National Film Board of Canada and Institut du Nouveau Monde announce partnership for innovative CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne Web platforms
MONTREAL, June 2, 2009 - The National Film Board of Canada (NFB), represented by French Program director Monique Simard and English Program director Cindy Witten, and Michel Venne, executive director of the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM), have announced a partnership agreement concerning the CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne Web sites (citizen.nfb.ca and citoyen.onf.ca). As of September 1, 2009, the INM will bear prime responsibility for both of these public Web platforms, launched and brought to maturity by the NFB between 2003 and 2009. The NFB will remain a high-profile partner, as it will continue to co-produce audiovisual content for CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne until the end of March 2011. As platforms for expression and information, these participatory Web sites promote dialogue and debate on today's social issues. They target engaged citizens, independent filmmakers, creators and a wide variety of social movements. As a creative laboratory, the NFB has a long-standing history of innovative projects. The CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne Web platforms are no exception. In the words of French Program director Monique Simard, "Since their humble beginnings, CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne have become benchmarks for the filmmaking community and social movements. Now that they have reached maturity, it is normal that these projects continue to grow outside the NFB. For us, the INM is the ideal partner to develop the potential of these two sites. The INM is a respected, credible institution with an impact well beyond Quebec, and we are pleased to entrust the development of these projects to an organization with a mission focusing on citizen expression." According to INM executive director Michel Venne, "For the INM, CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne are ideal ways of stimulating public debate via new media. They clearly show that public engagement has its place in the virtual world - which is becoming more and more part of the real world. The INM is delighted to take on the two sites in September. They will benefit from the original participation methods we have developed. The Institut would like to launch an appeal to organizations and associations in Quebec and Canadian civil society that wish to accompany the INM in the interactive Web adventure: contact us to take part in the evolution of the two sites and their promising future in public participation and debate." With their sights set on the future, CitizenShift and Parole citoyenne are already busy coordinating the Citizen Media Rendezvous, to be held on August 26 in Montreal. The Rendezvous will focus on Internet use by independent and community media, the public and multimedia artists.
About the Institut du Nouveau Monde The Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) is a non-partisan organization dedicated to stimulating public participation and fresh ideas in Quebec. It seeks to promote social justice and inclusion, in a spirit of respect for democratic values, openness and innovation. Through its activities, the INM proposes a structured, deliberative approach based on the watchwords "inform, debate, propose." The INM strives to encourage public participation and contribute to the development of citizen skills, strengthen social ties and highlight democratic institutions. A non-profit, charitable organization, it launched its activities in April 2004. About the National Film Board of Canada The world changes, our stories live on - that's the National Film Board of Canada's pledge to Canadians as it marks its 70th anniversary in 2009 with a new national online Screening Room and a slate of bold, innovative productions. Canada's public film producer and distributor, the NFB produces and distributes social-issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. In collaboration with its international partners and co-producers, the NFB is expanding the vocabulary of 21st century cinema and breaking new ground in form and content, through community filmmaking projects, cross-platform media, interactive cinema, stereoscopic animation - and more. Since the NFB's founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To watch over 1,000 productions online or for more information, visit <NFB.ca>. Links NFB: <NFB.ca>
- 30 - Sources: Institut du Nouveau Monde
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