is a growing food solidarity movement. Meet them and understand their cause in this short documentary.
Rae Maitland
I began to fall in love with people, as a
whole, when I was a kid. I was an actress right off the bat and
could not have imagined anything more enjoyable than getting up on stage
dressed as someone else and pretending to be them. It seemed, at the time, to
be the best way to understand the experience of another. In
recent years, however, I have become increasingly intrigued by the other
extreme: straight up documented reality. No stage, no lights, no script. In documentary we must be raw, we must be bold, and we must
continue to seek out the truth. And perhaps, through the love of people and the
thirst for truth we will one day find freedom.
Synopsis - Chocolate Shaman
San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala is internationally known for drawing to it the most esoteric, the most spiritual and eccentric characters out there. On my journeys to this place I found a man who claimed to help people improve their lives, open their hearts and break their karmic patterns, with nothing other than pure, unaltered chocolate. In this film I am exploring my own personal doubts, discoveries and realizations as well as that of two fellow travellers: Skye, my younger sister and Brenda, my newest friend.
Synopsis - Chocolate Shaman
San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala is internationally known for drawing to it the most esoteric, the most spiritual and eccentric characters out there. On my journeys to this place I found a man who claimed to help people improve their lives, open their hearts and break their karmic patterns, with nothing other than pure, unaltered chocolate. In this film I am exploring my own personal doubts, discoveries and realizations as well as that of two fellow travellers: Skye, my younger sister and Brenda, my newest friend.
Efe Mike-Ifeta
Bio
With flight originating from Lagos, Nigeria, transiting in France, and another finally landing in Toronto more than 20 hours later, this young and aspiring filmmaker is a long way from home, yet poised to chase his dream despite distance and drastic environmental change. Born in Nigeria some 25 years ago, Efe Mike-Ifeta is a trained theatre artist with a burning passion to become a filmmaker. That passion led him to Algonquin College. He is working on his first semester short, a mini documentary on Henry Eruotor, a recent graduate of the Documentary Production program. Like Efe, Henry is a theatre artist with a passion for filmmaking.
Synopsis - Henry Eruotor: In Person
A recent graduate from the Documentary Production program at Algonquin College, Henry Eruotor is seeking a way to consolidate his knowledge and skill in the art of filmmaking and storytelling. Taking us on a journey of his background and reason for becoming a storyteller, he takes little steps to equip himself with some of the needed tools of the profession.
With flight originating from Lagos, Nigeria, transiting in France, and another finally landing in Toronto more than 20 hours later, this young and aspiring filmmaker is a long way from home, yet poised to chase his dream despite distance and drastic environmental change. Born in Nigeria some 25 years ago, Efe Mike-Ifeta is a trained theatre artist with a burning passion to become a filmmaker. That passion led him to Algonquin College. He is working on his first semester short, a mini documentary on Henry Eruotor, a recent graduate of the Documentary Production program. Like Efe, Henry is a theatre artist with a passion for filmmaking.
Synopsis - Henry Eruotor: In Person
A recent graduate from the Documentary Production program at Algonquin College, Henry Eruotor is seeking a way to consolidate his knowledge and skill in the art of filmmaking and storytelling. Taking us on a journey of his background and reason for becoming a storyteller, he takes little steps to equip himself with some of the needed tools of the profession.
Alaukik Naik
Bio
After attaining my B.Sc I wanted to follow my dream of capturing defining images with artistry. I am Alaukik Naika, a passionate learner of the craft of documentary filmmaking. I look forward to a career in this field.
http://alaukiknaik.blogspot.com/
Synopsis
My first short film is on the celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday this past year in Toronto. I explore how Ghandi's thought offers guidance for all of today's people.
After attaining my B.Sc I wanted to follow my dream of capturing defining images with artistry. I am Alaukik Naika, a passionate learner of the craft of documentary filmmaking. I look forward to a career in this field.
http://alaukiknaik.blogspot.com/
Synopsis
My first short film is on the celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday this past year in Toronto. I explore how Ghandi's thought offers guidance for all of today's people.
Marta Perez
Bio
In addition to my immense curiosity for other cultures and passion for art, one of my hobbies is archaeology. I’ve been on digs with the COTSEN Institute, UCLA, and my next project is to continue video graphing the excavations of pre-columbine society on the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, in Panama. My objective is to contribute to a much-needed archaeological awareness in my homeland.
Synopsis - The Thursday Girls
I am developing a short documentary, entitled The Thursday Girls. Set at the H’Art of Ottawa, a non-for-profit studio that encourages the artistic expression of the developmentally challenged members of our community, The Thursday Girls reveals the relationship between three women bound by their artistic ability, friendship and membership in H’Art.
In addition to my immense curiosity for other cultures and passion for art, one of my hobbies is archaeology. I’ve been on digs with the COTSEN Institute, UCLA, and my next project is to continue video graphing the excavations of pre-columbine society on the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, in Panama. My objective is to contribute to a much-needed archaeological awareness in my homeland.
Synopsis - The Thursday Girls
I am developing a short documentary, entitled The Thursday Girls. Set at the H’Art of Ottawa, a non-for-profit studio that encourages the artistic expression of the developmentally challenged members of our community, The Thursday Girls reveals the relationship between three women bound by their artistic ability, friendship and membership in H’Art.
Christopher Plecash
Bio
Chris grew up in small town Northern Ontario before going on to study big ideas in the Philosophy Department of the University of Western Ontario. His first day of class was overshadowed by 9/11, an event that transformed the focus of his studies and sparked his interest in wide-ranging social issues. Upon graduating from UWO in 2005, he spent more than two years teaching ESL in South Korea and traveling throughout East Asia. He is now engaging his fascination with reality's strangeness through documentary filmmaking. In the future he hopes to make films about prison reform, rockabilly, Asian baseball, and embryonic genetic screening, to name a few.
Synopsis - InappRowepriate
Chris is currently in the post-production stage of a short profile of long-time friend Dean 'InappRowepriate' Rowe. After hitting a low point in the final days of his higher education, Dean pulled himself out of darkness through poetry before eventually turning to rap. He is now on the verge of completing his first album, Hazardous to Your Wealth, and Chris is along for the ride as this white boy from Belleville tries to pull off a B'n'E on the Canadian music industry.
Chris grew up in small town Northern Ontario before going on to study big ideas in the Philosophy Department of the University of Western Ontario. His first day of class was overshadowed by 9/11, an event that transformed the focus of his studies and sparked his interest in wide-ranging social issues. Upon graduating from UWO in 2005, he spent more than two years teaching ESL in South Korea and traveling throughout East Asia. He is now engaging his fascination with reality's strangeness through documentary filmmaking. In the future he hopes to make films about prison reform, rockabilly, Asian baseball, and embryonic genetic screening, to name a few.
Synopsis - InappRowepriate
Chris is currently in the post-production stage of a short profile of long-time friend Dean 'InappRowepriate' Rowe. After hitting a low point in the final days of his higher education, Dean pulled himself out of darkness through poetry before eventually turning to rap. He is now on the verge of completing his first album, Hazardous to Your Wealth, and Chris is along for the ride as this white boy from Belleville tries to pull off a B'n'E on the Canadian music industry.
