TORONTO, August 21, 2018 – The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) today announced the nominees for the 2018 Indiescreen Awards. The association, which represents the country’s independent producers, also announced that its Emerging Producer Award will be renamed the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award in honour of the renowned Canadian film producer who passed away this spring.

“This year’s Indiescreen Awards nominees have each made important contributions to the rich fabric of our national cinematic tapestry,” said CMPA President and CEO Reynolds Mastin. “Throughout his career Kevin Tierney believed that film could elevate Canadians’ understanding of one another; I believe he would be extremely proud of the achievement of this year’s nominees, especially those early in their film producing careers.”

In 2009, Kevin Tierney was the recipient of a CMPA Indiescreen Award. He went on to use his $10,000 prize to establish the Pat and Bill Tierney Communication Studies Graduate Diploma Scholarship fund at Concordia University, his alma mater.

“My father was a champion of untold stories and felt that this work, and the people doing it, mattered,” noted Kevin’s daughter, Brigid Tierney. Added his son Jacob, “He has truly left a lasting legacy for this country, and we are honoured that the CMPA has dedicated this award in his name.” Both Brigid and Jacob work in the Canadian production sector.

The 2018 Indiescreen Awards nominees

Established Producer Award

• Stacey Aglok-MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Miranda de Pencier, Damon D’Oliveira and Zanne Devine, Northwood Entertainment (The Grizzlies)
• Sylvain Corbeil, Metafilms (The Great Darkened Days)
• Pierre Even, Item 7 (The Hummingbird Project)
• Christina Piovesan, First Generation Films (Mouthpiece)
• Simone Urdl and Jennifer Weiss, The Film Farm (Falls Around Her)

Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award

• Renée Beaulieu, Les Productions du Moment (Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin)
• Caitlin Grabham, Prowler Film (Firecrackers)
• Tina Keeper, Kistikan Pictures (Through Black Spruce)
• Zach Lipovsky, Amazing Incorporated (Freaks)
• Tracy Major, Carkner Films (Kingsway)

This year’s winners will be announced at the CMPA Indiescreen Awards Reception in Toronto on September 6. The event marks the opening of the TIFF Industry Conference at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Awards

Established in 2005, the CMPA Indiescreen Awards recognize producers whose vision and entrepreneurship demonstrate a commitment and passion for producing Canadian feature films. To be eligible for nomination, producers must have a film selected for screening at TIFF that year.

Nominees in the Established Producer category are selected based upon their body of work developed over the course of their careers. Nominees for the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award are chosen for demonstrating impressive potential early in their feature film production careers.

The winner of the Established Producer Award will receive $10,000 and the winner of the newly dedicated Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award will receive $5,000.

– 30 –

ABOUT THE CMPA
The Canadian Media Producers Association is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels. We work to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and to ensure a bright future for the diverse content made by our members for both domestic and international audiences. cmpa.ca

For more information:

Kyle O’Byrne
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
kyle.obyrne@cmpa.ca