Hoping to fill in some of the middle ground between first-time feature filmmakers and established filmmakers, the National Screen Institute will launch a feature program built on the success of the NSI Drama Prize for short films.

The plan was endorsed at the nsi board meeting in Edmonton during the 1997 Local Heroes International Screen Festival. Garry Toth, chair of the nsi board, says an official announcement is forthcoming. The program will likely require a major sponsor.

‘It will be a major program and it will require substantial funding,’ says Toth. ‘We’re still working out how much we can raise.’

The Drama Prize winners for 1997 were named at the fest and included one additional team, thanks to sponsorship from the Shaw Children’s Programming Initiative. Six teams have one year to complete a short film for the 1998 fest.