LOCAL HEROES FILM FESTIVAL, WINNIPEG 2/25-3/4/01).

The Local Heroes Film Festival in Winnipeg is a bit of an anomaly as festivals go. Whereas the best in world cinema is often a festival's biggest draw, Local Heroes Winnipeg unabashedly promotes its unique stance as an all-Canadian film festival. And while short films are often given short shrift at these events, the Local Heroes program is weighted heavily in favour of the less-than-15-minute format. In fact, the opening night of the festival is devoted entirely to a premiere of new short films and only six features screen over the seven-day event. And unlike most festivals where you beg, borrow and plead to get party tickets, Local Heroes blatantly shuns the idea of VIP- only passes. First-time short filmmakers rub shoulders at the same parties as the likes of Don McKellar and Niv Fichman.

For all the above reasons, Winnipeg's Local Heroes Film Festival has a certain refreshing charm that sets it apart from its much larger, much glitzier festival cousins in the big cities to the east and west. Perhaps one of the main reasons for the uniqueness of Local Heroes is that it is organized not by a ematheque or a group of film buffs, but by the National Screen Institute-Canada (NSI), a national training organization that is mandated to develop the skills of emerging filmmakers and provide them with the breaks they need to succeed in the highly competitive world of film and television. In fact, organizers see the festival as a place where new filmmakers have the opportunity to showcase their works, talk shop, mingle with industry veterans and perhaps make the deal that will cement their careers or meet the mentor who will help them develop their next film. And for the industry wearied veterans, the festival provides an opportunity to meet the filmmakers of tomorrow and scout for new talent. The formula appears to be working - over 450 registered delegates from across Canada braved the cold for a late February romp in Winterpeg.

The feature-film program of the third annual Local Heroes Winnipeg had a decidedly made-in-Manitoba flavour, with four of the six films either produced entirely or co-produced by Manitobans. The biggest buzz surrounded the Canadian premiere of Noam Gonick's Hey Happy!, still fresh from its screening at Sundance. The post-apocalyptic rave-scene film played to a sold-out Winnipeg house (with a long line of disappointed people turned away) and, according to Gonick, received a far more receptive response from its home audience than it did at Sundance.

Also from Manitoba was Kanadiana, directed by first-time feature filmmaker Jon Einarrsson Gustafsson, a native of Iceland who now resides in Winnipeg. Set in the bitter cold landscape surrounding Lake Winnipeg, Kanadiana is a film noir, Fargo-esque thriller that tells the story of two brothers who head north to lie low after a diamond heist, and wind up following a runaway waitress who unknowingly ends up with the diamonds stashed in the back of her truck. The film has previously screened at the 2000 Montreal Festival des Films du Monde, San Juan's Cinemafest and Planet Indie in Toronto. John Greyson's The Law of Enclosures and Colleen Murphy's Desire, both of which opened at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, were co-produced by Winnipeg's Buffalo Gal Pictures and completed the Manitoba component of the festival. Also screening were Toronto filmmaker John Fawcett's campy teenage-werewolf tale Ginger Snaps, a definite hit with Winnipeg audiences, and from Newfoundland, Rosemary House's Violet, star ring Mary Walsh.

But the heart of this festival was the short films. Sold out daily, the Showcase of Canadian Short Films screened just under 40 shorts from emerging and established filmmakers. The line up included the premier of new films produced through the NSI's Drama Prize Program, which annually provides $44,000 in training, cash and services to six teams of filmmakers from around the country to make a short film. The Winnipeg Film Group also had the opportunity to showcase its latest crop of shorts, always an eclectic array of experimental works produced by its members.

Beyond the screenings, Local Heroes is very much an industry event where filmmakers can take part in a daily line up of intensive workshops and master classes catering to writers, directors and producers. Among the notable names leading the master classes were writers Edward Kay and Semi Chellas, directors Sturla Gunnarsson, Don McKellar and John Greyson, and producers Christine Haebler, Damon D'Oliveira and Niv Fichman. The festival also provided an opportunity for the NSI to showcase its core training programs. In addition to announcing the latest Drama Prize teams, the NSI launched a third round of its Features First Program which develops scripts from first and second time writer/director/producer teams to a production-ready phase. The Genie Award-winning My Father's Angel and Violet were among the first features to be developed through the program.

The NSI also unveiled a new initiative, the NSI Global Marketing Program. Recognizing the imperative for film and television producers to sell their programs to international buyers, this program is aimed at teaching Canadian producers the skills required to successfully market their projects at major international markets and festivals. Canada's provincial film agencies and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade are lending their support to the new program.