#NAC; #GGPAAF; #VéritéFilms; #GovGenOfCanada' #LifetimeAchievementAward

Ottawa/Canadian-Media: The National Arts Centre (NAC), in partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF) and Vérité Films, presented Governor General’s lifetime achievement awards Canadians whose accomplishments have both inspired and enriched the cultural life of Canadians.

The bilingual show, shot in spectacular outdoor locations across Canada was broadcast Friday on CBC, after a nearly two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featurimg recorded segments and performances from across the country and celebrated the extraordinary achievements of 2021 film, television and stage actor and activist Tantoo Cardinal; philanthropist Lynda Hamilton; composer Alexina Louie; choreographer, dancer, instructor, philosopher and writer Zab Maboungou; actor and writer Catherine O’Hara; actor, producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and activist Ryan Reynolds; and singer–songwriter and guitarist Florent Vollant.

A lifetime artistic achievement award was bestowed on Cardinal, one of the most recognizable Indigenous actors in Canada. Her performance credits include roles in such films as Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall and Smoke Signals, as well as television roles on North of 60, Moccasin Flats and Stumptown.

Another lifetime recipient of the artistic achievement award was Comedic icon O'Hara, also a member of the original cast of SCTV. O'Hara's film credits include Home Alone and Beetlejuice, Schitt's Creek with an award-winning role of Moira Rose.

Reynolds, the star of Deadpool whose other credits include Van Wilder, The Proposal and Pokémon Detective Pikachu, received the National Arts Centre Award. 

Other lifetime artistic achievement winners include Vancouver-born composer Alexina Louie, stage and screen writer, and Quebec-based Innu singer-songwriter Florent Vollant, who has worked extensively with Indigenous musicians, Montreal-based dancer-choreographer Zab Maboungou.

Maboungou pioneered a contemporary movement technique that draws on the rhythms of traditional Central African music and dance.

Lynda Hamilton of British Columbia, ballroom dancer and human resources consultant received the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for voluntarism in the performing arts.

Created in 1992, the awards are presented annually to "Canadians whose accomplishments have inspired and enriched the cultural life of our country," according to a news release. Nominations are submitted by members of the public.

#PatriciaChica; #MontrealGirls; #RobertDAlessio; #RobsInnerCircle; #JennyDuHaime; #KamalJohnIskander, #ChiEnergy; #HolyScar; # HakimBarahimi

Toronto/Canadian-Media: Patricia Chica is a Canadian film and television director, producer, writer, speaker, acting coach, and energy influencer. During her conversation,  with Robert D’Alessio in Episode 20 of Rob’s Inner Circle Podcast, hosted by Robert  -- produced by Jenny DuHaime, Robert D’Alessio Productions, and Pax Management in Bobby’s Short Shorts (YouTube/StreamYard/Facebook) --  speaks about the chi energy and how she practiced it with the cast and crew of her recent theatrical feature film, ‘Montreal Girls, which would be released in 2021 after 9 years of development.

Asha Bajaj, Editorial-Director of Canadian-Media brings you the excerpts:

Patricia Chica in conversation with Robert D’Alessio: Screenshot ​

#PatriciaChica; #MontrealGirls; #RobertDAlessio; #RobsInnerCircle; #JennyDuHaime; #KamalJohnIskander, #HakimBrahimi  

Toronto/Canadian-Media: Patricia Chica, a Canadian film and television director, producer, writer, speaker, acting coach, and energy influencer, during her conversation,  with ​Robert D’Alessio in Episode 20 of Rob’s Inner Circle Podcast, hosted by Robert  -- produced by Jenny DuHaime, Robert D’Alessio Productions, and Pax Management in Bobby’s Short Shorts (YouTube/StreamYard/Facebook) -- ​ ​describes the struggles she faced in her script and the casting during the production of her recent theatrical feature film, ‘Montreal Girls’ which would be out in 2021 after 9 years of development.

To Patricia: Tell us a little bit Patricia about the lead actor, there is something peculiar about him. He had no experience but he did something extremely courageous. Please share that with your audience.

