The crew of Sidewalk Surfing: executive producer Andrew Stevenson, producer Madison Garratt, and director Dillon Erwin, and producer Jordan Ogryzlo.
The curtain will rise on a Niagara College student-created film when the inaugural Niagara Integrated Film Festival opens in mid-June.
Sidewalk Surfing, which was a school project for three students in the third year of the College’s Broadcasting: Radio, Television and Film program, was announced as part of the lineup for the first edition of the Niagara Integrated Film Festival (NIFF). It will be part of the Niagara Rises program at NIFF, highlighting industry talent emerging from the Niagara region.
Madison Garratt, Jordan Ogryzlo and Dillon Erwin – who will graduate from their program this month – began pre-production in January. The short documentary film which focuses on the sport of longboarding was shot the film in San Diego, California in late February, early March.
“It is such an amazing opportunity for our film’s world premiere to be at a local and inaugural film festival, put on by the founder of TIFF! We’ve made such amazing connections and are extremely grateful for this opportunity,” said Dillon Erwin, who was the writer, director and editor of the film.
The 21-year-old resident of Kingsville valued the experience he gained from the project.
“Having the opportunity through Niagara College to travel to a different country with a small crew and tight shooting schedule to accomplish a large goal really showed me how exciting documentary filmmaking can be,” he said.
Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Ogryzlo, co-producer and director of photography for the film, said the project was a valuable learning experience that changed the way he views filmmaking.
“The trip was a great experience it made me leave school with a professional work ethic that I’m carrying onto the film sets I’m now a part of,” he said. “Honestly, Sidewalk Surfing proves that if you work hard in school you can come out with an amazing product that producers will be impressed with. Sidewalk Surfing is the first stepping stone in my career in the film industry, I’m glad I made it with friends and some of the hardest working people I know.”
Twenty-year-old St. Catharines resident Madison Garratt, who is also working as an intern for NIFF, said she was very excited about the film being selected for the festival. As the film’s producer, she took on the business aspects of the project, and such details as permits, releases and fundraising.
The experience of working on the film as a student, she noted, is leading her to pursue producing as a career. “With every project I worked on at Niagara, I learned more and more about what it takes to work in this industry. I learned more about myself and got more confident in my work,” she said. “Sidewalk Surfing was a project that I really got to take the reins into my own hands, and I was ready for it.”
“I am extremely proud that the work of our students has been recognized by NIFF and will be screening alongside award-winning films by established filmmakers from Niagara and around the world,” said BRTF professor Andrew Stevenson who was executive producer for Sidewalk Surfing. “NIFF is shaping up to be a high-profile event and it will be a fantastic opportunity for the students to gain exposure for their work in front of a large audience and to network with industry professionals and filmmakers from the Canadian film industry.”
Along with BRTF professors James Crowe and David Niven, Stevenson was also behind the film VineLife: the Story of a Vintage, which will be part of NIFF’s Niagara Rises program. The one-hour documentary profiles several winemakers from the Niagara wine industry, including NC Viticulture grads Shauna White and Casey Kulczyk.
Stevenson pointed out that at least one other NIFF film has a NC connection; Cas and Dylan, a feature film starring Richard Dreyfus and Tatiana Maslany, was produced by BRTF grad and St. Catharines native Mark Montefiore.
Stevenson believes that NIFF will be highly beneficial for the film industry in Niagara by shining a spotlight on the creative talent that exists in the region.
“Just as the creation of the Toronto International Film Festival helped to boost the profile of Canadian filmmakers within the international film community, NIFF will draw attention to the work of local filmmakers and introduce it to a wider audience,” he said. “Niagara College, with its innovative culinary, viticulture and film programs, is in an ideal position to benefit from the exposure that the festival will bring to the region. Niagara students will have the chance to show off their work at the festival, and to take advantage of networking and volunteer opportunities that will help build their resumes and portfolios.”
The festival will take place June 19-22 at venues around the Niagara region.
A date for Sidewalk Surfing has not yet been announced. Visit the NIFF website for more details, dates and ticket information: niagarafilmfest.com.
