STEPHENVILLE, NL – College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Digital Filmmaking program is about to make the impossible possible.
Friday, June 22 at 8 p.m. will mark the premiere of the program’s seventh annual intercession film entitled,
The Impossible Dream, at the Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre.
The film was made to honour the 40th anniversary of the Stephenville Theatre Festival (STF) and its founder, Maxim Mazumdar.
The Impossible Dream is written and directed by John McKinnon, and produced by first- and second-year Digital Filmmaking students. The story, set in the mid-1980s, follows Mazumdar (portrayed by Santiago Guzmán) and well-known local businesswoman Cheryl Stagg (played by Sarah Connors) on their journey to produce a “very ambitious season at their humble little theatre festival.” In the production, the two are faced with many obstacles, but like true visionaries, they never lose sight of their goals.
Every year during the intercession at CNA, the Digital Filmmaking program produces a story about various aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador history. In this case, the class decided their project would coincide with the town’s celebration of the STF’s 40th anniversary.
Peter Buckle, the film’s producer and Digital Filmmaking instructor at Bay St. George campus in Stephenville, said, “We have been wanting to produce a film about Maxim for years, and with this year being the festival’s 40th anniversary, we thought it would be a nice tribute to the festival and all its accomplishments. Art in any community is important, in my opinion. It’s what makes a community worth living in, and I think this film celebrates not only the theatre festival, but all artists.”
Brenda Tobin, CNA’s Dean of Academics, Applied Arts and Tourism, said this project is yet another example of the quality of work the students are doing in order to prepare themselves for careers in the industry.
“We have a strong relationship with the ever-growing film industry in this province,” she said. “We are pleased that our program, through these high-quality projects, ensures that students gain the real-life work experiences by working side by side with professionals in the industry, as well as practical skills, such as set etiquette, work ethic and enhanced storytelling abilities. These higher-level qualities will make our graduates employment ready to begin promising careers in this dynamic field.”
Along with the short narrative film, the evening at the Arts and Culture Centre will also feature the screening of a documentary about the STF; a behind-the-scenes look at the making of
The Impossible Dream; and, live performances celebrating the longest running professional theatre festival in the province.
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NOTE: An Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is available upon request, which includes behind-the-scenes stills, video clips (B-Roll), audio clips, interviews and the movie trailer. Please contact those listed below for access.
Media contacts:
Peter Buckle
Producer/Instructor
College of the North Atlantic
Digital Filmmaking program
709-639-4576
peter.buckle@cna.nl.ca
Keith Bonnell
Producer/Instructor
College of the North Atlantic
Digital Filmmaking
709-643-7949
keith.bonnell@cna.nl.ca
Amanda Fitzgerald
Promos
Digital Filmmaking program
709-697-9635
amandafitzz28@hotmail.com
Eric White
Promos
eric.white@persona.ca