For many years we had one of the top rising stars of Egypt, Ahmed Malek but once we were able to fund the film with all the regulations in Canada, we lost our Egyptian star. So within a week, we had to replace him with somebody local because my film production was at stake. We went on a wide search casting call including North America and the Middle East for a young middle eastern actor in his early 20s to play the lead. At last, when I found a young person Hakim Brahimi, who was actually not an actor, but an employee of CIBC bank, also studying at Concordia University to become an engineer.

I wrote to him that he should send a self-tape within 24 to 48 hours, and when he sent a tape, it was obvious that he was not a trained actor. The next day I called him in the audition room and asked for his commitment to work full time with me as he had to do the lead role. He not only committed but also quit his job before I announced the role. With his willingness to learn and be guided to educate himself at different levels, I found that Hakim had a very high teachability index.

Excerpts:

Sandra: I heard you say in your introductory speech Koalas to Astoria meaning what is your story. what is your story, Patricia?
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Patricia: My story is very similar to about 2 million people in El Salvador where I was born in the 1970s. When the war struck in my country my father left the country to go to Mexico and apply for a visa for Canada. After working very hard from cleaning bathrooms to painting walls, within 6 months, he was able to pay for me, my mother, and my three little brothers to go to Canada. But we could not get visas to Canada due to the war. So, we had to lie and from Mexico City boarded a plane for Madrid with a stopover in Montreal, where my mother left the airplane leaving all her personal belongings with the luggage. Once in Montreal, we sought political refugee status. My parents were paid to learn French and soon they became Canadian citizenships and professionals and I educated myself to become a filmmaker. At present, about 200,000 to 250,000 Salvadorians are in Canada. 50,000 are in Montreal where I am from and there are many in Toronto and Vancouver. So that is my story.

What inspired you to become a filmmaker as you probably did not know many filmmakers from El Salvador?
​
I did not know any filmmakers in the world. From my childhood, I used to draw pictures to tell stories. When given a camera to record the vision in my head, I knew could transform people with my stories. I realized cinema to be the right tool for as it encompasses everything that I love including to stage, direct people, create, guide people to empower themselves creatively. My aim is to utilize all art forms visually to write a story to sound and music with rhythm and energy and to create emotion to engage and reach out to an international audience.

What is your process with your writers when you have a plan to do a film?

I love to collaborate with the writers to elevate ideas, dialogue with them to develop a visually powerful story with my strong ideas, and a smooth transition from scene to scene by getting rid of many lines in the script. Once the actors start talking lines the visual script becomes alive and elevates the story to the next level. Apart from the writing and storytelling process, I love editing my own films with detail, love, long hours, and passion to create a strong message.

​How I enjoy it? I had upset many boyfriends by spending all my nights on my computer. I started editing and filming when I was 16 years old. For me editing is a process of visualizing, capturing the image, creating rhythm and dynamics and associating lines with visuals and scenes, and reshuffling the structure of scenes to elevate the story. It is always about the story and involves selecting actors tactfully. For example, Medusa in ‘Serpents Lullaby’ was shot while sitting on the chair and just looking. This behind the scenes material was shot by behind the scenes camera. I utilize every second to shoot the reactions of unaware actors to elevate performance by replacing words with magical moments.

I also see that you teach with very spiritual energy with a message in all your stories. How do you do that?
​
The basic principle of filmmaking I follow is to connect the subject matter at the human level even if it is horrific, violent, dark, and then to find the light of humanity in darkness. After learning that the actor Holy Scar, could not scream due to a huge emotional blockage from childhood, I helped him overcome this blockage.

What are your experiences as a Latina woman filmmaker in a male-dominated field? Do you get a lot better with men than with women during working?

Being a filmmaker all my life since the age of 16, I see a huge change in the film industry by allowing women more important roles. Having been mostly on male-dominated sets with all my collaborators being male, I love working with men. Being raised in a family where there were only brothers, I have always been like a female leader. I know there are challenges, but I am very geeky and love talking about cameras, lenses, and techniques and we have fun working together. Irrespective of male or female collaborators, my concentration is focused on if their collaboration can improve the performance of what I have in my mind.

