The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation has announced an extension of its partnership with the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), which officially marks their 10th anniversary.
Since 2005, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation has been a program partner of the NSI Drama Prize and NSI Features First courses.
Last year, the Brian Linehan Actors Award was added to the quarterly prize offering in the NSI Online Short Film Festival. The $1,000 award recognizes lead actors in films programmed as part of the festival.
The Foundation’s investment also supports NSI’s other programs and website.
“What a milestone to share with the Foundation,” said John Gill, NSI CEO. “Across this last decade dozens of writers, directors and producers in NSI courses have benefited from Brian Linehan’s legacy and are becoming media stars in Canada.”
In the first year of the partnership, Jeffrey St. Jules was developing Bang Bang Baby through NSI Features First. That film won the City of Toronto award for best Canadian first feature film at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Panavision Spirit Award for independent cinema at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and Jeffrey received the prestigious Claude Jutra Award at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards.
“Our connection with NSI has evolved each year to recognize the talent of amazing Canadian screen artists, including with the Foundation’s website, and the Brian Linehan Actors Award as part of the NSI Online Short Film Festival,” said Michael Levine, Foundation Director. “The Foundation has two goals: keep the legacy of entertainment journalist Brian Linehan alive and continue his quest for a star system in Canada.”
About Brian Linehan
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Brian’s lengthy interviews with such Hollywood icons as Barbra Streisand and Paul Newman made him even more celebrated when CityLights was syndicated around the world. After the series was cancelled in 1989 he hosted several award shows and network specials before returning to the small screen in 1996 with a self-titled interview show.
Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2002, he donated his personal files including 30 years’ worth of research material, correspondence, photographs and recordings to the Toronto International Film Festival Group’s reference library. Sadly, Brian passed away in 2004.
About The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation
The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation was established from the proceeds of the estate of the late Brian Linehan, one of Canada’s great journalists and on-air interviewers.
Brian left his entire estate for the purpose of creating a star system in Canada including training, providing work opportunities and promoting young Canadians of exceptional talent.
To date, its range of activities have included support for various programs at the National Screen Institute, scholarships at Humber College, support of the Soulpepper Academy, the Company Theatre, the Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG), the Canadian Film Centre, CanStage, Company Theatre, Republic of Doyle, Sheridan College and Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
In 2012, a partnership between The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, NSI and TIFF (home of the Toronto International Film Festival) launched brianlinehan.ca, a place to rediscover some of the most popular and influential of Brian’s interviews, plus information about the Foundation.
About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Renowned for having given many emerging filmmakers, television writers and producers their first breaks, the National Screen Institute provides training and production support through courses like NSI Totally Television, NSI Drama Prize, NSI New Voices, NSI Features First, NSI Lifestyle & Reality Series Producer, Movie Central Script to Screen, Shaw Media Diverse TV Director and NSI Aboriginal Documentary.
NSI also offers exposure through the NSI Online Short Film Festival and provides vast resources and support to those in the film, television, and digital media industry at nsi-canada.ca.
All media enquiries
Laura Friesen, Communications Coordinator
Tel: 204.957.2999 or email laura.friesen@nsi-canada.ca