NFB’s Hothouse 10: Call For Entries
Skwigly
2014 mark the 10-year anniversary of Hothouse, the National Film Board of Canada’s paid apprenticeship scheme for new Canadian animation talent.
The program, which is open to residents of Canada of all ages (though relatively new to the animation industry), will run from September 8th to November 28th of this year, where the six successful applicants will be given the opportunity to work directly with the NFB at their Montreal Animation Studio in the creation of a professional short film under the mentorship of Ryan/Subconscious Password director Chris Landreth. In partnership with Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE), this year will also open the scheme up by adding two additional places for emerging Mexican filmmakers. Previous Hothouse participants include Dimanche director Patrick Doyon and Flutter director Howie Shia.
2014 is a spectacular anniversary year for the NFB in so many ways, one of which is the 10th-anniversary edition of our flagship emerging filmmaker program, Hothouse. By the end of Hothouse 10 in December, a total of 60 talented young filmmakers from across Canada will have survived the 12-week apprenticeship, most going on to make more films, both independently and sometimes with the NFB. And this year we’re welcoming two young Mexican filmmakers to join our six Canadians, courtesy of a new partnership with IMCINE. International insights and perspectives have long been part of the NFB’s creative vision, and it’ll be exciting—and even more intense—to collaborate with our Mexican partners in helping develop their own auteur animation community.
– Michael Fukushima, Executive Producer (English Animation Studio), NFB
As with prior editions, submissions are based on each applicants interpretation of a proposed theme:
This year’s Hothouse theme, “Overheard,” has a unique twist as well, with artists asked to visually reinterpret unscripted found sound―cherry-picked from various treasure chests, including the NFB’s own archives―in unexpected, innovative ways, with the aim of celebrating animation as a unique form of expression, subversion and satire.
Submissions are open from now until 5pm (Montreal time) Monday, July 7, 2014. For more information and to watch previous films you can visit the Hothouse website. Keep your eyes on Skwigly for our coverage of last year’s Hothouse 9 later this Summer.