Do you think that lack of opportunities for women in this industry not only in the US but everywhere is going to change?

I think it is up to me to change it. I do not count on anybody to give me jobs. I create my own jobs and I am always creating something so I always find a way and not hoping that somebody will come with a silver plate.

Any words of wisdom for the audience and other people as to how to keep going in this industry?
​
I would say what has worked for me is to always follow your purpose and your heart, to do what you love, be aligned and congruent with your purpose. By doing the things that make you happy, you will always succeed.

Asha Bajaj, Editorial-Director of Canadian-Media discusses with Patricia Chica by  e-mail about her unique vision in all her work. ​

Excerpts:

​Asha Bajaj: What motivated you to choose the film line? Briefly describe your work for eight years as a casting director with your company ChicArt Productions, before you were known as a director-producer?

Patricia: I’ve always known that I would work in the entertainment industry, film, and television in particular since I was a kid. When I was in high school, as part of my English class assignment, I decided to do a video instead of a written essay like everyone and this was marked as a skill I would go on to develop further in the future.

I started my professional career as a casting director at the age of 16 and at 18, I founded ChicArt Productions as a small one-person business. Within a few years, it was transformed into a sustainable and successful casting agency with an office at Mel’s Studios in Montreal and 6 full-time employees.​

Established in 1999 with the support from Consulate General of India, Toronto, Panorama India is a not-for-profit umbrella organization which helps unite various Indian cultural associations and groups,  and celebrate Unity in Diversity. 
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Revolving around 3 pillars of its mandates: Educate, Celebrate and Collaborate, Panorama India fosters a better understanding between India and Canada and is proud to build bi-lateral relations with India and Canada through culture as well as provides a platform for all Indian cultural associations, groups, and individuals to exhibit and showcase their arts and culture. 

More than 100 artists took the stage to perform diverse forms of Art, Culture, Music

#Brampton, #Ontario; #VibrantBramptonFestival; #ACISA; #NationalBank; #SandeepPrabhakar; #RickyBajaj; #VibrantBramptonEFestival; #VibrantClassical; #SouthAsianDigitalFestival
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Brampton(ON), Aug 19 (Canadian-Media): The launch of the largest South Asian digital festival in Brampton #VibrantBramptonFest, biggest digital festival in Canada, presented by National Bank and supported by Lazeez Canada, concluded its successful virtual buzz on August 12. ​

 “We would like to take this opportunity to specially thank National Bank, this year’s festival title sponsor, as well as Lazeez Canada. We would also like to send a shout out to all our local and international artists, community collaborators, volunteers and media partners, without whom #VibrantBramptonFest would not have been possible, added Arpan Banerjee, one of the founders of the festival. 
 
This is also the first year for #VibrantStar, the emerging artists talent hunt contest with eight winners in different genres of performing arts – vocal, instrumental and dance.  A total of 33 were selected from hundreds of video entries, part of a 4-week LIVE online audition from June 22 until July 17, 2020.  
 
Click to download
https://www.facebook.com/watch/1493987660651545/709727596489608/
 
“Vibrant Star was held to support local talent with a vision to groom musical and dancing abilities and to provide an opportunity to perform in Brampton’s largest arts, culture and heritage festival, #VibrantBrampton,” said Sandeep Prabhakar who chairs the Board at ACISA.

A a non-profit organization with a vision to promote cross cultural understanding, Arts & Culture Initiative of South Asia (ACISA) aims to bring a diverse community together in celebration of life, culture, art and tradition.  With its mission to promote the diversity of South Asian art forms, ACISA showcases local artists and provides them with an opportunity to present their work to a wide audience, break cultural barriers and encourage participation. ACISA continues to evolve imbibing the cultural values of Canada by allowing all communities from Brampton and rest of Canada to experience the different forms of South Asian Arts and culture to showcase South Asian heritage to communicate key messages that share the philosophy of diversity with residents of Brampton and rest of Canada.  ​