WINNIPEG — The National Screen Institute-Canada has axed its annual film festival and replaced it with a quarterly online short film showcase and web-based industry center.

NSI Film Exchange, an annual winter festival that screened only Canadian features and short films, has been held in Winnipeg for the past nine years. The four-day event also included an industry component with professional development seminars and master classes.

‘It was a difficult decision. The festival was a great event and something we were all very attached to, but it just isn’t our key focus,’ says Susan Millican, CEO of the NSI, which runs 12 national professional development programs for emerging writers, directors and producers.

‘Our mandate is training,’ she adds. ‘We are the best training school in the country and we want to focus on that. This is a step forward for the NSI and a jump into the future, and we are very excited about it.’

No one at the organization is losing their job due to the festival’s demise, Millican points out.

While attendance at last year’s festival was up 10% to more than 5,500 registered delegates, Millican says that the online film festival and industry center — which will be a national online resource for education, exchange and professional development — has the potential to reach more of their target audience across Canada.

‘Our new initiatives will allow us to expand our presence and reach emerging talent across the country,’ she says. ‘The online festival will give more Canadian filmmakers the opportunity to have their work screened and to view each other’s work.’

The first of NSI’s quarterly online short film festivals will be launched in early 2008. More information on the submission call and jury process will be announced this fall.

The NSI will also debut its online industry center in early 2008. It will feature exclusive interviews with industry leaders and accomplished filmmakers, discussion forums for program participants and emerging filmmakers, and articles solicited from key industry leaders on trends, message boards and podcasts.