The following post has been contributed by writer, director, and producer Sean Horlor.
Imagine if you could’ve chatted with Tarantino as he was writing the script for Reservoir Dogs. Or debated Spielberg on what kind of alien he should create for ET.
CineCoup Film Accelerator — a Vancouver-based company — is giving film fans the chance to do exactly that. Over the next eleven weeks, you can watch, rate and vote for 90 Canadian filmmaking teams and help select one team to qualify for a $1M production budget to shoot their feature film.
The final team standing will also receive a guaranteed theatrical release in Canadian theaters by Cineplex in 2014. Not too shabby, considering only 3% of the total films screened in theaters across Canada every year are made by Canadian filmmakers.
Each filmmaking team also submits weekly mission videos to showcase their talent and cinematic skills, so you can check back every week for something fresh until the winning film is selected on June 12, 2012.
The CineCoup Film Accelerator is a disruptive model for indie filmmakers to develop, market and finance their feature films. Filmmaking teams apply to CineCoup with a two-minute trailer then advance through a gamified selection funnel that’s designed to package their projects and build fan support on the CineCoup social web platform.
Applications for filmmakers are now closed and we’re currently in the “Social Selection” phase until April 28, 2013. Fans on the site cast votes to set ranking for the films and can become “Super Fans“, earning more clout on CineCoup to cast votes.
As one of the 32 competing teams from Vancouver this year, I can tell you that we all want to get the city behind us and help make a local filmmaker’s dreams come true. It’s also a chance for Vancouverites to get out and support BC’s film industry.
Take a look at the trailer for my project below. The Mill and the Mountain is a thriller inspired by one of the most infamous stretches of highway in North America.
Don’t forget to support all the other incredible, Vancouver talent in this competition by visiting the ‘British Columbia’ tab on Cinecoup’s site here.
Personal trainer, reality show personality, talk show host and entrepreneur Jillian Michaels is bringing her Maximize Your Life Tour to Vancouver on April 9, 2013. From Tallahassee to Toronto, Jillian will be engaging audiences in a two-hour show to Imagine. Believe. Achieve. and provide inspiration.
When: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 7:30pm
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver
Tickets: On sale now for $39, $79, $149 (including HST, plus service charges/fees). Purchase tickets through Ticketmaster outlets, online through Live Nation, or charge by phone at 1-855-985-5000.
Promising an evening of inspiration that will forever motivate and change lives, America’s health and wellness guru Jillian Michaels is set to launch her first ever “Maximize Your Life” tour this spring. Kicking-off April 4th in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the tour touches down in 35 cities across the United States and Canada, wrapping up May 21 in Toronto.
In this intimate and uniquely personal experience, Jillian shows how to harness your potential, kick-start your goals and live an exceptional life – sharing her keys to health, success and happiness. No hype, no false promises: just results.
I have a pair of tickets to give away to this unique opportunity with Jillian Michaels in Vancouver. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, March 25, 2013.
Update The winner is Eric!
Stanley Park Ecology Society‘s 25th anniversary and Stanley Park’s 125th anniversary are cause for celebration and the SPES would like to do just that by rewarding talented local nature photographers in their new Stanley Park Photo Contest.
Photographers of all skill levels are invited to submit their top pics that feature Stanley Park’s wildlife, nature, special places, and people between April 6th and April 14th, 2013.
Patricia Thomson, SPES Executive Director, said; ‘With a focus on Vancouver’s most beloved Park, this photo contest is a great way for people of all ages and skill levels to get close to nature and learn something new and fascinating about the Park. You never know what wild wonders you might capture!
“People have documented their memories of Stanley Park since it was founded 125 years ago, and to this day the Park still captivates photographers with its picturesque vistas, towering trees and striking wildlife, exactly because of its special location and meaning to the community.”
There are three main categories for the contest (nature, places, people), which will be judged by Paul Colangelo (Vancouver-based wildlife photographer, National Geographic Explorer and member of the International League of Conservation Photographers), Ben Worcester (Juno-award winner, Said the Whale), and yours truly.
All images submitted must be captured within the contest time frame, April 6th to April 14th, so there are bound to be some great opportunities for cherry blossoms, sea wall runners, picnics, budding flowers, and more as the park comes alive for spring. The contest is open to anyone and there is a youth category for anyone up to the age of 18.
Submitted mages will be showcased on SPES website, and the winning entries will be published in the Vancouver Courier and displayed at the Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon. The top 13 images will also be featured in a special edition 2014 calendar that SPES will sell to raise funds for its conservation and education projects in Stanley Park.
Find out more about SPES online, on Twitter, and on Facebook.
Listed on Heritage Vancouver’s Top 10 List of Endangered Sites in 2012, the Main Post Office has definitely come into the spotlight over the last year. The massive building in downtown Vancouver, between Georgia and Dunsmuir, Homer and Hamilton was recently sold, moving Canada Post operations to a main processing plant in Richmond by 2014. The building has over 600,000 square feet of space, ramps, a helipad, elevators, and a 2,400-foot long underground conveyor belt that used to link the system to the trains coming into Waterfront station. Once Canada Post clears out, there’s talk of it even being a viable location for the Vancouver Art Gallery.
If you would like to join a larger discussion about this space you can join a free talk hosted by Heritage Vancouver on Wednesday, March 27, 2013.
Heritage Talks: Vancouver’s Main Post Office
The Role of the Community in Determining its Future
When: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: Arts & Culture Alliance #100-938 Howe (street level entrance)
We invite to you to provide input into future uses for Vancouver’s Main Post Office. The Canada Post building is one of the city’s last completely intact mid-century modern buildings and is made even more prominent by the fact that it occupies a full city block. The Post Office building that was owned by the people of Canada and Vancouver was sold to British Columbia Investment on January 25, 2013 to British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCIMC), one of Canada’s largest institutional investment managers.
To date there has been no opportunity for people to have a say in what uses they would like to see in the building once it is no longer used by Canada Post. Right now the future of the Post Office block is uncertain and is in the hands of the successful owner/developer and the City of Vancouver.
Heritage Vancouver is providing the community with the opportunity to express their ideas about the kind of uses they would like to see in the building. All comments will be passed along to the City of Vancouver and will be made available through community media. People who are unable to attend the conversation will have the opportunity to provide their ideas after the event.
Special guests for the Heritage Talk include Philip Boname of Urbanics Consultants, Patricia Bourque of Bourque Brueggerto Architects, and Bruno Freschi, a distinguished architect best known for his role as chief architect for Expo 86.
Admission is free but registration is required and space is limited so book your tickets today.
Rock the Vote BC is a non-partisan voter registration campaign to increase voter turnout among BC’s university and college students and they want to make sure that May 14, 2013 is on everyone’s calendar.
In 2009, only 51% of eligible voters in BC went to the polls in the general election and more than 500,000 eligible voters under 34 didn’t vote. Rock the Vote is hoping to boost those numbers through social media campaigns, activations, and encouraging students to take on their own campaigns locally to spread the word.
Here’s how students can help right away, and then pass on the message: Add yourself to the BC voters list, follow Rock the Vote on Twitter and Facebook, and check out what’s happening at your school or others for ideas. If there’s no local team in your area, you can email Rock the Vote to setup your own.
Follow Elections BC on Twitter and Facebook as well for more general election information leading up to May 14th.
Rock the Vote BC is a campaign of the Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia.
