It’s all bright lights and big names for the Canadian Film Centre. Established in 1988 by Academy Award-winning director/producer Norman Jewison, the cfc boasts such glitterati alumni as Don McKellar and up-and-comers like Tricia Fish and Vincenzo Natali.

And the statistics are as good as the name-dropping: more than 62 features (Hanging Garden, Whale Music, Last Night) and 42 television dramas (Traders, Black Harbour, Due South) have been produced with cfc alumni in significant roles. Also, 86% of alumni are currently employed across the film, television and new media industries.

The cfc offers three- to four-month, full-time programs in the areas of film, primetime tv, and new media design. Additional programs include professional screenwriting (90% employment record); short dramatic film (more than 90 critically acclaimed shorts produced); and the Feature Film Project, which has produced eight features in seven years.

The school’s official mandate, according to its website, is ‘to promote and advance the artistic, technical, and business skills of Canada’s film, television, and new media production community, and to increase awareness and appreciation of Canadian film, television, and new media.’ Sounds all well and good, but here’s the real skinny.

‘[Attending the cfc] was the single best thing that happened to me,’ says Natali, director of the feature Cube. ‘It was an extraordinary experience. Without it, I wouldn’t have a career.’

Both Natali and fellow alumnus Grant Sauve, 2000 graduate of the primetime television program, agree the cfc is far removed from film school.

‘I didn’t like film school [all residents of the cfc have some prior field experience], it wasn’t nurturing – the cfc is totally that,’ says Sauve. ‘[The cfc] excels at trying to get you to be your best. They also go out of their way to introduce you to the people you need to meet.’

‘I was very cynical about film until [attending] the cfc,’ adds Natali. ‘[The cfc] is the perfect bridge between film school, one’s personal work, and the chilling and tumultuous world of film.’

How much does the Film Centre stress commercialism? Gina Brown, cfc director of marketing and communications, says it’s definitely art over business.

‘There is a strong artistic/creative process. We also accept the reality of commercialism, but definitely emphasize the creative process,’ says Brown.

That said, competition for admittance is fierce. Sauve wasn’t accepted into the professional screenwriters program, known semi-officially as boot camp, and Fish applied twice before being accepted, graduating from the program in 1997. But once inside, things aren’t so bad.

Fish, writer and associate producer of the award-winning feature New Waterford Girl, and also named by Variety magazine as one of the top 10 writers to watch for, is enthusiastic about her cfc experience.

‘The attitude is to bring an aura of competition, and it is therefore more professional. We compete with each other – which can be pretty emotional,’ says Fish. ‘[But] we were all very close – we like to think we had the best year.’

Natali, currently working on the ‘genetic thriller’ Splice, recalls one of his most memorable experiences during his tenure at the cfc.

‘All directors were given the same materials to shoot – actors, script – and we got 10 completely different movies,’ he recalls. ‘It demonstrated how much the director brings to a film.’

Sauve, currently writing the bible (with partner Charles Johnson) for the tentatively titled series Bio Squad (Saban International/Fox Kids), describes his experience as ‘fantastic.’

‘It’s not pretend – you’re working for established writers, with developed series,’ he says. ‘It’s less learning and more of a professional program where we develop every aspect of a show. The cfc works hard to make you a better professional. It’s like an apprenticeship program, which is exactly what you need.’

Natali, who always wanted to attend the cfc, doesn’t mince words. His bottom line: the centre is ‘the most vital institute in the country in developing our film industry.’ *

-www.cdnfilmcntre.com